Mostar

We've taken another side trip out of Croatia, this time to Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina.  Most folks (us included) tend to just say Bosnia, but it's not the official name.  It's BNH for short. 😀. We didn't know much about Bosnia before this trip, but have since learned quite a bit.  We like using the Rick Steves guidebooks, and as he says, it's a country "with three faiths, three languages, and two alphabets."  We experienced all of this first hand.

Old Bridge

Bosnia is likely the most ethnically diverse of the former Yugoslavian countries. Bosnians are generally Muslim, Serbs are Eastern Orthodox, and Croats are typically Catholic. On the drive to Mostar, we saw both the Roman and Cyrillic alphabets.  We also saw numerous mosques as well as Christian churches.  We stayed in the heart of Old Town Mostar, adjacent to one of many mosques, and we heard the Muslim call to prayer multiple times during our one-day visit. About half the population in BNH is Muslim, and this is our first visit to a primarily Muslim country.  In both the architecture and food we could see the Ottoman (Turkish) influence.  In fact, Turkey has a consulate located in the heart of the Old Town.

Old Bridge at night

The main draw for our visit to Mostar was to see the Old Bridge (Stari Most).  This bridge has spanned the Neretva River for over four hundred years.  In fact, it's the longest single-span stone arch in the world.  The bridge was destroyed during the 1990s war for independence.  It was rebuilt using new stone that was hand-carved from the original quarry.  The Grand Duchy of Luxumbourg contributed significant funds to its restoration and is recognized with a plaque on the bridge. They did an outstanding job with the restoration as it is difficult to tell that it was reconstructed less than 30 years ago.

Running along the river after you cross the bridge is what's known as Coppersmith's Street.  There are lots of little shops selling all kinds of things made of stamped copper. Some of the larger pieces had very exquisite detail.  We ate dinner at a restaurant next to an 

Our Bosnian "Meat Feast"

offshoot stream of the Neretva, a lovely setting that could have inspired the San Antonio Riverwalk.  We had what I lovingly referred to as a "meat feast" -- a dinner for two that had samplings of traditional Bosnian meats including Ćevapi, a type of sausage that is often considered the national dish of Bosnia and Herzegovina.  As a proud carnivore, I can attest that all of it was delicious.

We only had the one day for Mostar on this trip, and it was a very fulfilling and enjoyable day.  Hopefully, we will make a return trip one day.