On our drive from Sarajevo to Dubrovnik, we made a stop in Mostar, home to the famous Mostar Old Bridge - Stari Most. It was built in the 16th century by the Ottomans and stood for 427 years until it was destroyed by Croats in 1993 during the Yugoslav War even though it had no strategic military importance. It was considered an act of deliberate cultural property destruction (killing a memory). In 2004 a rebuilt bridge was completed which was a replica of the original. Many groups assisted in this project including the Croatian government (sounds like some form of restitution). Now the bridge is the main draw for tourists to this region as well as the Stari Grad - Old Town. (I should also mention that the bridge is on the Red Bull High Diving Tour - check it out on YouTube.) Another day, another relic of the war.
Driving through this part of the world has been fascinating. We left Sarajevo in the snow, climbed mountains past bombed out houses, drove through gorges and deep valleys, and emerged on the flat river valley of Mostar. Then we climbed again over barren mountains that were just endless piles of rocks until we finally dropped over the coastal mountain ridge into Croatia and smelled the salt ocean breezes of the Adriatic. What a ride!
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