Scenic Mostar

Mostar, in southern Bosnia and Herzegovina, is a small city that’s popular with tourists because it has a famous and beautiful bridge.

IMG_2955Pretty nice, right?  We spent one afternoon exploring the city and “old town” of Mostar.  We have been to so many old towns throughout Europe that are practically identical – just stall after stall of the same mass-produced souvenirs.  It’s a shame, because the artisans who are actually making cool things are just lost in the sea of junk, and we are too overwhelmed by the slow-moving crowds to look for them.  We usually enjoy a city one thousand percent more once we get out of old town.

We found a great restaurant, Harmonija, outside of the fray our first night.  We ordered a platter of traditional Bosnian appetizers and we were not disappointed by either the size of the platter or the delicious food:

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From top to bottom: salad, pita, a veal steak (why not?), rice, peppers stuffed with meat and rice, potato salad, dolmas, meatballs, and a mound of sour cream

We thought we’d be able to eat about half of this, but our water bottle gave us the motivation we needed to keep going.

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End result

Handled.

Our second day we hired a driver to take us to some of the sights outside the city.  First up were the Kravice waterfalls, which were gorgeous and pictures don’t do them justice.

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We also went to a little artist colony called Počitelj and the beautiful Islamic monastery in Blagaj.  Both places boasted great views of the river.  I wish I could have stopped for a picnic at all three of our stops!

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Such clear water!

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Covered up to visit the monastery

Tiara