Bullet Holes and a Bridge, Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina May 20,21 2012
20---
In the afternoon I leave the fortress by the sea in Dubrovnic, Croatia and head back up the Adriatic coast to Bosnia. I must say that I've been surprised by the general awesomeness of this part of the world so far. Slovenia and Croatia have been a mixture of rolling hills, fresh air, blue water, and people with an relaxed attitude to match their surroundings. My expectations of Bosnia are different though. The most recent war in Europe took place here, and I have these preconceived notions of a place where men sit around and drink coffee and give people the evil eye; unshaven, AK-47 in hand. As usual, these notions turn out to be wrong.
I get picked up from the bus station in Mostar and arrive at a woman's home turned hostel. We are immediately offered vegetable soup, bread, and a quick lesson on the city. Afterward, we are told to make name tags for our beds so everyone knows who everyone else is. Luckily I already have a couple friends here. I feel like I'm in foster home (albeit a really cool foster home), and the woman who runs the place is everyone's mother. Her name is Majdas. Sweetest woman in the world.
After visiting with everyone for awhile we race the setting sun in hopes of checking out downtown before it gets dark. The city, although safe now, has traces of the war. Bullet holes still scar may of the buildings. In fact, there are so many bullet holes in some buildings that I begin to wonder if the soldiers had an overabundance of bullets and were just shooting at everything. Maybe they needed some target practice, perhaps they were drunk, but probably all three.
The main attraction is a bridge that connects two parts of the city. I not a big bridge guy, but this one is impressive. It was destroyed during the war with rocket fire but has since been rebuilt in all it's old glory. One of the shops near the bridge has a video of the bridge being destroyed. You can't help help but watch in horror as bullets slowly break it, and then it falls into the bright blue water. It's the same feeling you would get if you had to watch someone burn the Mona Lisa, or watch the towers falling in New York on 9-11. Sad.
We snap some pictures, grab dinner, and wander back to the hostel. Tomorrow is a big day.
21---
Majdas's brother, Bata runs a tour of Mostar and several outlying areas. This is what most people in the hostel do today. You hear about this tour from 4 countries away and everybody tells you not to miss 'Bata's tour'. I know it's not going to be like any other 'tour' I've been on the second he walks in the door of the hostel. He has one of those handheld honker things that clowns use and he has more energy than any human being I've ever met. Throughout the day, people make comments about how he must be on drugs or something (in one of those 95%joking, 5% absolutely serious kind of ways.)
We pile into the Bata-mobile van; two people have to sit in the trunk area because there's not enough seats. There's a disco ball hanging for the ceiling, and I know it's going to be a good day. After starting the engine, turbo folk come blasting through the Bata-mobile and we're off. Bata wildly turns the steering wheel back and forth, and asks the girl in the front seat which direction she wants to go 'left or right'. She says left, and he goes right.
We go through the city first, and with all his joking and shenanigans aside he actually knows an incredible amount of good information about the area. He makes fun of the old men drinking coffee outside in the cafes as we pass. I try to figure out the story, the recent history of this place. Why was there a war here, who was fighting, why did the US get involved, etc. However, it's such a complex mix of influences and causes that I feel like I need to read a book about it to fully understand. As we go through the city we see old buildings which are falling down next to brand new ones. The contrast is stark, revealing a city stuck in some nexus between past and present.
We head out of the city to a place called Medugorje next. This place a huge pilgrimage site for Catholics all over Europe. Apparently, an apparition of the virgin Mary was spotted here some years ago by a group of locals. The Vatican doesn't acknowledge this, however the town has slowly grown because of the story. There's a crying statue of Jesus that people flock to. Now, I'm not going to say the crying statue is fake. I don't have an explanation for how "tears" slowly flow out of this statues leg. I do know however that God has nothing to do with it. I look around at the people here. They walk around with this insane look in their eyes, like some kind of peaceful zombies or something. I am noticeable uncomfortable in this place, it feels like a cult town or something.
