Stari Most

Like most tourists, I became fascinated by Stari Most (the old bridge) in Mostar. This is the landmark that gave Mostar its name.






The bridge spans the Neratva river. It was built in the 17th century by the Ottomans, whe ruled the area at the time. Pasha (king) Suliman the Magnificient commissioned the bridge to promote trade between east and west. To the west of the bridge live mostly Croats, who were western Christians. On the east side of the bridge are the Bosniaks, who are Muslims. It is still largely like this today - Croats on the west side and Bosniaks on the east side. It very quickly became a symbol for the world - the bridge between east and west. The city lived like this in harmony for hundreds of years. The Mostari were the keepers and defenders of the bridge hundreds of years ago. When the town grew up around the bridge, they named the town after these men. Today Mostar is a thriving city, not just a tourist town. It is the largest city in the Herzegovina region, and its unofficial capital.

(warning - the next paragraph may be hard to read. It was hard to write)
In the 1990s as you all know, there was a war in this region. It was a particularly brutal war. These people had lived together mostly peacefully for hundreds of years (with the possible exception of when Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated by a disgruntled Bosniak in 1914, sparking World War I), and share mostly the same ancestry and languages (they are all Slavs). But when Yugoslavia broke up, flames of old resentments and feelings of nationalism were fanned by some bad politicians. It became a three way war between the Serbs (eastern orthodox Christians), the Croats (western Catholics), and the Bosniaks (Muslims, descendents from the time when the Ottomans ruled this area). And because of the policies of these bad politicians, it evolved from a border dispute into a brutal free for all, complete with "ethnic cleansing". The stated purpose of these policies ( ethnic cleansing, "rape camps," etc.) was to ensure that these people could never live together peacefully again. Whole villages were killed, mass graves have been found. We still don't know how many people died in these wars. America and the UN eventually came in againt the Serbs, but atrocities and ethnic cleansing were committed by all sides. There were no good guys.











We visited a cemetary where every grave was from 1993, the year I graduated highschool, and the most terrible year for Bosnia-Herzegovina.

This brings us back to the bridge. It was shelled by the Croats from atop a hill, and fell into the water. Because of the type of mortar used by the builders hundreds of years ago, it turned the river red. The residents later said their old friend was bleeding. This was all caught on a shaky home video, which is shown at the bridge museum. It was a strategic move, but also deeply symbolic.






At the end of the war, these bad politicians were voted out of office. Slobodan Milosivic tried to claim that the vote was rigged, but a huge rally of Serbs in Belgrade ensured that the Serbian people peacefully took back their country. They were tired of war. I don't know exactly how peace was made, or how the borders were drawn, but somehow it happened. Now what once was Yugoslavia is the separate countries of Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo, and Bosnia-Herzegovina. In 1997, two years after the war ended, the Bosniaks and Croats who live in Mostar comissioned a new "old bridge". They decided to do it in the same way as it was originally built - with the same tools, and by hand cutting the stones. It took longer to rebuilt the bridge in the 1990s than it originally took to build it in the 1600s. The bridge was once again a symbol, this time of reconciliation.





Today reconciliation seems to be taking hold. There are invariably still feelings of resentment, but these people are once again living together peacefully. Serbs and Bosniaks spend their vacations on the Dalmation coast in Croatia. Beyond a minor rivalry over who can build a taller mosque minaret or church bell tower, I did not sense any bitterness between the Bosniaks and Croats in Mostar.





I understand little about this region (most of the above was paraphrased from a Rick Steves travel book and from visiting a few museums), but I am optimistic for the future. There are signs of the recent war, such as buildings that have yet to be repaired and bullet marks and morter holes. But the old bitterness seems to be giving way to the even older sense of brotherhood (again, these people are mostly all Slavs, who migrated to the region from eastern Europe over a thousand years ago). In such a beautiful part of the world, it's good to see peace and reconciliation taking hold. And the old bridge is the symbol.

















-- Post From My iPhone

Pictures from Mostar

This town in Bosnia-Herzegovina is more beautiful than I thought it would be. Here are a few pictures.



View of the old bridge while walking to our hotel.


View from the old bridge.



Our lunch.



View from the top of a minaret.



Courtney climbing down the minaret.



A 400 year old Turkish house we visited.



The old town by the bridge.



A pretty spot below the old bridge.

This town is a bit heartbreaking too. We have read about the war here and visited a cemetary where all the deceased dates were 1993.

Tomorrow we go back to the Dalmation coast. We hope all is well back home!

