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In two months of travel on this trip, exploring the city of Mostar ranks with Tangier among my richest experiences. At the same time, the vibrant humanity and the persistent reminders of the terrible war just over a decade ago combine to make Mostar strangely exhausting.
Just a few years ago, these people — who make me a sandwich, direct me to a computer terminal in the cyber café, stop for me when I cross the street, show off their paintings, and direct the church choir — were killing each other.
Three hours’ drive inland from Dubrovnik, Mostar (in Bosnia-Herzegovina) was famous for its 400-year-old, Turkish-style stone bridge — its elegant single pointed arch symbolic of that Muslim society and the town’s status as the place were East met West in Europe.
Then, during the 1990s, Mostar became an icon of the Bosnian war. Across the world, people groaned when the pummeled bridge — bombarded by (Croat Catholic) artillery shells from the hilltop above — finally collapsed into the river. Now the bridge has been rebuilt and Mostar is thriving.
Masala Square (literally “Place for Prayer”) is designed for big gatherings. Muslim groups meet here before departing to Mecca on the Haj. But tonight, there’s not a hint of prayer. It’s prom night. The kids are out…Bosnian hormones are bursting. Being young and sexy is a great equalizer. With a beer, loud music, desirability, twinkling stars…and no war…your country’s GDP doesn’t really matter.
Today’s 18-year-old in Mostar was a preschooler during the war. I imagine there’s quite a generation gap.
I’m swirling in all the teenagers, and through the crowd, a thirty-something local comes at me with a huge smile. He’s Alen from Orlando. Actually, he’s from Mostar, but fled to Florida during the war and summers here with his family. He loves my TV show and immediately has me going on a Bosnia script.
We walk, and Alen gives the city meaning. A fig tree grows out of a small minaret. He says, “It’s a strange thing in nature…figs can grow with almost no soil.” There are blackened ruins everywhere. When I ask why — after 15 years — the ruins still stand, Alen explains, “Confusion about who owns what. Surviving companies have no money. The bank of Yugoslavia, which held the mortgages, is now gone. No one will invest until it’s clear who owns the buildings.”
We side-trip to a small cemetery congested with over a hundred white marble Muslim tombstones. Alen points out the dates. Everyone died in 1993, 1994, or 1995. This was a park before 1993. When the war heated up, snipers were a constant concern — they’d pick off anyone they saw walking down the street. Bodies were left for weeks along the main boulevard, which had become the front line. Mostar’s cemeteries were too exposed, but this tree-filled park was relatively safe from snipers. People buried their neighbors here…under the cover of darkness.
Alen says, “In those years, night was the time when we lived. We didn’t walk…we ran. And we dressed in black. There was no electricity. If they didn’t kill us with their bullets, the Croats killed us with their rabble-rousing pop music. It was blasting from the Catholic side of town.”
The symbolism of the religious conflict is powerful. Ten minarets pierce Mostar’s skyline like proud exclamation points. There, twice as tall as the tallest minaret, stands the Croats’ new Catholic Church spire. Standing on the reconstructed Old Bridge, I look at the hilltop high above the town, with its single, bold, and strongly floodlit cross. Alen says, “We Muslims believe that cross marks the spot from where they shelled this bridge…like a celebration.”
The next day, I’m in a small theater with 30 Slovenes (from a part of the former Yugoslavia that avoided the terrible destruction of the war) watching a short film about the Old Bridge, its destruction, and its rebuilding. The persistent shelling of the venerable bridge, so rich in symbolism, seemed to go on and on. When it finally fell, I heard a sad collective gasp…as if the Slovenes were learning of the tragedy just now.
The feeling I get from people here today is, “I don’t know how we could have been so stupid to wage an unnecessary war.” I didn’t meet anyone here who called the war anything but a tragic mistake.
A big issue for me and Cameron for our guidebook is which day trip from Dubrovnik is best: the lovely town of Korcula on the island of Korcula; the Bay of Kotor in Montenegro; or Mostar here in Bosnia-Herzegovina. There’s no question: it’s Mostar. And with the money you save in relative hotel costs, you can hire a private guide and get the Mostar story from someone who had to wait until dark to bury his neighbors.
