The Most Annoying Bus Ride (Balkan Trip Part 6)
First published: Tuesday May 31st, 2022
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Day 12: Dubrovnik -> Mostar
This bus ride was by far the most annoying bus ride in this trip. As you might know, Dubrovnik lies in a Croatian exclave, which means you need to pass the border through Bosnia twice to get to mainland Croatia. But well, I was planning to go to Mostar in Bosnia anyways, so we only need cross the border once... right? NO! We crossed the border 3 times through mainland Croatia! So we exit the bus, passport control for emigration, back to the bus, ride a bit, exit again, passport for immigration, and this whole process 3 times. Very annoying.
By the way, if you didn't know, Bosnia and Herzegovina is not landlocked! They have a very short coastline and here you see the only coastal town in Bosnia. This picture is the proof for the little geography funfact.
The Old Bridge of Mostar
no... not this one. I mean this one
When people think of the Balkans, some might have this bridge in mind. It's famous for the annual diving competition, where many people jump from the bridge. But this is not the reason why this bridge is an UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was built 550 years ago, which was a technological achievement to build such bridge. Its construction opened a new trade route and the settlement grew. The bridge was so important, that the city was named after the bridge keepers, the so called "Mostari". Unfortunately, the bridge got destroyed during the Yugoslav wars, so the one you see was rebuilt in 2004.
Before I came to Mostar, I thought all I need to see is the bridge and that's it... well in the end, it is like that, but there is actually more to see!
The bazar of Mostar is really beautiful as you can see. It feels very oriental and cultural. The old town is full with the cobble paths with many up and downs.
There are a couple of mosques in the town centre and this is one of them. When I went there, I met the Imam (like a priest in Islam), because they were preparing for a prayer. He was really kind and explained me a bit about the mosque and its history. He recommended me a restaurant in Mostar, where I can eat lunch. Because he was nice, I gave it a shot.
I also went to an another mosque, probably the main mosque of Mostar. This one is not a used mosque and there is a small entrance fee, but it's worth it because it's very beautiful inside. The large carpet is by the way a gift by Franz Joseph, the Emperor of Austria-Hungary.
Before eating lunch, I wanted to exchange some cash money, not because of the lunch, but because I needed it to buy a ticket to Sarajevo (They didn't accept card). I was struggling, because I couldn't find any currency exchange stores in Mostar. I asked some people and went there, but they were all closed (maybe because of the winter season). I somehow figured out that there was a post office offering that, not the best rates, but at least I didn't have to worry about not being able to go to Sarajevo anymore. Perhaps it was the only possible way to exchange currency in the whole city.
By the way, their currency is called Convertible Mark (KM) and 1€ is about 2 KM, which is easy to calculate. Their unit and their currency abbreviation is just so nice for this taxi ad.
So I went to the restaurant recommended by the Imam and ordered a Cevapi.
Remember when my couchsurfing host told me, that I can get the best Cevapis in Bosnia? He was absolutely right. This one had more spice in it and was really delicious. Let's assume it tastes like that everywhere in Bosnia.
Bosnia is like the Turkey of Europe so I had to try the Bosnian Coffee. It is an unfiltered coffee that comes in this nice looking pot with some sugar on the side or in this case, a small jelly candy that tasted like woodruff. I had a relaxing coffee time with a Baklava.
Mostar -> Sarajevo
I went to Sarajevo in the evening and it was cold and snowing a lot. I pretty much time traveled two seasons in one day, from summer in Dubrovnik to winter in Sarajevo.
I arrived at the hostel and guess what... there was the same guy from the hostel I met in Zagreb! It already felt like a while ago. We shared our travel stories, he went to Zadar and then to Sarajevo, while I had a... bit more stressful route I have to say. I also started talking with an another traveler from Sweden, who already traveled to many countries and I was deeply interested in his stories. They were planning to go to the tunnel of hope in Sarajevo the next day, which is a war tunnel with a museum inside. I'd have loved to join, but I did not have the time, since tomorrow was already the last day.
