Inland to Sarajevo
After breakfast we gird ourselves for 3 border crossings as we travel north and inland to Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Initially the terrain features a mountainous region encompassing a winding river along some beautiful coastal scenery.
There are some Kodak moments involving a stately, multi-sail pirate ship, made with gleaming wooden planks; a pond filled with oyster and mussel traps; and for those who love oysters (not me), freshly caught and freshly shucked delicacies (sans Tabasco sauce and saltines).
One of Heather's finest moments:)
As the lunch hour approaches, we stop in the ancient town of Mostar, established in late 15th century by the Ottoman Turks. In Mostar the Middle East and Western European cultures mingled and blending mainland and Adriatic Sea influences.
Mostar is named for the former watchtower keepers (mostari in Bosnian) of its historic bridge. The amazing 16th century bridge spans the Neretva River and divides the town's Muslim and Croat sections. It was destroyed in 1993 during the breakup of the former Yugoslavia. Eventually, in 2004, the bridge and Mostar's historic city center were restored as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Our lunch features traditional Bosnian fare at Sadrvan, a restaurant near the bridge.
Our hostesses in very colorful garb.
Fried bread, meats, cheese and sour cream.
Mixed salad plate.
Lamb stew with rice.
Bosnian coffee with sugar cubes and Turkish taffy.
More Mostar photos...
Alfresco dining on the cliffs.
The Mosque and surrounding countryside.
One more spontaneous stop at the Museum for The Battle for the Wounded of Neretva, which was opened November 12, 1978
to commemorate the salvation of 4000 wounded
when Tito outmaneuvered the larger forces of Germans, Italians, Ustashe and Chetniks by destroying all the bridges.
More Mostar photos...
Initially we thought this was an auto body shop in a former church,
but then we realized it was much easier for the builders to drive their car
into the main aisle for unloading supplies.
I love the sliver of light shining on the car from one of the upper windows.
to commemorate the salvation of 4000 wounded
when Tito outmaneuvered the larger forces of Germans, Italians, Ustashe and Chetniks by destroying all the bridges.
And just in case we hadn't eaten enough today, we enjoyed a traditional cevapi dinner, with tufahije (a baked apple) for dessert and a honey-infused limoncello as an aperitif at Dzulagin Dvor.
Traditional cevapi with Bosnian kebabs (small grilled sausages of lamb and beef),
mixed with onions, sour cream, ajvar (red pepper spread)
and Bosnian pita bread (somun).
Honey-infused grappa.
Our hotel in Sarajevo.
I love this room even though Vlatka kept referring to it as kinky.
We really think the word she wanted was funky:)
I love this room even though Vlatka kept referring to it as kinky.
We really think the word she wanted was funky:)
No comments:
Post a Comment