That night, as the kids ripped it up at the dance halls, I lay in bed sorting out my impressions. Until the wee hours, a birthday party raged in the restaurant outside my window. For hours they sang songs. At first I was annoyed. Then I thought, a Bosniak Beach Boys party beats a night of shelling. In two hours of sing-a-longs, everyone seemed to know the words very well…and I didn’t recognize a single tune. This Bosnian culture will rage on.
I always enjoy your postings, but sometimes, like now, your writing leaves me breathless. Thank you.
tonight i will be having dinner with my bosnian friends (potato and cheese pitas, homemade plum brandy smuggled in last weekend) and i will read this to them. you’ve captured everything so beautifully- i know they will enjoy it. they been asking me when you were going to cover their country…this will be a very nice capper to an evening with very nice friends.
It’s refreshing to hear about life in Bosnia post war. Keep up the good work, Rick! Happy travels. In the people you meet and talk to in this area who are traveling, do they have a new appreciation for the culture after all that has happened there? Is interesting!
We’ve visited Mostar twice, both before the war, so these are photos of the original. We considered the bridge to be an architectural jewel, compared to the Eiffel Tower, the Lincoln Memorial, the Parthenon in Athens, or most any other man-made object, the 16th century Ottoman Bridge in Mostar was as near to perfection as can be imagined. Mostar Bridge 2 Mostar Bridge !
I’ve enjoyed all of your blogs but this one seems to capture the area the best. Thank you for all you do to encourage us to explore the world!!
Rick, we love your books, and your outlook on European travel. We have used your guides on two trips to Europe, and will be returning to Paris for my wife’s 50th birthday later this year. We love your work, but your persistently anti-Catholic postings are driving us crazy. Do you really think that only the Catholics were responsible for the destruction and bloodshed in Mostar? I strongly suspect that both sides share in the blame. You’ve stopped your earlier anti-Bush politicizing, thank goodness, and had cut back on your anti-Catholicism since leaving Italy and the Vatican, but now you’ve fallen into old habits. Please think twice before doing it again. It greatly diminished what was an otherwise very interesting and enlightenning posting. The Moslems of Mostar seem to be much more secular (with your mention of beer and dancing and loud music) than most of the Middle Eastern variety. Are they Sunni, or Shia? Do you know? Looking forward to your next stop. Thanks for all you do.
Joe whom? :) Religion is part of the culture of the country. Rick writes about what he visits and the history accordingly. You will find him to be very open minded. Good to see you out exploring the world gaining new retro spect. :)
I love a man that is not afraid to speak his mind! With Rick, what you see is what you get. No bull. You keep the wonderful blogs coming! It’s so nice of you to put in so much time on the blogs with your busy schedule. You have the right to say what is on your mind, and it is your blog after all!! You rock my world! Lisa P. PS. I agree 100% with Bonnie!
I suspect you…Lisa P. and Bonnie…say these things because you agree with the bias. As a Catholic, I felt attacked by Rick’s biased views. If you are going to blog about a place like that, it is only fair to visit both sides and hear the other side of the story as well. I had enjoyed reading Rick’s information on places but now I will read them with an understanding of where and from whom they come.
I have to admit, the anti-catholic rants here and there are a bit of an off note. On the other hand, it keeps me from sinking more time into this site.
It’s amazing that so many catholics get so irritated whenever someone says something that makes another catholic look bad, no matter what the validity of the claim might be. The truth is that catholics were killing muslims for no other excuse than the fact that they were muslims. Rick is just speaking the truth. If you can’t handle the truth, don’t lash out at Rick. Lash out at the catholics who can’t seem to be able to live with people who are different than themselves. I don’t agree with Rick on every single thing he has to say about everything. For example, I find his views on “recreational drugs” to be misinformed. But I approach him with rational thought rather than irrational defense. Rick didn’t attack anyone because they are catholic. In fact, if you read without your own bias you will see that he didn’t attack anyone in his post. He’s simply stating the truth that catholic serbs killed muslim serbs for the simple reason that they were muslim. Nothing more.
I thoroughly enjoy your blogs as well as your TV presentations. As of late, our Alabama PBS has shown other things even when your program is listed. I miss them, especially the one’s on Scotland & Ireland. I’m not sure, even as a relatively fit 50 year old, that I would be able to keep up with you on your tours, but some day would enjoy trying. My wife has asked if you travel with your family and I respond you would either have to or have a very understanding family. Keep traveling.
