Discovering Bosnia And Herzegovina Part #1
Visiting Mostar
I decided to visit Mostar on a whim while waiting for my flight to Bosnia and Herzegovina. I will spend the weekend in the country and have limited time to discover. Yet, I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to see the famous Mostar Bridge and Mostar Old Town, considering that both sites are on the Unesco Heritage List.
Driving to Mostar
As an amateur driver, I was a bit hesitant about renting a car in the Balkans. However, the 2-hour-long drive from Sarajevo International Airport to Mostar was spectacular.
Mostar is located in the southern part of the country, close to the Croatian border. On my way to the city, I passed by pretty villages with lakeside beaches and camping grounds. The scenery reminded me of Interlaken in Switzerland, with turquoise-colored lakes and snow-peaked mountains in the background.
There are also many roadside restaurants whose parking lots are all full; an indication that the quality of food is good. I decided to visit one of them for dinner on my return journey to Sarajevo.
Mostar Old City Center
I parked the car on a side street and walked down a bit to enter the old city center from the northern part where the Koski Mehmed Pasha Mosque is located. The mosque was built in the 17th century, during the Ottoman Empire period, and one can have a bird eye view from its minaret.
Leaving the mosque behind, I continued my walk through the old bazaar, which extends on both sides of the famous old bridge. I passed by cafes, restaurants, and shops selling traditional Bosnian products and souvenirs, such as traditional coffee sets with engraved metal casings.
After grabbing some ice cream, I stopped by the viewpoint to enjoy the highlight of this day trip from a distance; Stari Most Mostar (aka the Mostar Old Bridge). The bridge was destroyed during the siege of Mostar in 1993, and in 2005 the restored bridge and the surrounding area were included in the Unesco World Heritage List. In the past, it was a tradition for grooms to dive off the bridge into the Neretva River to show their bravery. Today the bridge is one of the diving spots in the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series.
There are plenty of things to do around this area. Have a Bosnian coffee, or some local beer, in one of the cafes facing the Mostar Bridge, and enjoy the splendid view of the river… Visit the old churches, and mosques in the area to experience the multicultural aspect of the country… If you are adventurous, join one of the raft tours through the Neretva River; the boats leave from the stop under the Old Mostar Bridge.
The sound of water and lush scenery follows me everywhere in Mostar Old Town. After walking by the Radobolja Stream, I came across the Crooked Bridge (Kriva Cuprija). Rumor has it that it was built before the Old Mostar Bridge for experimental purposes. Originally there were control towers on both sides of the bridge, but only one of them survived until this day.
If I had more time, I would like to spend the night at one of the guesthouses overlooking the Radobolja Stream. However, I have to return to Sarajevo. I crossed the bridge in the opposite direction and started to walk along Marsala Tita Street where the magnificent buildings from the Austrian Hungarian Period are standing in all their glory with their facades still bearing the destruction of the Bosnian War.
On my way back to the car, the scent of freshly baked bread from one of the nearby Pekara (Bakeries) permeated the street, and I couldn’t resist entering the store. To my surprise, I found pretzels of all kinds and bought a savory version with cheese drizzle. It was warm and delicious, even better than the one I had in Munich, Germany. Bosnia takes savory pastry to the next level, and throughout my journey, I never left a bakery unhappy.
Having Dinner at Jablanica
On my return journey to Sarajevo, I stopped by a sideroad restaurant in Jablanica. The lake and mountain scenery from the restaurant was splendid. The restaurant is specialized in meat dishes, and I ordered Bey’s Soup (Begova Čorba), and Cevapi (Traditional Meat Balls), both of which are examples of traditional Bosnian Cuisine.
The Bey’s soup contains meat and various vegetables such as okra, potatoes, and carrot, and Cevapi is served with the ajvar sauce (a famous sauce in the Balkans- made of roasted eggplants, red pepper, and garlic). If you have a sweet tooth, you can conclude your dinner by ordering some Balkan Style- Trilece Cake (the name comes from Tres Leche, aka Three Milks because the cake is soaked in milk and served with caramel sauce), or Baklava (Flaky pastry with sherbet and nuts).
Full and satisfied, I left the restaurant. I am now ready to drive the remaining 1.5 hours to Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, best known as the city where Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated in 1914, initiating the First World War.
