Hostel Nina Mostar

... of the highway was an old 7-8 story bank that was used by snipers during the war and still had all its windows blown out. The best part of this bank was you could just walk in and explore the entire thing!!!! (this would never be allowed in the US). As we walked in we were met with an image that is almost indescribeable. The floor was covered with thousands of bank papers from the 1980s and early 90s and tunred over desks. It literally looked like a scene out of a movie. This video ...

... conflict and then in different stages of ruin during the conflict, until '94 when it was destoyed and most of it feel into the river and was carried downstream. The video concluded with images of the bridge for NYE2000 and fireworks being launched off the newly rebuilt bridge. I enjoyed wandering the bridge at night, it was beautifuly lit up and with (virtually) no-one else around it was great to enjoy it all to myself.

... changed and the climate became more mediterranean. Pomegranites and grapes are growing everywhere, and it is incredibly hot!!

Upon arrival we bought our bus tickets for tomorrow morning's trip to Split, Croatia. The bus leaves at 7am and cost about 14 euros/ticket. We took a cab to the hotel and of course it was too early to check in. So we wandered around a bit and got a ...

... When he did we then had a hard time figuring out if we were supposed to leave our car, follow him, or whether we were walking anyway. We eventually decided to just get in the car and we were glad as it was over a mile away and near Old Town. It turns out we’re staying in his house. It seems he lives in another part of it and rents a number of rooms out. It was cute, with a main room and kitchen, balcony and 4 ...

... tough for older people to live there. Only old people live there. These were their homes before the war, and they came back after it. Going up the watch tower to get amazing views of the Neretva river with hills all around was just part of this extraordinary country which never ceases to amaze. We wrapped up the fortress segment by going over to an old lady's country house within the town. She lives by herself, in her ancestral home that was safe to return to after the war ...

... about the civil war, but somehow both of us avoid the subject of what exactly he had done during that period of time. Based on the fact that his parents still live in the area and he could safely comeback to visit them (he and his family is living in Rome now), it is possible that he hasn’t done anything bad.

I am fascinated by this country, and I’m sure I’ll be back for more. Besides the nice people who made me feel at home, I like ...

... it was free. It also gave a tremendous view of the valley below. A castle has been on this mountain since 200BC!! On the way down, I had another thought "Had I been living in a time when this was occupied, I never would have tried to conquer the castle. I would have sat at the bottom in siege. Fighting up that mountain was WAY to hard! After surviving the hike, I kept going down the road along the Neretva river which I was ...

... chyba na dwa dni, konwersujac calkiem inteligentnie z Francuzami. Naprawde uroczy chlopcy. Obaj niedlugo po studiach, jeden pracuje i mieszka w Budapeszcie, a drugi we Fracji. Mowia swietnie po angielsku i w gruncie rzeczy nie sa typowymi Francuzami. Dojechalismy do Mostaru okolo 15tej i od razu uderzyl nas widok ruin budynkow ze sladami od kul - pozostalosci wojny sprzed zaledwie dziesieciu lat. Naprawde, dosc szokujace przezycie. Idac w strone starowki, zeszlismy nad brzeg rzeki ...

... to far-off brown mountains. Occasionally, we passed non-touristy towns like Knin, whose colorful center was bustling in the early evening with leisurely social walkers. The next day, I had a good feeling as I entered Bosnia & Herzegovina. All the main arteries of traffic in Eastern Europe bypass it. I didn't know what to expect. I ended up walking through the town of Mostar, pop. 50,000. On shady thin streets, past rows of chalky white buildings housing copy ...

... all the same characters we know and love back home. Secret service guys - though these guys are NOT too serious about their jobs. Advance people running around pushing divers into the water and ordering tourists to move all to make excellent presidential photos. Weird reporters sporting a dollars' worth of clothes and 10,000 dollars in camera ...