September 23, 2022

September 23, 2022

This morning we did a walking tour of Sarajevo, Bosnia. Our local guide was a very funny irreverent historian. Besides showing us sights we didn't reach last night he gave us a good local’s perspective on the Civil War and current politics.

He took us to an old Caravanserai, Morica Han, hidden inside Sarajevo's Turkish Bazaar. This was an inn for traveling traders. He gave us a lesson on its etymology. Serai means palace, so these inns were ‘caravan palaces’. Likewise Sarajevo was originally ‘palace of Bosnia’. This Caravanserai is now a restaurant and carpet store.

We also talked about how the region has a mixture of religions. We visited a mosque to learn about the easy-going nature of Bosnian Islam compared to the Middle East. We also went to a synagogue to learn how Sarajevo became one of the main destinations for Sephardic Jews after they were expelled from Spain in 1492. Jews were even protected by Muslims during the Nazi invasion of the Balkans.

This is election season and I have never seen so many public political posters. I thought the US was bad! Our guide told us about their high taxes, their ‘too much’ government and the high level of corruption. I hear this the world over, but yet most still vote for more government instead of less.

Leaving Sarajevo, we crossed to the Neretva River that flows southwest into the Adriatic Sea. It is a beautiful drive through the Dinaric Alps that line the western coast of the Balkans. This river has been dammed for hydroelectric power in several places. This also marks our passage from Bosnia to Herzegovina. This region’s name means ‘land of the Herzog’. This Herzog or German Duke kept his land because he wisely supported the successful Ottoman Empire.

After a couple hours we reached Mostar, the capital and largest city of Herzegovina. We stopped for lunch and to see its famous Ottoman bridge, Stari Most. It is a testament to the scarcity of stone bridges in Medieval Times that the town was essentially named 'Bridge'. Unfortunately, this World Heritage site was destroyed during the Civil War and then rebuilt as a symbol of peace. The parking lot is full of buses on day trips from the Adriatic coast, probably cruise line passengers. The bridge is mobbed. Instead, Aimee and I wander to a deserted part of the city for a better photo opportunity. As is often the case, quiet can usually be easily found just a block or two away from the tourist path.

We continued our drive south reaching the Adriatic Sea at the town of Neum. The road to the sea was very winding and the terrain became considerably drier and rockier as we approached the coast. 

Neum is the only point Bosnia reaches the Adriatic. This little strip of land was sold centuries ago by Dubrovnik to the Ottoman Empire to provide a buffer zone against attack by their arch-enemy Venice. Neum cuts the Croatian coast in two creating a customs headache since Bosnia is not yet in the EU. To solve that problem a new bridge has just recently been built across the bay to 'bridge' the gap.

Back in Croatia, we finished our drive today in the coastal town of Dubrovnik. We have a nice buffet dinner at the hotel.