Thank you for including Mostar on the Best of the Adriatic tour. It was the standout city for me. I’ll never forget it. A few of us were out in the evening with Cameron when we bumped into your friend Alen. He’s quite the character and he was amazing to talk to. Rick, you should know that he said meeting you topped meeting Hilary Clinton! It’s very difficult to remain religiously objective when you visit this part of the world and I think Rick and Cameron do a fantastic job of it. Having been to Mostar and not having to bite my tongue as they do, I can say that the huge cross on the mountain top is simply disgusting. Feel free to scream in protest all you like.
A friend once said to me, “I like movies that make me sad, speeches that make me angry, and poems that make me think.” What challenges us serves only to make us better, stronger, wiser and more open to worlds and viewpoints beyond the bubbles in which we live — not by pushing away from or becoming defensive against it, but by allowing it to strech our mental and emotional limbs to limits we did not know we could reach. Travel expands your mind and allows you, even if you don’t agree, to see life through the eyes and hearts of the people you meet. We cannot close our our own eyes and hearts to what may offend us simply because we don’t agree with it. Thank you, Rick, for letting us glimpse into the lives of the people of Mostar.
Hi, My daughter and I found your guidebook to the south of France helpful and inspiring. One thing we noticed, though, is that your perspective doesn’t emphasize hiking very much — and in fact, you called the Carmargue “one big marsh”! You’re entitled to your mainly urban perspective, of course, and more power to you. But a lot of people use walking to keep fit and healthy during travel, and we did notice a shortage of good guides to longer and shorter hikes in the south of France. A lot of people who go in the shoulder seasons would I imagine like to use a guide that included moderate walking and hiking trails, of which there are a lot in the area. What do you think? Are your readers just not big walkers? Or do other guidebooks fill that niche? Thanks for the good work, Susan.
Beautiful statement! I’m non-denomenational. My ancestors are from Druid roots in Ireland. :) They loved the trees and had orchards of them. I hope to explore their stomping grounds this fall. I’m learning from Rick for my trip. Thanks!
Glad you have a break ! If you ever wonder….your work touches many people who yearn to know what “real people” outside our country are like, how they live, what they eat, and what they think…finding this information with YOU, is fantastic. All your shows (we have them all) and your Travel Shop are so helpful and educational, thanks very much. We’ve enjoyed your blog ever since the first day you posted it here… Have you ever considered making a DVD with suggestions on how to travel better, selection of proper shoes, lighter baggage, less clothing, what typical items weigh, combination soap products, less make-up, safety kit list, what not to eat while travelling, things to eat to maintain stamina, how to pack smart….etc. Maybe you offered this, I seem to remember watching something in the past. Thanks again for sharing experiences, so many enjoy & rely on what you “show and tell” we just can’t wait to visit those places after watching and reading ! Love ya Lin & Mark
Hi to Rick! I find your travel shows and books very helpful in my travels. This blog is interesting and it’s fun hearing about your trip. Keep on traveling. Gracie from Idaho
Hi Steve, I was born in Sarajevo many years ago. I imagrated as a teenager to the U.S.A. I would love to visit Bosnia again, and you have given me courage to do so. Thank you. Lydia
Rick, I love reading your blogs! You are wonderful. My husband and I rely on you for your tips and insight on our travels. We went to Europe last fall (Spain, Italy, France & London), and hope to go back in a few years. We always go to your classes and festivals and love your books and the Travel store. Keep up the good work! Happy traveling!
I want to bring this up in case if some people don’t know this. Rick Steves is married to a Catholic. Very much loves his wife and would never attack Catholics or anyone. Rick was only talking about HISTORY! Rick is teaching us something.
Just keep ’em coming!
fascinating that until reading the overly sensitive and defensive posts about an alleged bias that I didn’t even see hinted at, I couldn’t imagine that recounting historical fact can be perceived as such… history is history.
Oh, just one other thing, then I’ll drop this topic. But this reminds me of what is happening here about Rick’s comment about the Catholics. Remember the comment that the Pope made last year, and he got into a lot of trouble. I can’t understand people getting so upset by someone quoting someone else. The person making the quote does not mean that they believe in that quote. Here is something about what happened to the Pope… In a lecture on “Faith and Reason” at the University of Regensburg in Germany, Benedict XVI cited one of the last emperors of Byzantium, Manuel II Paleologus. Stressing the 14th-century emperor’s “startling brusqueness,” the pope quoted him as saying: “Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.”