-- Post From My iPhone

A few thoughts on Dubrovnik

On our last night in this town, I wanted to post a few things I found interesting.
1. There are tons of stray cats around the town. Some are cute and friendly, but I guess you aren't supposed to pet them. There is one I saw at Buza (the cold drinks place on the rocks between the city walls and the sea) that was sitting on a tourists lap and purring.
2. Crocks (the rubber shoes) are BIG over here.
3. The air is filled with birds - swifts - which dart around quickly and make a lot of noise. Especially in the morning. But they are charming.
4. The island of Mljet is simply beautiful. Rick Steves says that there is only enough to keep you occupied for a day. Rick got this one wrong. I could spend a week there. We went there for a day and swam and rode bikes around these pristine salt water lakes. Courtney and I agreed that right there was probably the best place to swim in the whole world.
5. The weather is a little surprising. The hottest, most oppressive time of day is 10:30 AM. Then you hear a few thunder claps around noon, and it cools off and becomes quite nice.
6. Sobe (rooms in private residences) are the way to go. We are staying next to the old harbor in the old city for $65 a night. We talked to a couple who were staying in a hotel, where they have to take a 10 minute bus trip to the old city, for like $150. Rick Steves steered us right. Thanks Rick. Below is the view from our delightful room.



7. You will have a hard time eating here if you dont like seafood or pizza. We like both. Not at the same time though, don't worry. I have yet to see a place that serves a shrimp and mussel pizza.
8. We will certainly miss this city. We had a blast exploring it and discovering all the history and flavor it had to offer.

-- Post From My iPhone

Last Night in Dubrovnik

We're relaxing on our last night here in Dubrovnik after having eaten a rather large dinner of pizza and spaghetti Bolognese. If this sounds rather inauthentic, it isn't - Croatia's cuisine consists of two main tracks: Italian and seafood. After last night's seafood extravaganza (grilled sea bass, grilled tuna steak, shrimp, prawns, mussels and squid), we stuck to the cheaper and more filling Italian food, in a randomly selected restaurant just off the main square.

Our last two days in Dubrovnik have brought perhaps our two favorite excursions thus far, to the islands of Mljet and Lokrum. Mljet is an idyllic island with two deep blue salt lakes within its national park. Lloyd and I separated from the rest of the tourists who hopped a shuttle to the lakes and decided to walk to them instead by way of a rocky path. On our way, we found a secluded place just perfect for two honeymooners to hop into the water. The lake was deep, cool and still - only one small boat brought tourists to this larger lake's tiny island - otherwise there was nothing else to be seen except blue water and our little heads bobbing about. Lloyd and I swam blissfully for about 30 minutes and then continued our walk to the next tiny village, where we ate an incredible bowl of fish soup with some prosciutto and cheese. The fish soup was a fish-based broth, we guessed, flavored with tomato and other vegetables in which small chunks of bread were soaking. Nom nom nom!

We rented two creaky bikes to explore the rest of the area around the two lakes. The views were lovely everywhere, with small lagoons and rocky beaches appearing behind the trees every so often. At the end of the bike path, a rocky inlet led out to the sea. Here we found a large, simple stone cross overlooking the Adriatic. We took plenty of photos for Lloyd's mom. On our way back, my janky old bike got a flat, and I powered through a couple of kilometers of hard pedaling before finally making it back to the fish soup place. Our final thought about Mljet: we simply did not have enough time here.

Today we headed out to Lokrum, the small island/nature preserve just 15 minutes away from Dubrovnik by boat. One of the main tourist attractions here is the nudist beach. I wasn't too interested in seeing a bunch of naked people, but I was very interested in swimming in the Adriatic in only my birthday suit. Showing a bravery heretofore unseen in our 3 years together, my incredibly modest husband stripped down and jumped in without much coaxing. He only lasted about 5 minutes before he started thinking a tad too much about the possibilities of fish nibbles and sunburns, so we hopped out, re-robed and explored the rest of the island. Trails took us to an old monastery, a botanical garden and a fortress, all showing some signs of the recent war. We also hit the famous Dead Sea on Lokrum, which is exactly as it sounds - a salty inland lake. "Lake" is a generous term - it's really more of a swimming hole than a lake. Lloyd was so jacked up about getting into it - especially after spying a cave at the far end - that our camera met its untimely demise in his pocket.

We're trying not to think too much about the photos that we may have lost forever. Instead, we're focusing on remembering our amazing experiences and patting ourselves on the back for choosing a fantastic honeymoon destination and making an entire month of this adventure.

Local Celebrities

Just when we thought yesterday couldn't get any better, along comes another blog-worthy story that forces me off the streets of the Old Town and into an internet cafe to share our adventures.
Last night, we had the kind of evening that forced us both to wonder aloud whether the pinnacle of the trip came on our third full day in Croatia. Almost certainly, we have one of our best honeymoon stories for the kids.

You may recall from yesterday's post that we were torn between the fashion show, the outdoor cinema or the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra. In the end, the symphony won out (much to the delight of our host Lidija, who giggled that we were nothing like the other travelers she has met), and Lloyd and I made our way to an odd makeshift theater room built right inside the city wall. We stopped at the ticket counter for more information about the concert, and we learned that the choral group performing with the symphony was from Vancouver, Washington. Here we are, thousands of miles away from home, and a small chorale from the Pacific Northwest is performing in Dubrovnik. More than a little odd.