On to the Kravice Waterfalls we go! This is a massive waterfall in the middle of nowhere. We swim and climb on the rocks behind the waterfall. The water is bitterly cold, but it's a neat little cove. Before we leave we do shots of some local liquor to warm u back up. It's potent and we hop back into the van and are are greeted to more loud turbofolk. Onward!
Pocitelj is a mid evil citadel (castle complex) on the hills outside of Mostar. We explore the area for awhile. Bata has a friend here who lets us into her house. She feeds us sweets and homemade drinks infused with pomegranate and roses. We drink coffee and huddle around a small table. Damn nice woman. We move on and everyone piles back into the van. Bata starts driving away before everyone gets in, leaving people to run after the van. He yells something out the window to a girl walking down the road, she smiles and he laughs manically. Did I mention that Bata is crazy.
Blagaj is the last stop on the tour; a whirling dervish monastery built on a mountain. Bata tells us people come here to drink the water out of the mountain stream. It's lucky for some reason. I reach down and cup my hands to take a drink and wish for something. I can't remember what it was, but I hope it came true. It's starting to get dark now. We head home. It ends up being a 12 hour tour and 'tour' is probably not the right word. It's more of a moving party with an abundance of information and history thrown in. There's a reason people talk about Bata's tour. Totally worth it.
22---
Before leaving Mostar, Ella and I decide to check out the sniper tower (aka an old bank) which was used in the war. Now it's just a shell of a building full of broken glass, graffiti, and bullet casings. We climb to the top floor and look out of the city. There are still bullet holes scattered around the buildings. Off to Sarejevo, the capital.
War In the Mountains, Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina May 22,23 2012
22---
After a ride through the mountains,we (an Australian guy, an English girl, and me) arrive in Sarajevo. To say the hostel is difficult to find is an understatement. We stand outside the bus station for awhile looking one way, then another, walking down one road, then another. We pass the American embassy which seems way too massive for this city. We think about asking the guard where to go, because, at least they will speak english. We keep walking trying to find the correct tram. I ask a guy if it's the right one and he says "yes that one", we get on. We get off and get on a bus, and somewhat magically, we arrive at the hostel office.
Bosnian coffee is delicious The coffee is ground so fine that the bottom is almost like syrup. You eat it with a sugar cube. It's powerful stuff.
At some point we decide to trek up to a fort which overlooks the city. Sarajevo is situated in a valley, so hiking up in any direction gives you a good view. One of the interesting things we are looking at are the Muslim and Christian churches. It's almost as if the churches are completing with one another. At some points during the day a cacophonous mixture of bell ringing and prayer descends over the city. Hearing it from above, feet dangling off the edge of the fort, while the sun is setting is a god damn treat. We stay until it gets dark.
We end the night sitting around a table smoking shisha, drinking beer, and half watching Eurovision on the television. The owner of the hostel is a young guy and he hangs out with us for awhile. Good guy. He is going to take us around the city tomorrow.
23---
We can't walk around too much because there are still hidden land mines in the area.
You can see how the Serbians took the city. You just have to sit in the hills and rain fire of the city.
take tour around city Franz Ferdinan, bobsled, talk about hidden land mines.
get Bosnian coffee and describe it
go out to the smokey club
literally everyone is chain smoking cigarrettes in the basement of this small dark club. My eyes were burning, and our group had a fan running behind us. It isn't even second hand smoke anymore, I am literally smoking.
20---
In the afternoon I leave the fortress by the sea in Dubrovnic, Croatia and head back up the Adriatic coast to Bosnia. I must say that I've been surprised by the general awesomeness of this part of the world so far. Slovenia and Croatia have been a mixture of rolling hills, fresh air, blue water, and people with an relaxed attitude to match their surroundings. My expectations of Bosnia are different though. The most recent war in Europe took place here, and I have these preconceived notions of a place where men sit around and drink coffee and give people the evil eye; unshaven, AK-47 in hand. As usual, these notions turn out to be wrong.