Hi, We just returned from Dubrovnik. I think the bombing was started with Dubrovnik. Which they did because they wanted to break down the moral of the Croatians destroying their beloved Old Town. They also had a gun factory and guns from (I forgot what country is was) The Croatian’s had to get their guns on the black market and pay a dear price. They really out smarted them. We also talked and stay with many of the locals. It will take a long time to heal, because the very young people remember it all to well. They know what they have lost just like their parents. This is the trip I bought, my luggage, Day pack and books. I wrote and gave you my opinon on the day pack which is not designed for a women. Enjoy your books & TV shows which have been very helpful. We tell everybody about them. Regards Vera and Rob
Great blog Rick,keep up the good work.
Rick, I think it is outstanding that you’re opening up this part of the world to your readers/viewers. We just got back from a trip down the Croatian and Montenegrin coasts (including jaunts to Mostar and Tirana) and had a wonderful time. Everyone was very friendly and welcoming to travelers, and the sights we saw were breathtaking (the Roman ruins at Salona, near Split; the Dalmatian coastal road; the Stari Most in Mostar; and the Bay of Kotor being just a few). Our only disappointment was that we missed meeting you by a week in Mostar. Some Seattle residents we ran into on the bus from there to Dubrovnik said they’d seen you there there the previous week. Oh well, maybe next time! Thank you so much for your reports. We look forward to more of the straightforward, honest travel reporting that you’ve provided all these years! Jack & Sarah Kansas
When I was a small child, my grandfather who was from Yugoslavia would never let me say the word hate. He would let me tear up the house, but to say the word hate was never permitted. He told me that was too strong a word and that I should never hate anyone. Then when I was in college and met a friend who’s family was from Yugoslavia he asked me what I was. I said Yugoslavian and he told me no from what country. I was told to ask my grandfather who had left the country around 1905. Grandpa Max asked me what does it matter where you are from and refused to tell me which of the former countries that made up the then Yugoslavia was our heritage. I never understood this until after his death when Yugoslavia broke up and all of that hatred that was bottled up under communist rule was released into the war. Now I understand, he never wanted me to carry on the ethnic hatred. And he is right, it ended for our family with his parents. It is very liberating not to hate. Patricia
Rick, I too am saddened by the terrible war in Bosnia, I appreciated your comments and those of whom you spoke. I hope one day to visit the area of my heritage. thank you, JoAnne Minnesota
I so enjoy reading your blogs. After one trip to France and one to South Africa, I was bitten badly by the travel bug. We spent a month in South Africa; it is a magical place. But life throws curves and my husband is now having to use supplemental oxygen and our travel has been curtailed to driving trips from Colorado. That travel bug itch is taken care of by reading and learning from your blogs. You are a true communicator and quench my thrist for knowledge of the world and the people in it. Thank you Thank you.
I have enjoyed hearing about your travels, as you do an excellent job of narration. I have thoroughly enjoyed your Dulce Vita package. With the ever-present internet, the world can now enjoy day-by-day accounts as they happen! It is a great privilage to be on the receiving end of your blogs. Keep on travelin’ and keep the great work coming.
I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your shows..you make it so much more real and interesting than any other show I have ever watched…keep up the great work..when I flip channels I always look to see if you are on….
it is great to hear about some new locations Rick! I enjoy your blogs, I check your web site every couple days for the latest. If I have to stay home, at least I can get the enjoyment vicariously!
I just started reading and loving your blogs! What a great way to become a “world citizen!” Thanks, Rick. I have just retired from a wonderful teaching career and I am transitioning to my next life as world traveler. For years I have followed your tour itineraries picking out all of the places that I planned to visit. Sadly, from the looks of the lucious 2008 tour guide, there is no Lake Como. I also morn the loss of Colmar which I had yearned to see in one of your groups. While I love group travel, I really want to go by myself. Are these places where that is possible?
One of my favorite things about traveling is that no matter where you are or how different a place seems, the people are just like us. It’s really not that big or different of a world out there! You just have to get away from the touristy sites and into the local culture to see how alike we all really are. Thanks for all of your insight into Europe Rick!
