Day 6 (July 17, 2017): A bridge that defines a city
Yet another early rise (5AM). Pam has been a good sport about the way I concocted the itinerary with so many early rises. But I'm quasi cursing myself for having squeezed in so much go-go-go, necessitating so many early rises. In any case, we wolfed down a quick breakfast at the hotel and hopped in a taxi to the Sarajevo train station at 6:30 for our 7:00 departure to Mostar.
Trains in the former Yugoslavia aren't exactly known for their opulence. We took one in Albania in 2015 that was so disgusting we didn't sit down for the entire two hour journey! So our expectations were very low this morning. But WOW -- what a pleasant shock to find a gleaming new train serving the route to Capljina (with a stop in Mostar). We had gone to the station on Sunday to buy our tickets, as they don't sell tickets more than a day in advance. Instead of a $10 2nd class ticket, we splurged $3 more for 1st class -- what a return we got on our investment! We found ourselves in a beautiful new car, all alone for the entire 2-hour journey. The Sarajevo-Mostar route passes though a mountain range for most of the way. Tunnels give way to sights of mountain villages, rivers, fields and forest. Honestly, I think it is the most beautiful train route we have ever traveled.
We pulled into Mostar at 9:15, having taken a few hundred photos of the stunning scenery and feeling like we had just lived a highlight of our summer vacation.
A quick taxi ride to our gleaming new "Hotel Mepas" (located on the 8th and 9th floors of a shopping mall), an early check-in, a quick bite, a little rest, and we were off exploring at 11AM. The temperature went to 32C, but there was no humidity at all. Just a pleasant, sunny day.
With a population of 113,000, Mostar is located in the Herzegovina section of the country. Its world-famous 16th-century stone bridge (blown up in the war in 1993 and since restored) is the centrepiece of its alluring, extensively restored old town. Many of our pictures below focus around the bridge with its world-famous divers, who spend more time drumming up the crowd's enthusiasm and raising tips than they do actually jumping. You do well to see one dive in an hour, as a result. But it is truly amazing to see them dive into the 11C water 24 metres below.
Many shattered building shells remain as moving testament to the terrible 1990s conflict that divided the city, namely the war between Croat and Bosnian forces. It was a horrible conflict for Mostar, however the small city has mostly been repaired. It's old town is so pleasant and unique, making it a sheer delight to stroll on both sides of the bridge.
Besides the "Stari Most" (Old Bridge), we took in the small Kriva Cuprija (Crooked Brisge), the Hamam Museum (about the history of the Turkish bath), the historic Biscevic House (a traditional Turkish Merchant's home), found a tiny, old, quaint Orthodox Church after much plodding, and just relaxed by walking through the windy, cobbled streets of the bazaar.
By Kate afternoon, we returned to the hotel for a rest. Pam did some shopping in the mall below our hotel, I went to the fitness centre and got a nap, and then we went out to a wonderful restaurant on the banks of the river, as recommended by Lonely Planet. What a meal! And what a day! What a place!
A first class rail car all to ourselves - for the whoppingly crazy price of $13! I love Bosnia!
Comments
Post a Comment