Blog

I start the day by taking the the first tram since Debrecen, in Hungary. That was on the 10th April. A MONTH ago!!! To be fair, I’ve seen one or two trams on my way here, but didn’t have the occasion to take them, or give them the Judas kiss and walked instead.

One thing I forgot to mention yesterday, is how beautiful Sarajevo is. Unlike a lot of big Balkans cities and capitals, Sarajevo kept an ancient charm. It has not been razed to be replaced by soviet monstrosities. The little red-roofed houses sprawl for kilometers around, and it’s lovely, especially from those high viewpoints.

The train station though is not too good, but WOW! Bosnian trains ROCKS! They are modern and super comfortable. Huge leg room, reclinable seats, and even a jack to plug your earphones and listen to radio. I’m loving Bosnia and Herzegovina more and more.

And the route! Oh the route! We were high the mountain side, overlooking valleys with small villages, until we reached Konjic. There, we joined the river Neretva, and followed its turquoise water into white-stone rocky gorges. It was awesome!

I walked around Mostar, starting with the new town, less touristy, more relaxed. I walked up to the Bruce Lee statue (yes), but apparently it got stolen about a month ago! Photos will have to wait for the return of the Dragon now. Although it seems to be a trend to stand and pose at the statue’s place.

I kept walking and reached the old city. It’s crammed with tourists already, but it’s such a cute place! And there it was, the bridge, Stari Most. A tall, high Ottoman single-arched bridge, 20 m above water. It was destroyed in 1993 during the Croat-Bosniak war, but rebuilt identically later, thankfuly not replaced by some random immemorable modern shit.

I watched one guy jump from there, had a drink and went to the hostel. I went back out a bit later, walking to parts that I hadn’t seen before, but always gravitating around the bridge, watching another guy jump. That’s impressive!

Later in the evening, I had a drink with the hostel owner, a knowledgeable local, and three guests, a German guy cycling around and two French girls leaving for Montenegro tomorrow. The discussion quickly went political, and I preferred to take my leave.