Sadly we said goodbye to Croatia, though this was tempered but the fact that we knew we would be back after popping across the border to Mostar in Bosnia and Herzegovina. As overly touristy as it was, I had grown up with seeing photos of the famous Mostar bridge all over the internet, and was desperate to go. Luckily my travel companions happily obliged.
The drive there was rather pretty in itself, and we stopped at this dramatic view for lunch.
Mostar was an interesting city due to its history and architecture. We were lucky enough that Teo - the owner of where we were staying at - was extremely friendly and acted as a tour guide for us, taking us about the city. He knew a lot about the history of the place (having lived through the war as a child) and pointed out the many bombed out buildings that still stood ruined on the streets.
The first place he took us however was to do with something much earlier. The Partisan Memorial Memorial Cemetery was a monument built in the 1960s to commemorate those killed in World War II in Yugoslavia..
Damaged by the war in the 1990s, it was neglected and vandalized. And it was in a dismal state when we saw it. I was surprised to learn it had in fact been completely renovated and reopened in 2005 - clearly this didn't last.
It has become the local hangout spot for youths which was obvious by the graffiti and numerous bottles littered everywhere - I can't say I blame them (for picking the spot - I certainly don't condone littering) as it provides a great view over the city and its rather peaceful sitting in the ruins of this nostalgic infrastructure, almost reclaimed by nature. (Does it remind anyone else of one of those dastardly puzzles from the computer game series Myst?)
Teo's tour next lead us through park where he stopped for an amusing anecdote on exactly why a Bruce Lee statue was erected here of all places. The part that stood out to me was how they were promised Bruce Lee would actually be there for the opening ceremony only to be terribly disappointed when the time came and he didn't show up. Nevertheless its a rather amusing statue to come across so unexpectedly and we posed accordingly. Mad Kung Fu skills here yo.
The next place he took us was one of the most interesting places I've ever been to; known as the Glass Bank it was the main sniper tower during the war - which was chilling to think about whilst walking through. Today its a husk of what it must once have been, full of shattered glass, refuse and debris. One had to carefully pick their way through and I was glad we had a guide.
There was also a lot of graffiti on the walls, some of it actually very good and I enjoyed wandering around each corner to whatever unexpected picture would present itself next.
Watching the sun sink below the mountains and the day dim from up high was definitely an experience I wouldn't miss, especially as we sat in the midst of history - at the top of this war ravaged building, each with our own thoughts.
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