Mostar and Blagaj

Today found us off the beaten path in Bosnia-Herzogovina. This was the location of some of the more intense fighting in the 1990's. They are rebuilding but it still feels poorer than Croatia (squat toilets) and you see many bombed out buildings and houses that were never reclaimed by their owners.


We had the pleasure of spending the day with Stoya, a retired Bulgarian musician who has made his home near Dubrovnik for many years. Stoya helped us navigate the border crossings (there are two) and gave us insight into the conflicts of the 1990's.

The 'Old Bridge' you see is in Mostar and was originally built by the Turks in 1557. It survived WWII only to be destroyed in the 1990's. It was rebuilt and reopened in 2004. Due to its Turkish history, Mostar has an Eastern feel and many mosques. We poked our heads into a mosque near the bridge.

Our final stop was a lovely restaurant on the shores of the Buna River, also in Bosnia. This is a spring-sourced river that comes out of a cave. The thermometer pushed 100 degrees in Mostar so this shady, cool spot was a welcome respite. Kevin and I shared the Yahoo! which was huge plate of Bosnian food. I think we may have eaten 2/3 of it!