Balkans - Part 2

06 Jan 2016 . category: Travel . Comments
#Balkans

Day 2: Sarajevo and Mostar

We began the day by trying some famous local foods: burek, a baked filled pastry, and Bosnian coffee. I thought the burek was delightful, though I never really got the hang of drinking Bosnian coffee.

We then saw some of the attractions that were closed the previous evening, including old city hall and Svrzo House, a wealty Muslim home that’d been turned into a museum. Turns out that sightseeing with heavy backpacks on is not the best, especially when there are low and narrow doorways.

We then boarded a bus for our next city: Mostar. It was the sight of fierce fighting during the war, and overall the city was less well reconstructed than Sarajevo had been. Here’s a great shot of a new shiny car in front of a completely shelled and destroyed building:

It’s my understanding that there just hasn’t been enough economic development to make either the demolition or renovation of these buildings desirable, so they continue to stand in their current condition. It was while we were walking around that we were randomly chatted up by a seemingly nice old man who talked to us for awhile about Boston and college and everything…before asking for money. Darn.

And of course, the highlight of Mostar is the beautiful bridge, a reconstruction as the original was infamously blown up during the war:

We had a fabulous dinner with wine and everything for like $10 a person, before turning in at another Airbnb. The Balkans was shaping up to be a wonderful trip, especially with the affordable good food!

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