Sarajevo > Ostrožac > Mostar 72km, 55km

September 13, 2014

Sarajevo > Ostrožac > Mostar 72km, 55km

[Originally posted Sept 13, 2014]

It's 6:14am. I'm not usually up at this hour. I wouldn't classify myself as a morning person although I do enjoy getting up early and getting stuff done.

We are in Mostar. Mostar claims most of it's "cool factor" because of a bridge: the Stari Most (which translates to Old Bridge). And it is old, it was built in the year 1557 by Mimar Hayruddin (a muslim Turk). Wait a second? What are the Turks doing in Bosnia? Good question. The answer: the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire covered covered quite a bit of land back in the day, and under the rule of Suleiman the Magnificent stretched from Hungary to Somalia and from Algeria to Iran. Suleiman wanted Ottoman construction to cover his Empire so he sent out his chief architect, Mimar Sinan, to build stuff everywhere (he is said to have built 92 mosques, 52 small mosques, 55 schools of theology, 7 schools for Koran readers, 20 mausoleums, 17 public kitchens, 3 hospitals, 6 aqueducts, 10 bridges, 36 palaces and mansions 8 vaults and 48 baths - data from Wiki). Anyways, Mimar Hayruddin was a student of Mimar Sinan (also of interest, other students of Mimar Sinan are believed to have helped design the Taj Mahal). So, back in 1557 the bridge was basically the coolest thing around. (It is said that when the final scaffolding was removed from the bridge Mimar Hayruddin didn't know whether to plan his funeral or a celebration cause he wasn't quite sure if the bridge would stand).

Fast forward a couple hundred years and Bosnia becomes part of the Austrian-Hungarian Empire and then Yugoslavia. The breakup of Yugoslavia then leads to the Bosnian Civil War. As previously mentioned, much of this war was between Serb and Bosniak forces and included the Siege on Sarajevo and the genocide at Srebrenica. But, unfortunately, that is not all. The Croats (the third group in the region) decided to also get in on the (unfortunate) action of the Bosnian Civil War. They laid siege (artillery shelling, blocking off the roads - the usual suspects) to the city of Mostar for nine months and then on November 9, 1993 destroyed the Stari Most. A cable bridge was hung in its place until it was finally rebuilt in 2004. The reconstruction attempted to rebuild the bridge with the same technology and materials - essentially to make the exact same bridge (they even sent divers down into the river below to pull out any salvageable stones from the old bridge). Maybe they should rename the bridge Novi Most??

Mostar is interesting. The bridge attracts tourists from all over the planet - so the old road and bridge are covered with people selling, what I like to call "garbage". Jewelry, trinkets, all the lame stuff that is sure to be found wherever tour bus drivers put on the brakes and open their doors. It really gives me the heebie-jeebies being around all that stuff. But, then if you walk one or two streets away from the Stari Most everything changes - and the history of war is very present - walls of the buildings throughout town are covered by shellings (large holes ranging in size from a grape to a canteloupe - to give you an idea) from artillery attack of 20 years ago and a homeless guy is eating out of a dumpster. On what appeared to be the main driving street in town a building that stretches 40 meters is completely abandoned and in total ruin (with a sign that basically says: don't park here, the building might fall on your car). It's interesting to see what things have been fixed up since the war and what likely looks the same it did 20 years ago when the war ended.

Last night we stayed in a bungalow (Katy and I love these) on a lake in Ostrazac. It was more of an old camper connected to a small wooden house, but it was awesome. After a torrential downpour (and Katy and I watching the movie Secretariat - quite the horse) we went and sat out on the dock and stared at the stars. I love looking at the stars. It always remind me of two places (why only these two I am not sure). The first is Jamaica - I remember many nights walking home after a long day's work and just staring up at them. Thinking about where I was, what I was doing, where home was, what my family might be doing. The second place I am always reminded of is Albion Basin. Probably because the stars are so much brighter up there, but you can't spend a night at Alta without stargazing. I have a distinct memory of hiking up to Alta after my uncle Richard's funeral, staring up at the stars and singing the song "I know you're out there somewhere" - lyrics printed on the program at his funeral. And so now I will have to add Ostrazac, Bosnia to my short list of places I like to stare at the stars.

Today is a big day - it's 140km to Dubrovnik. We've had this as our destination for the last 6 weeks or so. And our planning and riding has worked out - just one more day. This afternoon we meet up with my sister Elizabeth and then tomorrow Jessica and Charlie arrive. It's going to be a party. Can't wait.