Mostar

Ok, have wifi now so I'll jump back a bit to Mostar. After the depressingly busy stop in Neum the day got better! Interestingly Neum is Bosnia's only coastal town, splitting Croatia into two parts. It's Bosnian because the Republic of Dubrovnik sold it to the Turks a few hundred years ago in order to save it from being destroyed by them! It's remained a part of Muslim Bosnia since.

Anyway after driving up a green fertile valley full of fruit trees, olives and vines we started seeing shrapnel damage on buildings and ruins together with new builds. The shrapnel damage became more intense as we entered the city in sharp contrast to the normal everyday life going on there. Although the old town & bridge is famous, it's only a tiny part of Mostar which is a modern city. Not far under the surface however it remains a troubled place. This main thoroughfare with traffic lights, alongside a heavily shelled ruin, was the front line during the war and still divides the city. The Catholic Croats live on one side of it, the Muslim Bosniaks on the other.

According to our guide the economy of the city has collapsed and many of the former industries are no more. Tourism is now a major source of income. One of the old industries that still thrives is winemaking from all those vineyards we passed. The Muslim Bosniaks make the wine and also drink it, except perhaps during Ramadan. They seem to have a very relaxed version of Islam here! The hour long guided tour through the old Turkish town and of course over the bridge was was full of interest. It wasn't hard to see how vulnerable the town was to the overlooking hills but I hadn't realised the destruction of the old bridge was purely a show of strength as it had little military advantage. The big question however wasn't asked, or answered. How can friends and neighbours kill each other and how can they live together afterwards? The fact that the city is divided suggests an uneasy truce and one wonders how long the peace can be maintained.

Elvie