Remembering the War

Thursday morning we wanted to get a more local sense of Sarajevo.  We took a bus down Sniper’s Alley – the main road along the river dividing the Serb and Bosnian territory during the conflict.  We got off downtown, near the front lines, and started our tour at the Holiday Inn – where all of the journalists stayed during the war.

 

From there we walked Sniper’s Alley past the Bosnian “twin towers” that fell during the war, to a museum with hundreds of photographs and artifacts documenting the conflict.  Surrounded by bullet-laden buildings watching the locals go about their daily routine was a bit unsettling, but to some extent it is refreshing to see life go on.  

Thursday afternoon, following the shortest and easiest drive of the trip thus far, we arrived in Mostar.  The highlight of the city is the Stari Most bridge – originally constructed in 1566 and senselessly destroyed by the Croats during the war.  Like Sarajevo, the city has recovered and the bridge was reconstructed using 16^th century construction techniques and stone from the original quarry.  For tourists, it offers an unparalleled view over dinner and evening drinks.