The show was spectacular. The group performed classics by Haydn and Beethoven, as well as an assortment of Negro spirituals incredibly arranged with the Symphony. They also performed Croatia's national anthem, some traditional Croatian music, the Star Spangled Banner, Shenandoah, and the Battle Hymn of the Republic. Lloyd and I were blown away at the complex mix of cultures, arrangements and sheer musical talent.

After the show, one of the Vancouver chorus members stopped me on the way out and said very succinctly, "Thank you for coming tonight." As an aside, this has been happening to me a good bit in Croatia thus far: folks see the wild curly Adriatic hair and assume I am local or from nearby Italy (which, of course, I love - Lloyd is always greeted with 'hello' whereas I get more 'Dobar Dans' and 'Ciaos'). I thanked the man with my truly impeccable American accent and told him that I was a Washingtonian as well. And this is when our night took its unexpected turn.

Within minutes we were introduced to the entire choral group. The news that we were from Washington was exciting, but the fact that we were honeymooners? That was cause for a real celebration. Frank asked us to join the symphony and the choral group for drinks in the outdoor cafe just outside the performance hall. The symphony! And the singers! And this is how Lloyd and I came to be toasted by the entire Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra and the Bravo!Vancouver chorus. A die-hard Husky couple named Brian and Cheryl bought us our drinks, took photos of us and promised to send them to us as soon as they arrived back in the U.S.

Generally I don't seek the company of other Americans while traveling, but last night was certainly the exception. What an incredible opportunity to meet a group of talented Croatians and Americans and learn a bit about their travels, especially from a Catholic perspective. Many members of the chorus attend a large Catholic church in Vancouver and told us how Medugorje in Bosnia-Herzegovina - the site of their July 1 performance - is a pilgrimage site for them. Lloyd and I felt so honored to share their post-concert evening and to be treated as their special guests. The bulk of our trip lies before us, I realize, but what a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I know we'll seek out their performances back in the Pacific Northwest, especially if the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra joins them there as they did last September.

And finally, here is a link to our Picasa page with photos thus far. Psyche - none of last night! Dude, we didn't know to bring the camera to the damn symphony. I hope Brian's photos turned out awesome.

Elaphiti Islands

I was lying about photos today. We're going to work on that tomorrow (vacation mode, much?). In the meantime, I'll tease you with today's adventures.

We boarded a small tour boat for the Elaphiti Islands today for an all-day excursion. The boat hosted maybe 35 people or so, most of them deeply tanned Europeans on holiday. The three islands that we visited were rich with history, featuring Roman-esque ruins and some old stone structures from the early 1600s. On our final stop in Lopud, Lloyd and I took a long walk along the shore and around the back of an old church on a hill. There we found a semi-private area - complete with lawn chairs - to sun ourselves and swim in the Adriatic. The Adriatic is easily swimmable - I haven't had time to Google (or Bing) this info, but it seems hyper-salinated, almost as if the salt is carrying you along. It takes very little effort to swim what would feel like a very long distance in Lake Washington, or even in the Atlantic or Pacific along North America. I absolutely love it, except you must take care not to step on the spiny black urchins that cling to the rocks. Spine tally from today: 1 in Courtney's big toe, 4 in Lloyd's.

Speaking of Lloyd, I left him in our soba to write this post. I'm fixing to fetch him, and then we have three competing options for tonight: a big-time fashion show which our host tells us is very important to Dubrovnik; an outdoor movie inside the walls of the old town, or the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra. One thing is certain: I gotta lay off the mojitos tonight.

Dubrovnik: We Happy

Hi all,

Lloyd and I have been here for one full day, and we've fallen in love with the Old Town of Dubrovnik. Go look it up right now. Seriously. The photos don't even do it justice. Okay, we'll help you out: click on this. We promise to link to a Flickr page or something similar with our photos tomorrow or the day after, but it's tough to even sit here for 20 minutes when we could be doing something cool out on the Stradun.

So far, we've eaten gelato, walked the whole of the old city, had drinks at a bar built right into the rocks overlooking the Adriatic, shared a rich pasta dish at Spaghetteria Toni, ambled along the city walls, and happily swam in the emerald-blue waters of the Adriatic. Every once in a while, we stop for a fresh juice or a smoothie, and we're a couple of darned happy honeymooners.

We're staying at a soba, which is an accommodation in a private home. These are delightful alternatives to the more impersonal and seriously expensive hotels. Lidija (pronounced Lidia), our host, greeted us warmly yesterday and left a notepad-page full of suggestions for us this morning. On her tip, we're taking a boat to the islands of Sipan, Lopud and Kolocep tomorrow, where we will walk around the rustic islands, eat a fresh-fish lunch (head still on, people) and do some more swimming in the Adriatic. I can't get enough.

Okay, Lloyd is eager to eat some octopus salad. We're off to dinner. Thanks to each and every one of you that treated us to some of the experiences we've had on our honeymoon so far. Please know that your contribution to our registry is well-used and very much appreciated. Much love to all.