Bridges

Day 554
Up early again I got a ride to the bus station and headed to Mostar, in Bosnia Herzegovina. I slept thru most of the ride but managed to wake up when we entered the town. The buildings were still bullet riddled.

At the bus station I was met by the mother daughter team that ran the hostel. A free ride is always nice. I was lucky enough to get my own room again.

Once my things were put down I headed to Stari Most, the old bridge and most important site in Mostar. The bridge had been built by the Turks in the 16th century and the destroyed in 1993 by the Bosnian Croats despite UNESCO protection. Most of the town was also destroyed.

Even though the city still bore deep wounds, the bridge and old cobble stoned streets had been meticulously restored. Interestingly most of the stones in the bridge are original; they were brought up from the bottom of the river. It was really beautiful, but totally over crowded, even worse than Dubrovnik. The touristy area was much smaller though.

After about two hours of crowd fighting I bought my bus ticket and then went back to the hostel to lie down.

I didn’t venture out again until after dinner. The crowds were gone and the streets pleasant. Despite my nap I was still exhausted when I got back I quickly fell asleep.