We headed off in a minivan for a day trip which first took us to Pocitelj, an ancient town with a fortress built in the 15th century. We were told a story about the mosque which had to be rebuilt after the Croatian Bosnians destroyed it in the war. There was a lot of ethnic cleansing around this region and I have to say I had a wee cry just thinking about how appalling it must have been to be here. We had a brief stay here before heading off again to Mostar.
During the Turkish rule, this city was an important trade centre and there are several mosques which show this influence. Mostar is the city where east meets west. One side of the bridge is Muslim and the other side is Catholic, so the city is split in two. The churches try to outdo each other. The Catholics built their spire to make sure it was higher than the mosque and they placed a cross high on the hill that can only be seen from the Muslim side! So there is a simmering tension. Also evident are the bullet holes and destroyed buildings, the old cars and a place that seems to be stuck in time. We watched a movie that showed the bombing of the bridge during the war and it was incredibly disturbing.
For lunch, we went to a little cafe which was clearly where the locals go. Sitting across from us were a group of locals who were not interested in our smiles, they just stared. It was a little uncomfortable at first but we just ploughed on. The man who took our order and who had only a few words in English was great. We got by with gesturing and then he would just call us 'New Zealand.' Terry ordered the mixed grill which included a local dish cevapcici which is meat like a sausage. It was delicious. Grace's salad (pictured) was a little tragic though but she just got on with it then nabbed the chicken from terry's mixed grill. At the end of our meal, our man said "New Zealand? then gestured at the food to which we responded with thumbs up, smiles and nods of the head. Obviously, none of those gestures was obscene in this culture. We all parted happily after he tried to explain to us what the name of his business meant. Hmmm, not quite getting it but it had something to do with a door and the street.
Our final destination was a trip to Medugorje which is a place of much significance to Catholics for it is where the Virgin Mary appeared to a group of children. Now the place is a significant pilgrimage site. However, we had an hour to explore and could not go up the mountain to the exact location where she made her appearance. Instead, we wandered aimlessly through the town past many, many shops filled to the brim with tacky religious souvenirs. One couldn't help questioning whether someone had a very clever marketing strategy... still, each to their own. We got ice cream and waited to be picked up again. No photos. There was nothing to take a photo of. hang on, I found one. enough said.
The journey home was through some pretty lovely scenery. At times it could have been New Zealand we were driving through with its lake surrounded by mountains and trees. The main difference would have to be in the sparseness of the mountains and in how dry they were. I loved how dramatic they looked behind the little villages with their orange roofs. We passed grapevines, fishermen propped up on the riverbank, mandarin orchards and all the while Grace was giving Harry Potter a thrashing; book two down, now where to get book three?
We headed off in a minivan for a day trip which first took us to Pocitelj, an ancient town with a fortress built in the 15th century. We were told a story about the mosque which had to be rebuilt after the Croatian Bosnians destroyed it in the war. There was a lot of ethnic cleansing around this region and I have to say I had a wee cry just thinking about how appalling it must have been to be here. We had a brief stay here before heading off again to Mostar. 
During the Turkish rule, this city was an important trade centre and there are several mosques which show this influence. Mostar is the city where east meets west. One side of the bridge is Muslim and the other side is Catholic, so the city is split in two. The churches try to outdo each other. The Catholics built their spire to make sure it was higher than the mosque and they placed a cross high on the hill that can only be seen from the Muslim side! So there is a simmering tension. Also evident are the bullet holes and destroyed buildings, the old cars and a place that seems to be stuck in time. We watched a movie that showed the bombing of the bridge during the war and it was incredibly disturbing.
For lunch, we went to a little cafe which was clearly where the locals go. Sitting across from us were a group of locals who were not interested in our smiles, they just stared. It was a little uncomfortable at first but we just ploughed on. The man who took our order and who had only a few words in English was great. We got by with gesturing and then he would just call us 'New Zealand.' Terry ordered the mixed grill which included a local dish cevapcici which is meat like a sausage. It was delicious. Grace's salad (pictured) was a little tragic though but she just got on with it then nabbed the chicken from terry's mixed grill. At the end of our meal, our man said "New Zealand? then gestured at the food to which we responded with thumbs up, smiles and nods of the head. Obviously, none of those gestures was obscene in this culture. We all parted happily after he tried to explain to us what the name of his business meant. Hmmm, not quite getting it but it had something to do with a door and the street.
Our final destination was a trip to Medugorje which is a place of much significance to Catholics for it is where the Virgin Mary appeared to a group of children. Now the place is a significant pilgrimage site. However, we had an hour to explore and could not go up the mountain to the exact location where she made her appearance. Instead, we wandered aimlessly through the town past many, many shops filled to the brim with tacky religious souvenirs. One couldn't help questioning whether someone had a very clever marketing strategy... still, each to their own. We got ice cream and waited to be picked up again. No photos. There was nothing to take a photo of. hang on, I found one. enough said.
The journey home was through some pretty lovely scenery. At times it could have been New Zealand we were driving through with its lake surrounded by mountains and trees. The main difference would have to be in the sparseness of the mountains and in how dry they were. I loved how dramatic they looked behind the little villages with their orange roofs. We passed grapevines, fishermen propped up on the riverbank, mandarin orchards and all the while Grace was giving Harry Potter a thrashing; book two down, now where to get book three?
I once spent an evening in a pub chatting to the locals of Medjugorje!
ReplyDeleteWe were so unimpressed by our trudge up the mountain to see the location that we decided going to the pub was the only solution---you didn't miss anything!
Yes that would have been the most exciting thing to do there Mary!Great to hear from you. Enjoy your holiday.
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