As a relatively new reader of Rick’s blog, I say: Kudos to Bonnie, Lisa, and especially Trish….Thoughtful commentaries. Keep up the good work, Rick–you’re an honest ‘travel expert’, regardless of the rather narrow views and misconceptions of some of your readers. PS I too found Mostar most amazing!
Hi Rick. I just returned a few days ago from a trip to Bosnia, Serbia, and Montenegro. Mostar was definitely a highlight, despite all the still evident reminders of the war. The peoplle in the area were very friendly, willing to share their experiences of the past and hopes for the future. Kotor is another beautiful old town- your recommendation of La Pasteria was a good one, by the way. I’ve enjoyed reading about your travels so far this summer and look forward to more of the same.
Rick, I’m so glad you are including Bosnia in your travels and commentary. I’ve been involved with a project to bring old photographs back to Bosnia that I took in 1970 and 1971- retracing my original route through Mostar, Sarajevo, and Central Bosnia. I located places and people from over 30 years ago, some of whom were children back then. My desire has been to build bridges of friendship through these photos. There is now a book, Pictures Without Borders: Bosnia Revisited, and a websitePictures Without Borders website that narrates the story. Best wishes,
Thank you, Willie.
Thanks, Willie!
Thanks Willie!
Wonderful blog on your visit to the former Yugoslavia. One suggestion; perhaps extend your day-trips an extra overnighter and spend a day or two in wonderful Sarajevo, only a few hours beyond Mostar. My travels throughout the region when working with the Yugoslav Tribunal (ICTY) showed me that the local folks, regardless of their religious/ethnic persuasion, were almost without exception welcoming, generous and very eager to ‘rub shoulders’ with a ‘westerner’. For Lydia, born in Sarajevo, visit ‘home’ at your earliest opportunity. Enjoy a pivo or vino with a chopska salad and reminisce; your city will never be the same but it’s trying very hard.
Lin & Mark, As far as what to pack, my husband tells me that what I take, I have to carry! Obviously, he’s a light packer. :)
Patricia, You did not say when your Grandfather was born, but in 1905, the Austro-Hungarian Empire ruled most (or all, I’m not sure) of what later became Yugoslavia. My husband is from Croatia, near Pula. His parents, also born in the same village as my husband, were born before WWI in Austro-Hungary, my husband and two of his brothers were born between the World Wars in what became part of Italy (Austria was an Axis power during WWI and lost some of their territory to Italy) and his youngest brother was born just after WWII in Yugoslavia (what is now Croatia.) Italy was ruled by Mussolini and when they lost the war, Italy lost that part of their country to Yugoslavia. My husband, his parents and brothers were all born in the same village, but in three different countries! We cannot conceive of this in the US since it is almost 50 years since we entered a new state into the union. But all these wars mean that the borders most likely change in the countries involved.
I lived in Bosnian for 3 ½ years and love the fact that you have started to showcase this country. I would also recommend the city of Tuzla in northeaster Bosnia. You can drive it in about 2 hours from Sarajevo, or better yet take the bus for about $4.
I want to thank Willie too!!!!!
Decided to take a break from my home office work and see what you are doing. We left for Italy and France just a year ago with our pages ripped out of various books and our Rick Steve’s places booked. We will never go to Bosnia but we can sit in the KS heat and be with you mentally. Thank you
I want to say (after spending 2 months there last summer) that Bosnia is no more dangerous than any other place. Sure there are pickpockets, but any sensible traveler who follows regular precautions will be fine. Try to make a connection with a family. Once you make it into a Bosnian home, you will experience hospitality that will be truly amazing!
Are Bosnian Muslims more Shia or Sunni? That was a good question. During my 6 trips to ex-Yugoslavia as an OSCE election supervisor (1987-2001), I don’t recall the question ever arising. So much attention is now paid to the subject because of sectoral fighting in Iraq? I would welcome learning more about possible distinctions among Muslims in ex-Yugoslavia.
