Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina has a ton of character



Mostar does not hide its character.  It is an Ottoman jewel with its history written in bullet holes, old cobbled streets, and the creases on the faces of old Mostarians.  It is the rare place that is easier to picture 400 years ago than 20 years ago, when the Croat-Bosniak war tore the town to shreds, taking with it every bridge and several buildings as well as lives, but all the while, making the character of Mostar that much stronger.  

Even the perfect Stari Most bridge that connects the city above the emerald Neretva river was destroyed, but it took an estimated 60 shells of tank fire to take down the 400 year old masterpiece. 

In the early nineties, CNN called Mostar a permanent shooting gallery with 50 casualties per day.  Every graveyard was full, so bodies were buried in parks.  It was a war so complicated that after researching it for a couple days, I am even more confused than when I began.  There is an old video at the end of this post if you want to see what Mostar was like 20 years ago.

So why come to Mostar?  Beauty and hope.  

The town is absolutely beautiful, just like its people, who still manage to crack a smile despite 40% unemployment.  It may have been bombed, beaten, and sieged, but Mostar never lost its identity as a beautiful place to take in a history that ripens with each passing day.  The cafes blare Balkan music, the summer sunsets are long drawn out affairs, and cats play in dimly lit back alleys, more curious than threatening.  

As for hope, this is not a place where one thought he could visit twenty years ago.  And yet, the tour buses embark for Mostar daily.   It gives me hope that in 20 years who knows what other destinations will be unlocked and open to travelers.

 The old town of Mostar 

 A moon hangs in the Balkan sky

 A plate of local food

 One of Mostar's many mosques 

 The famous Stari Most bridge, rebuilt in 2004 after being destroyed after 4 centuries of existence in the war of teh early nineties 

 A bunch of cafes and restaurants line the Neretva River on both banks 

 Most buildings are very old and have survived many wars 

 Some Muslim women sit at the waterfront 

 Some locals at a bar

 PS3 and PS2 arcade 

 A more modern house 


 Kristin really enjoyed the shopping scene in Mostar 

 An old building inside a mosque courtyard 

 Ottoman influences are everywhere 

 Fabrics 

 Mosque courtyard

 There are graves everywhere, as they ran out of space at the graveyards during the war

 Kristin and the bridge 

 The bridge with surrounding old town 

 Some guys celebrating 

 Some awesome mannys

 The two towers on each side of the river are called Mostaris or bridge keepers

 A little Medieval

 Kristin buying copper goods

 Details details 

 How many times can I take a picture of the same thing?  Ask Kristin 

 Lots of little kids with moms

 Some local dress - I dont even remember taking this picture 

 A diver about to jump from the 70+ foot tall bridge 

 The area is beautiful and the river is the strangest shade of green 

 Some old cafes

 Windows 

 Spinach stuffed with rice and meat 


 Tiers

 Peddlers

 I love the door shutters

 An old cobbled street 

 Bullet holes can be seen in many buildings and some are still bombed out 

 The call to prayer echos throughout the Muslim and Christian city

 A newer part of town

 Some markets 

 View from the Stari Most 

 Our place the Muslibegovic House, which doubles as a hotel 

Old Hajj passport

 Inside our hotel 



 Great place to buy fabrics 

 Some guys jamming on the waterfront.  How Serbian does the guy in grey tank look?
 Minaret looms over the river 

 This bridge is incredible in person, looks like something out of an alternate universe, or maybe game of thrones 

 A shop keeper jamming 


 This guy was the jam - Mostar has very exotic looking women

The surrounding mountains flank Mostar 

 Age 

 Some Bosniak women amble down a main road 





 The waterfront 




<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/nh7sL75bChs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

33 comments:

  1. Nonetheless, the fashion market is probably the a single many afflicted with the web purchasing craze, fake chanel since garments retailers and also shoes or boots and also components sites will be the many been to simply by people coming from around the globe, chanel replica whether or not females or perhaps guys. The explanation for which the on the web industry exploded will be in which net retailers offered buyers together with substantially reduced rates, but in addition using a greater selection of goods, chanel replica in cases like this together with many low-cost duplicate totes, louis vuitton replica sale permitting females to get good quality goods with actually cost-effective rates. louis vuitton replica sale Despite the fact that owning a artist carrier will be audio to numerous women’s hearing, numerous girls are able to offer in which upwards and only cashing in on an improved value.

