Mostar is a famous stop when traveling through Bosnia because it’s a midway point to Dubrovnik. This afternoon I headed for the bus station from the hostel to catch an afternoon bus down to Mostar.
The ride was pretty straight forward, and when I got off the bus, I started walking to my hostel. Asking people along the way for the specific address in this really really small town, I was amazed at how people had no clue to where the hostel was, nor to the street. After using Google maps to help me out, I arrived in literally the center of the little town near the mosque absolutely stupefied that this little street seemed to be in plain view, and how none of the citizens seem to know its existence.
When I rang the buzzer, a little girl came down the stairs, her hair wet from just having showered. She had me come inside, as if to inside her home. We walked up the stairs and she opened the door to the first bedroom, a huge room with a huge bed that faced the mosque out front. She showed me the bathroom and told me where to eat. She then disappeared upstairs and I found myself starving after getting my bags put down, so I went upstairs to find her. Upstairs is where they lived apparently, and it was this disheveled teenager type room with a mess and a pallet made on the couch as a bed. Looks like they’ve made their home into a hostel :)
That night I headed for the old town and walked around seeing the magnificent bridge was well lit. I walked along the cobblestones which were so round that they were hurting my feet as the shapes pushed through the soles of my shoes making my feet curve around each one. I made my way to a restaurant along the river which faced the bridge and enjoyed a meal at night relaxing after my journey.
The next morning, I walked around taking pictures and wandering around the old town. Crossing the bridge, I saw a couple of guys who were getting ready to jump off the bridge to the bottom. It looked like it was about 60 feet above the water, so they were doing it for money. As they teased the onlookers with diving off, I positioned myself at the bottom so I could watch the fall (and not be hassled for money). I took my pictures and headed to a place for lunch.
After lunch, I continued around for a bit and made my way to a Muslim Monastery a bit away from Mostar by car. This was a beautiful little monastery nestled against the caves and water. You couldn’t go in, but you could walk all around and enjoy the scenery.
That night I had a good Italian dinner and had a nice evening again relaxing and getting ready for my move down to Dubrovnik the next day.