Mostar

Lance and I have been wanting to travel to Mostar ever since we arrived in Bosnia/Herzegovina.  Mostar is located in the Canton of Herzegovina-Neretva in the southern part of the country.  It is featured in a video on Rick Steve's web site and has always looked interesting to us.  Plus...Lance follows a blog called Man in Seat 61, which talks about train rides you can take all over the world.  He writes that the train ride from Sarajevo to Mostar is one of the best you can take in this country.  

On the day we left we had to get up early to catch the tram to the train station.  The train to Mostar was scheduled to leave around 7:00 AM and would not come back to Sarajevo until after 10 that night.  That made for a long day.  To make matters worse...the temperatures in that part of the country were expected to be triple digits.  The forecast did not look any better in the days to come...so we decided it was now or never.

The train ride was very scenic...and included numerous tunnels along the way.  As you might imagine, it is hard to get a decent picture from a moving train, not to mention the reflection that you get off the window...but I tried my best.  The photo below is just one of the many beautiful sights we saw during our ride.  

After arriving at the train station, we walked to the historic center.  On the way, we passed by this interesting building.

Next, we saw the Stari Most (literally translated as Old Bridge) that spans the Neretva river.  It is one of the most recognizable structures in the country.  This Ottoman bridge was originally built in the 16th century, however, it was destroyed during the war that took place in Bosnia/Herzegovina in 1993.  After the war ended the bridge was eventually reconstructed with local materials and Ottoman construction techniques.  

During the summer months you can see young men diving off the bridge into the Neretva river.  There is also an organized diving contest that takes place during the end of July.  On the day we went to Mostar, we saw the divers in their swimsuits...but never had the chance to see them take the plunge. 

The old historic center has plenty of shops for all the visitors who come to see this historic town.

I liked the way they arranged stones in different designs to create sidewalks. 

Lance and I enjoyed lunch at this restaurant, which use to be an old mill back in the day.

The restaurant is located near the crooked bridge that was built as a test model for the Stari Most (Old Bridge.)    

Despite the hot, uncomfortable temperatures, we enjoyed our visit to Mostar.  After seeing the town...we headed for the air conditioned mall to enjoy a cold drink and to hang out until it was time to board the train again.  It was a day well spent.