At 8 a.m. I
catch the bus to Mostar. First it goes north along the coast. Beautiful
islands, some boats and fishing in the bays for clamps and mussels.
We get
another treat of border crossings. The borders are crazy and land-locked
Bosnia-Herzegovina has a tiny slice of coastline. But there is neither harbor
nor a decent road into the hinterland. This led after Dayton to several
agreements between Croatia and Bosnia Herzegovina about free freight passage to
Bosnia Herzegovina thru one of the Croatian ports in a trade off for free
transport of tourists that follow the coastal route North – South and vice
versa.
After
several ‘uniforms’ have inspected our faces and photos, more and less serious
we drive through a surprising delta of the Neretva river. Water is kept in
small ponds to use for irrigating the crops. The wine, citrus fruits and
vegetables grow abundantly. After the steep coastal range this delta running
inland along the river is a real surprise. The farming seems quite modern and
the houses are rather new. Here is obviously work, income and economic
development.
In the
early afternoon I arrive in Mostar. A room is easily found and I wonder off
into town. Many tourists visit the ‘old bridge’, now completely repaired with
UNESCO funding after being shot to pieces during the 1991 battle.
The sad
history of a small city where all ethnic groups lived together is explained in
a movie about the destroying of the bridge in the nearby bookshop. Here can one
find many books about the reasons behind the civil war. I page through a book
about the tribunal hearings on the Dutch UN troops in Srebrenica. One of our
ugly recent pain points in political peace keeping missions. The many tourists
seem to be more interested in the local souk. Overhearing many conversations
very few people have an idea what tragedy took place some 20 years ago.
Not that
the war scars can be unnoticed. Still many buildings show the machine gun
bullet wholes and bigger shells.
highest tower from Orthodox church
I let it
all simmer a bit. There is much to understand, and also so much ungraspable for
my Dutch mind.
one of the many mosques
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