    ReplyDelete
  2. given article is very helpful and very useful for my admin, and pardon me permission to share articles

    here hopefully helped Obat pengapuran tulang

    ReplyDelete
  3. WOW this places look stunning, hope i could visit those places someday

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yup i surely agree with you, and the foods looks really delicious :D

    ReplyDelete
  5. thank you very useful information admin, and pardon me permission to share articles here may helpLink Alternatif TwinPoker88

    ReplyDelete

  6. thank you very useful information admin, and pardon me permission to share articles here may helpLink Alternatif TwinPoker88

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great pot, All your photography are best quality and has look and feel. Thanks for sharing this images and content.
    Promo Code

    ReplyDelete
  8. articles that you create are always interesting to watch and this is very useful. always passion and success continue.
    adu q online

    ReplyDelete
  9. your article looks good. I love to read your article. I hope I can still continue reading your next article. hopefully your website growing. good luck always for you and your website. thank you
    Agen Togel Terpercaya
    Agen Togel Online
    Bandar Togel Terpercaya
    Bandar Togel Online
    Togel Online Terpercaya
    Togel Online
    Situs Togel Online
    Togel Online
    Togel Online Terpercaya
    Judi Togel Online

    ReplyDelete
  10. Banyak sekali permainan taruhan angka togel yang bisa dimainkan secara online. Website togel online sudah bisa kita akses dengan mudah. Jika memang anda adalah seorang pemain togel sejati, maka kami sarankan anda bermain Bandar Togel hanya di Lakitoto. Lakitoto sudah terbukti sebagai salah satu bandar togel terpercaya saat ini di Indonesia. Terkadang memang setiap tampilan sebuah website dan cara bettingan angka selalu berbeda-beda. Tapi tampilan lakitoto memberikan kemudahan kepada setiap pemain yang ingin melakukan bettingan angka. Sudah banyak sekali pemain togel online yang bergabung bersama Lakitoto sebagai agen togel terpercaya sekaligus bandar togel online paling populer di Indonesia.Situs Togel

    Popularitas situs togel online lakitoto sudah tidak diragukan lagi. Lakitoto yang sudah berdiri sejak tahun 2014 ini terus meningkat drastis tiap bulannya. Dari pemain togel, turnamen yang diadakan tiap tahunnya membuat lakitoto semakin berada di puncak popularitasnya di kalangan masyarakat luas di Indonesia. Hadiah dan diskon yang diberikan pun sangat besar. Sudah banyak pemain togel yang berhasil memenangkan ratusan juta di situs togel online Lakitoto. Tergantung bagaimana seberapa hebat para pemain togel meracik angka yang akan keluar di setiap pasaran togel. Jadi tunggu apalagi.. Tunjukkan jiwa prediktor anda bersama Lakitoto. Moto lakitoto adalah anda menang kami bayar!!! Daftar Togel Online

    ReplyDelete
  11. Situs Poker Online happy with your article, I think your website is pretty good. Many articles are very useful for everyone. Agen Domino QQ am sure your website will grow in the future. I will always support your website, hopefully more advanced. keep the spirit...Thank you for the information you have given us.Thank you so much..Bandar Judi Poker

    ReplyDelete
  12. articles that you create are always interesting to watch and this is very useful. always passion and success continue.
    bandar online
    bandar togel
    agen togel
    togel online
    link alternatif Dewacinta

    ReplyDelete
  13. I love it and I'm so glad to read it. It's really good to read. It's a smile. Thanks for the good content that I shared. I read it as a gold mine to eat. I will be thankful for the good content.
    บุคคลที่โลกจดจำ

    ReplyDelete
  14. This was such an awesome article, gratitude for posting this mister. Ive studied many a diverse blogs connected to this study and this one right here is unquestionably in the top drawer. Great work and I look forward to the next posting. How long do you think it will be before you create the next article on the website?
    Delima Poker
    Link Alternatif DelimaPoker
    Link Alternatif Dewacintaqq
    DewaCintaQQ
    TwinPoker88
    Link Alternatif TwinPoker88

    ReplyDelete
  15. FAJARTOTO is the best Bandar Togel from indonesian.. We have a lot of member always come to visit our wesbite everyday.. i will always support your website and hope will grow up in the future and I hope one day you can come to visit my website Agen Togel Online Fajartoto also,, thank you so much
    Syair Togel Hk
    Prediksi Togel Hk

    ReplyDelete
  16. Nice to be visiting your blog again, it has been months for me. Well this article that i’ve been waited for so long. I need this article to complete my assignment in the college, and it has same topic with your article.

    Thanks, great share :

    cara mengobati jantung koroner
    cara menghilangkan benjolan di tangan

    ReplyDelete