Imagine taking a two and a half hour bus ride to visit a town whose main attraction is a bridge; a bridge that, like most of the town, was destroyed in '94 and rebuilt in the 21st Century. Welcome to Mostar!
The name "Mostar" means "bridge keeper," which in the Sixteenth Century was a truly important position for this transportation gateway. Suleyman the Magnificent ordered the wobbly suspension bridge replaced with the stone-arched "Stari Most," the "Old Bridge" in 1557. It survived through two World Wars until it was destroyed by artillery fire during the Yugoslavian civil war, along with 26 of the 27 Ottoman era mosques.
We arrived by bus from Sarajevo around noon, secured a room at the boutique Hotel Pellegrino and set out for the Old Town, hoping to beat the rain. Everything was picturesque, everything that is except for the shells of bombed out buildings. Knowing that Mostar is a modern re-creation of itself took away some of its charm, as did knowing that everyone over the age of 18 had memories of the destruction.