I get picked up from the bus station in Mostar and arrive at a woman's home turned hostel. We are immediately offered vegetable soup, bread, and a quick lesson on the city. Afterward, we are told to make name tags for our beds so everyone knows who everyone else is. Luckily I already have a couple friends here. I feel like I'm in foster home (albeit a really cool foster home), and the woman who runs the place is everyone's mother. Her name is Majdas. Sweetest woman in the world.
After visiting with everyone for awhile we race the setting sun in hopes of checking out downtown before it gets dark. The city, although safe now, has traces of the war. Bullet holes still scar may of the buildings. In fact, there are so many bullet holes in some buildings that I begin to wonder if the soldiers had an overabundance of bullets and were just shooting at everything. Maybe they needed some target practice, perhaps they were drunk, but probably all three.
 |
| Bulletholes from war |
The main attraction is a bridge that connects two parts of the city. I not a big bridge guy, but this one is impressive. It was destroyed during the war with rocket fire but has since been rebuilt in all it's old glory. One of the shops near the bridge has a video of the bridge being destroyed. You can't help help but watch in horror as bullets slowly break it, and then it falls into the bright blue water. It's the same feeling you would get if you had to watch someone burn the Mona Lisa, or watch the towers falling in New York on 9-11. Sad.
We snap some pictures, grab dinner, and wander back to the hostel. Tomorrow is a big day.
 |
| Mostar is awesome! |
21---
Majdas's brother, Bata runs a tour of Mostar and several outlying areas. This is what most people in the hostel do today. You hear about this tour from 4 countries away and everybody tells you not to miss 'Bata's tour'. I know it's not going to be like any other 'tour' I've been on the second he walks in the door of the hostel. He has one of those handheld honker things that clowns use and he has more energy than any human being I've ever met. Throughout the day, people make comments about how he must be on drugs or something (in one of those 95%joking, 5% absolutely serious kind of ways.)
We pile into the Bata-mobile van; two people have to sit in the trunk area because there's not enough seats. There's a disco ball hanging for the ceiling, and I know it's going to be a good day. After starting the engine, turbo folk come blasting through the Bata-mobile and we're off. Bata wildly turns the steering wheel back and forth, and asks the girl in the front seat which direction she wants to go 'left or right'. She says left, and he goes right.
We go through the city first, and with all his joking and shenanigans aside he actually knows an incredible amount of good information about the area. He makes fun of the old men drinking coffee outside in the cafes as we pass. I try to figure out the story, the recent history of this place. Why was there a war here, who was fighting, why did the US get involved, etc. However, it's such a complex mix of influences and causes that I feel like I need to read a book about it to fully understand. As we go through the city we see old buildings which are falling down next to brand new ones. The contrast is stark, revealing a city stuck in some nexus between past and present.
 |
| Old and New |
We head out of the city to a place called Medugorje next. This place a huge pilgrimage site for Catholics all over Europe. Apparently, an apparition of the virgin Mary was spotted here some years ago by a group of locals. The Vatican doesn't acknowledge this, however the town has slowly grown because of the story. There's a crying statue of Jesus that people flock to. Now, I'm not going to say the crying statue is fake. I don't have an explanation for how "tears" slowly flow out of this statues leg. I do know however that God has nothing to do with it. I look around at the people here. They walk around with this insane look in their eyes, like some kind of peaceful zombies or something. I am noticeable uncomfortable in this place, it feels like a cult town or something.
 |
| Crying Jesus statue in Medjugorje |
 |
| Medjugorje |
 |
| Kravice Waterfalls |
Pocitelj is a mid evil citadel (castle complex) on the hills outside of Mostar. We explore the area for awhile. Bata has a friend here who lets us into her house. She feeds us sweets and homemade drinks infused with pomegranate and roses. We drink coffee and huddle around a small table. Damn nice woman. We move on and everyone piles back into the van. Bata starts driving away before everyone gets in, leaving people to run after the van. He yells something out the window to a girl walking down the road, she smiles and he laughs manically. Did I mention that Bata is crazy.