Day 13: Final Day
My bus is departing in the afternoon so I woke up early to get the most out of it. I don't need sleep anyways, I can sleep in the bus, because it will take 20 hours to get back home (14 hours + 6 hours transfer in Zagreb). Another benefit of waking up early is to get this wonderful view.
Sarajevo was covered in snow and it looked like a Winter Wonder Land! It's been a while since I saw that much snow, it's not snowing so much in Vienna anymore. I could only enjoy this view in the morning, because the snow was quickly melting. I even remember some snow dropping on me from the trees, while I took this picture.
Anyways, when people think of Paris, people immediately think of the Eiffel Tower. But if you think of Sarajevo, what image comes to your mind?
I had no idea, but now it would be this. I didn't know what this is, but it turns out it's an ottoman style fountain. A legend says if you drink the water from this fountain, you will return to Sarajevo someday. If this isn't impressive for you, don't worry. The surrounding bazar will entertain you a whole day.
In the morning, the bazar was closed, but it looked really cool. It reminded me of a street I went to in Japan. When it's opened, it will look like this:
The bazar was kind of a surprise for me, because I really knew nothing about Sarajevo before I came here. Except for this place I wanted to visit, where the world changed 100 years ago.
So I did everything I wanted to do in Sarajevo, except for eating local food. While I was walking through the streets of the bazar, I discovered a really nice shop making Burek right infront of our eyes. Without hesitation, I went inside.
I already ate some Burek in Croatia and Slovenia, but just from a bakery. And this Burek surprised me a lot, because I realized I absolutely didn't know how a Burek is supposed to taste like. It is a thin dough usually filled with meat, cottage cheese or spinach. I used to dislike burek, because the ones I knew usually had a very specific smell, like a dried dough. The smell wasn't there this time and I liked it a lot, that I bought a bunch of them for take away to eat them back home.
I still had some time left, so I decided to go to the War Childhood Museum. By concept, it is similar to the Broken Relationship Museum I went to in Zagreb. There are everyday objects displayed from people, who had a rough childhood during the Yugoslav Wars with a little story to the object they submitted.
This would be one example. The stories were heartbreaking, especially because childhood memories are filled with lots of emotions. From love stories to deadly ones, like when they saw their brother getting shot by a sniper the second he left the house. Or even a grenade on a playground with kids.
We all know, war is terrible, but as someone who grew up in peace my whole life, I feel like I will never know enough.
A little bit of background story, Bosnia and Herzegovina suffered the most in the Yugoslav Wars and you can still see traces of the war after 30 years. There are many ruins like this in the middle of the city.
There are also traces you can't see. For example you are not supposed to walk in the forest unknowingly, because of landmines.
And it's sad that war is happening right now in Ukraine.
Day 14: One last time in Zagreb
After a long drive, I came back to Zagreb. Walking through the streets of Zagreb for the last time, I tried not to take any pictures. Just enjoying and forgetting about the camera is I think a travel experience I need to try out. I feel like I miss out many things, because I'm busy taking pictures and not focusing on the travel experience.
It was heartwarming to be back in Zagreb, a place I already know and feel comfortable about, it felt like I'm closer to home. It felt like it's been a while, so much stuff happened in between. It was really fun, just going on an adventure and taking small risks for a high reward. Meeting local people and creating stories to tell. I'd definitely do that again, hopefully for a longer period.
In the end, I couldn't hold back and actually took some pictures. Out of 2300 pictures I took during the whole trip, this is the last one.
Thank you for reading!
That series was exactly what RUB needed. I’m grateful I could read this masterpiece before it be forgotten. Next travelogue when and where? We all need these blogs back!
You may know that Croatia has now built the Pelješac Bridge (expected to open in July) to bypass the Bosnian coast and very soon there'll be no more double crossings. So you should be glad that you have experienced this before it becomes history.