BiH

Bosnia & Herzegovina, a country with 3 presidents, 57 member of the legitrative branch, numerous sub and state ministers and 14 years since some of the worst mass genocides since WWII. Lonely planet warnings about not walking off the 'beaten track' and very little information what to expect beyond the city Mostar. Given its history and small amount of knowledge we had of this country, we where extremely curious what to expect when we arrived . . . .

First up we stopped in Sarajevo, the beautiful, booming capital of Bosnia with strong memories of been surrounding by Serbia troops, having only the true spirit of the Bosnian helping them survive. Whilst the city has sinced moved on and almost completely rebuilt from the devastation, there a still small reminders, bullet holes here, exploded shells there, of a time that should never be forgotten. Straight away we made a b-line to the history museum, where we brushed up our history of the war and learnt about the justice that is been extracted by ICTY, the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. We then moved onto a photography exhibit showcasing some amazingly moving images in relation to the massacre in Srebrenica. With a better understanding of the history of the war, we then sort out the famous tunnel built under the airport during the 92-95 siege. The hand dug tunnel was build in 4 months with no surveying or GPS technology and without it Sarajevo surly would have been capitulated. It was sad to see what these people had to experience during that terrible period, but at the same time it was amazingly interesting to learn about how through the human spirit these people persevered through such devastating circumstances.

But Sarajevo isn't just all about war and horror, once you move past all that, the city itself is a maze of multicultural and religious architecture. During its long history the city has had numerous rulers all who have made their own stamp on the city. Early Romans, Goths, Christian, Ottomans, the Austria Hungarian rule and of course Yugoslavia, each period of history can be seen by just taking a short stroll along the Miljacka river. It truly is an amazing feeling to walk through the old section of the city and pass a group of men walking into a mosque for daily pray, whilst at the same time just round the corner church bells are ringing from the towns cathedral.

Next stop took us to the ancient town of Mostar. Again this was a town rich in history and forced to suffer some terrible scarifies during the recent war. Whilst Sarajevo has seemed to recover structurally, this is not the case with Mostar. As we made our way down to the old town it almost seemed that every second house you passed was completed gutted out or had major damaged from shelling and gun fire. The crowing jewel that is Mostar's major highlight is Stari Most or Old Bridge. Originally built in 1566, the single arch stone bridge was apparently the greatest architecturally achievement of the ottoman rule. Sadly the bridge was destroyed during the 1990's conflict, but in 1999 construction began to reconstruct the bridge to the exact same specifications of its predecessor. After 5 years of painstaking construction the 'new' old bridge was finally completed symbolizing a celebration of the city's reunification.

Still very interested in learning more about war, we decided to take a backstreets tour of Mostar, appropriately called Death of Yugoslavia tour. Picked up by our guide Miran, we were initially greeted and told that his only disappointment about the tour is that his car is not Yugoslavian, and to his credit he was correct (about the tour that is...). During the tour we were taking to 3 sites, the first being on old aircraft hanger and bunker. Now in complete disarray this 1km hanger, secretly housed numerous fighter planes during the Yugoslavian regime. Next we were take to the roof of a 9 story use-to-be bank, I say that because now it is nothing more than a building shell containing broken glass and graffiti. From the top of the building we were treated to amazing views over the whole city, where Miran explained in detail the history of the war and where the city/country stands today. Being a history teacher and living though the events he was able to be extremely informative telling the story with the finest of detail. When asked why most of the building have just been left this way, he informed us that most of the buildings are still owned and if the government demolish the, the owner then has the right to claim for compensation. The final stop on our tour was the Partisan Cemetery. Once a very significant landmark in Mostar, today it's well... how can I put this... A shit hole (as accurately described by Miran)! Designed by Bogdan Bogdanović as a tribute to the Yugoslavian Partisans who had fallen in battle, this grand park area was a common picnic spot for the local Mostaries. Going there now without knowing the true story and seeing photos of its previous glory would be a very confusing experience, so I'm glad we were able to experience I through the tour.

Arriving in Bosnia, we were not expecting anything special from the food, as we had heard a few reviews of it been just meat and carbs. While there was A LOT of meat a carbs, we quickly learnt that an excellent meal was all about picking the right thing off the menu and finding a good restaurant. In Sarajevo we asked the friendly receptionist at our hotel to recommend a good local resturant, we were a little unsure at first given her suggestion was a steak house but thought it was worth a try. Lucky for us the receptionist also made us a reservation, something we weren't used to in Eastern Europe, as it was Ramadan and all the restaurants were completely full. The meal started with the usual clotted cheese and bread, and followed by grilled capsicums and a 'happy' Bosnian, a kefta stuffed with cheese and smoked ham - delicious! Due to the heavy Turkish influence the deserts in Sarajevo were sickly sweet and pastry, which we only had a mouthful or two before deciding we had had enough. We also indulged in a local delicacy much like a stewed apple with cream, which I was happy to only try once. And of course we did fit in a meal or two of the standard meat and carbs, but we weren't complaining as the meat was cooked perfectly and there was a great variety.

In Mostar we realised selecting a local resturant would be a little difficult as many were tourist based, westernised versions of local food. However, one day for lunch we stumbled upon a wonderful place which was perfect for a long leisurely lunch. We started off by enjoying a homemade lemonade, followed by meat kefta and a range of vegetables (pickled cabbage, peppers, vine leaf) stuffed with minced meat and spices. The latter dish was perhaps our best in Bosnia and maybe one of the best of the trip! We then enjoyed a traditional Bosnian coffee (just like a Turkish coffee) with a little square of Turkish delight.

Our time in BiH was packed full of good food, interesting places and informative history lessons. Whilst it was only a short stay, we managed to fill our heads to bursting point with facts about the Yugoslavian war. But out of everything we saw and did I think the most surprising aspect of the whole country was the friendliness of its people. From every shop, resturant, hotel and street corner there was always a big toothy smile or friendly 'dobar dan' awaiting you.

- Louise & Ryan -