First off, lovely blog. As a Catholic myself I see no issue in Rick speaking his mind. Some Catholics have done horrific things in the past; I’m sure they will do so again – we are, after all human and failable. Even Pope Benedict admits that. Perhaps instead of being outraged that someone pointed this out, we would be wiser to learn from it, as Rick seems to be doing. Is war against another ever justified when it is solely about religion? Secondly – read up on the area people. There are more than two Islamic sects, just like there are more than just Protestants and Catholics. Bosniak Muslims are from a variety of sects from Sufis to Salafis to Ikhwanists to Alevis. Finally, thank you Rick for your enlightening and personal views of so many places. It should remind us all that the world is made up of individuals rather than of governments.
As a native Bosnian and historian, I would just like to share a few of my thoughts. I highly appreciate Rick’s attempts to understand the grievance of the conflicts in former Yugoslavia. However, it seems to me that his stays in the area were far too short and he did not read enough about the country and its history to be able to give you any completely reliable and accurate information regarding the region’s history and cultural background. First, Rick’s statement “The symbolism of the RELIGIOUS CONFLICT is powerful,†is totally misleading. The war in former Yugoslavia was not a “religious conflictâ€, but rather a nationalist conflict in which religious iconography was only manipulated and misused for the nationalists’ goals. The vast majority of historians dealing with the Balkans agree in this regard.
I would be really curious to hear where you found the information that there are Ikhwanists and Alevis in Bosnia. First, the readers should know that before the war (and I guess now as well) only 17% of the Bosnian Muslims were practicing Muslims. Most of them were and are very secular. Bosnian Muslims are Sunni Muslims. During the war, the Saudi religious emissaries brought the Slafi (also known as Wahhabi) form of Islam to Bosnia. Some independent studies show that about 3% of the country’s practicing Muslims have adopted this form of Islam during the past decade. Dervishes (Sufi Muslims) have existed in Bosnia since the Ottoman conquest in 1463. Bosnian Sufi Muslims also belong to the Sunni Hanefi religious school and their Sufism is just an addition to their Sunni Islamic faith. The numbers of adherents of any other Islamic sects are negligible.
First, Jarrod, since the 19th and early 20th centuries Serb nationalists’ rhetorics, nobody has called Croats “Catholic Serbs.†And it is equally non-sensical to call the Bosnian Muslims “Muslim Serbs.†Are the Irish the “Catholic English peopleâ€? They are not. However, your mistake is nothing worse than Rick’s inaccurate terminology and generalizations. It is not true that Croats killed Bosniaks in Mostar. He should have said that the Croat pro-Fascist paramilitary forces destroyed the old Mostar bridge and the old town of Mostar killing vast numbers of Herzgovinan Muslim Slavs (Bosniaks). I understand when Catholics are outraged by Rick’s vocabulary and generalizations. He simply ascribes to all Croat Catholics what some Croat nationalists and Fascists did. It is simply not fair.
Denis: Having traveled extensively in the former Yugoslavia, I fail to grasp your distinction between “Croat” and “Croat pro-Facist paramilitary forces.” (Even in your adjusted definition, you still acknowledge that they are, in fact, Croats–just a specific type of Croat.) It’s a bit like saying that an American can’t also be a Texan or a Christian or a soldier. A Catholic in Bosnia-Herzegovina is a “Croat,” and a Muslim is a “Bosniak.” And Croats did kill great numbers of Bosniaks in Mostar. It’s a documented fact that no reasonable person would dare refute. To you, and the others offended by Rick’s supposedly “anti-Croat” or “anti-Catholic” stance: I’m sorry if you don’t like to hear that someone associated with your faith or ethnicity has carried out atrocities against innocent people. As an American, I hate the fact that other “Amercians” are, as we speak, torturing people at places like Guantanamo. But trying to deny these tragedies of history is ethically irresponsible.
It is not that hard, CH. Just accept the fact that during the war in Bosnia there were Croats who helped Bosniaks save their lives and vice versa. The same applies to the Bosnian Serbs, etc. Now you tell me. Did those Croats who helped Bosniaks stop being Croats or did they become bad Catholics, because they helped Muslims? Or aren’t they maybe the best humans, true Catholics, and the pride of the Croat nation. I am not a Catholic, but have some Catholic friends whom I love dearly. I hope this helps.
Denis: Just because they’re pro-Facist, doesn’t mean they stop being “Croats.” Of course, no reasonable person would ever claim (and nor does Rick in his posting) that ALL Croats killed Bosniaks in Mostar. But many did. So to say that Rick is in error is obscuring the facts. Sorry, but I have little patience for anyone who tries to parse words about a genocide.