Blagaj is the last stop on the tour; a whirling dervish monastery built on a mountain. Bata tells us people come here to drink the water out of the mountain stream. It's lucky for some reason. I reach down and cup my hands to take a drink and wish for something. I can't remember what it was, but I hope it came true. It's starting to get dark now. We head home. It ends up being a 12 hour tour and 'tour' is probably not the right word. It's more of a moving party with an abundance of information and history thrown in. There's a reason people talk about Bata's tour. Totally worth it.
 |
| Bata the crazy tour guide |
22---
Before leaving Mostar, Ella and I decide to check out the sniper tower (aka an old bank) which was used in the war. Now it's just a shell of a building full of broken glass, graffiti, and bullet casings. We climb to the top floor and look out of the city. There are still bullet holes scattered around the buildings. Off to Sarejevo, the capital.
 |
| Inside the bank AKA sniper hideout |
22---
After a ride through the mountains,we (an Australian guy, an English girl, and me) arrive in Sarajevo. To say the hostel is difficult to find is an understatement. We stand outside the bus station for awhile looking one way, then another, walking down one road, then another. We pass the American embassy which seems way too massive for this city. We think about asking the guard where to go, because, at least they will speak english. We keep walking trying to find the correct tram. I ask a guy if it's the right one and he says "yes that one", we get on. We get off and get on a bus, and somewhat magically, we arrive at the hostel office.
Bosnian coffee is delicious The coffee is ground so fine that the bottom is almost like syrup. You eat it with a sugar cube. It's powerful stuff.
At some point we decide to trek up to a fort which overlooks the city. Sarajevo is situated in a valley, so hiking up in any direction gives you a good view. One of the interesting things we are looking at are the Muslim and Christian churches. It's almost as if the churches are completing with one another. At some points during the day a cacophonous mixture of bell ringing and prayer descends over the city. Hearing it from above, feet dangling off the edge of the fort, while the sun is setting is a god damn treat. We stay until it gets dark.
 |
| Sarejevo from a fort wall |
 |
| Get a job hippy! |
23---
We can't walk around too much because there are still hidden land mines in the area.
You can see how the Serbians took the city. You just have to sit in the hills and rain fire of the city.
take tour around city Franz Ferdinan, bobsled, talk about hidden land mines.
get Bosnian coffee and describe it
go out to the smokey club
literally everyone is chain smoking cigarrettes in the basement of this small dark club. My eyes were burning, and our group had a fan running behind us. It isn't even second hand smoke anymore, I am literally smoking.
 |
| Old ´84 Olympic bobsled course |
Rakia and Turbo Folk, Belgrade, Serbia May 25,26 2012
--25
did city tour and met girl teaching school in Bulgaria form the US
eat dinner and get rakia
--26
watch movie The dictator in a huge communist theater which we were the only ones there.
Casinos & Oddness, Sofia, Bulgaria May 26 2012
Didn't have alot of time here so I didn't so much trying to race to Greece to catch a flight to Peru.
THere were lots of Casinos and I didn't find this to be such a great city
One night in Athens, Athens, Greece May 27 2012
Fly into Athens and watch lightning striking below. I'm half expecting protesters and nothing to be open, but I find none of it. The financial economic disaster is nowhere to be seen.
--25
did city tour and met girl teaching school in Bulgaria form the US
eat dinner and get rakia
--26
watch movie The dictator in a huge communist theater which we were the only ones there.
 |
| I would like to order the lamb guts and veal head please. Thanks! |
 |
| A potion called Rakia |
 |
| Stuffed cabbage |
Casinos & Oddness, Sofia, Bulgaria May 26 2012
Didn't have alot of time here so I didn't so much trying to race to Greece to catch a flight to Peru.
THere were lots of Casinos and I didn't find this to be such a great city
One night in Athens, Athens, Greece May 27 2012
Fly into Athens and watch lightning striking below. I'm half expecting protesters and nothing to be open, but I find none of it. The financial economic disaster is nowhere to be seen.
 |
| Athens from the jet plane |
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