Just because one is a Croat it does not mean that he is a Fascist either. The Serb nationalists claim that Croats are genetically genocidal. So, I’d be careful with generalizations. Rick is in error and to say that he is not is obscuring the fact that many Bosnian Serbs and Croats also fought in the Bosnian Army against Croat and Serb nationalists/fascists. Rick does generalize, for instance here
Neither did the Pope John Paul II nor the Croatian cardinal Kuharic send these canons. They both were actually struggling for peace in Bosnia and were attacked by the Croat fascists for their anti-war policy. It is very nice of you that you want to protect the Bosniak victims of genocide. My family is also a victim. Thank you. However, let us not generalize. Rick can be a very thoughtful writer. However, he also proved in this blog that he can be very superficial.
Wow, that Joe guy sure started up one helluva a forum. Way to go world traveler!
I think that Joe guy is off traveling the world seeing new places now. :)
I hate to cast any negative vibes here, but I found my visit to Mostar to be a complete waste of time. And, yes, I spoke with a few of the locals and visited two mosques…and spent the night there. Aside from the “war attraction” and a mediocre bridge, Mostar has little to offer. Sorry, I’m normally very open minded and curious of other peoples’ beliefs & lifestyles, but I feel your precious time & money are better spent elsewhere on the Dalmation Coast. I glad that most of the above posters enjoyed their time there…YMMV. The only bigger waste of time was a visit to Medjugorje on my way back to Dubrovnik.
I was in Mostar and Sarejevo in March/April 2007. For all of you trying your best to make sense of what happened in the former Yugoslavia with regard to the war should take the time to read the book “Yugoslavia, Death of a Nation” by Laura Sieber. Despite a handful of truths espoused by some of those who added commentary to Rick’s blog, only a couple of folks actually have a handle on what happened. And I’m not about to pretend to know it all either even though I read at least 8 books on the topic prior to going to Croatia, Montenegro and BiH. This war had nothing to do with religion and everything to do with political power and creating a Serbiaslavia. My Croatian tutor here in Boise is secular catholic croat, and her husband is secular croat serb (meaning he is ethnically a serb but raised his whole ife in the boundaries of Croatia). MOst were secular When armies storm into your town and make you choose sides or they’ll kill you, you choose to live!
I generally agree with JT’s comments about Mostar. I’ve been there many times over the last 25 years of doing my research work in Bosnia. It’s a nice day trip, but that’s about all. (The bridge, however, is not mediocre!). It is funny that no one has commented on the famous statue of Bruce Lee, yes, that Bruce Lee. It seems that the locals had some reconstruction money and the only human figure that they could all agree on for a statue was the martial arts hero. (After being dedicated, it was immediately vandalized overnight). I’m surprised that Rick hasn’t been to Sarajevo. I try to spend a month there ever summer, during the month-long festival in July. It’s one of the world’s great places. There used to be a saying: “Sit in Bascarsija (the center of the old town) and eventually everyone in the world will walk by.”
nothing but the best .. i love it man.. reading through this i had started remembering all those DARK NIGHTS.. thank you very much for doing this Rick..
Marti: You hit the nail on the head about the war in Bosnia. For 7 years I have had a Bosnian “sister” who immigrted to the US in 2000. Her home is in Sarajevo-Bascarsija–just a breath up hill from Old Town. During the summer of 2006 I spent a month with her and her daughter in Sarajevo and from there traveled around BIH. Those from Sarajevo are proud of their history of religious tolerence, and are quick to inform that this was not a religious war, but a war of greed. I have been told by my “sister” that the Serbs would invade a home with a new deed of home ownership and if the Bosnian did not sign it, the Serbs would start with breaking the owners arm. The torture could esculate to rape of the fmily women and death of the family. Also, for three years, Sarajevo was under siege by Serbs, not so much Croats. For those waging their own religious war on this blog–Serbs are mostly Eastern Orthodox.
Sorry Denis, are you Ermin’s brother? I ma trying to contact him…I lost his phone number…just to know if he is fine:-))
This is a wonderful blog, and being from Sarajevo myself, I really enjoyed a true representation of Bosnia in your blog, thank your for writing about my beloved country Mr. Steves.
Nice