Our trip to the Balkans was a whirlwind tour but was very fun and fulfilling despite the busy pace.  Here are some fun facts about our trip.

Final Summary:

Countries visited: (5) Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Hercegovina, Montenegro, Albania

Length of trip in days vs vacation days taken from work:  10 days in length vs 4 days of vacation taken from work

Flights: (5) ORD-MUC-LJU, SJJ-VIE-IAD-ORD

Kilometers driven: approximately 1500

Total Cost of Gasoline to fill up car for the whole trip: $260 US

Number of McDonald’s seen: 2 (yes, we only saw two McDonald’s the whole trip)

Number of Starbuck’s seen: 0

Number of McDonald’s eaten at: 1 (in Sarajevo)

Number of seven year olds we saw smoking: 1

Number of border crossings while driving: 8

Number of pizza’s eaten: 5

Number of Chocolate Souffles eaten at Magellan restaurant in Dubrovnik: 3

Miles walked during the trip per person: 56 (seven miles per day)

 

Mostar, the unofficial capital of Herzegovina, is home to the iconic “Stari Most” or Old Bridge.  The bridge, which was built by the Ottomans in the 16th century, crosses the river Neretva and connects the two sides to the city.  Without question, the Old Bridge is one of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s most identifiable attractions and is currently on the UNESCO World Heritage List.  When researching  the trip to the Balkans, Mostar was readily accessible as we traveled from Dubrovnik to Sarajevo so we decided to spend a few hours there which was just about the right amount of time.

Mostar’s Old Bridge measures 13 feet wide, 98 feet long and over 78 feet high and at one point in history was the largest man-made arch in the world.  The original bridge stood for 427 years before it was destroyed during the war in 1993.  Since that time, the bridge was rebuilt in 2004 and today, serves as the main tourist attraction in Mostar.

One of the more interesting parts of visiting Mostar is the bridge jumping tradition that occurs on a daily basis in the summer time.  It is considered a right of passage for young men to jump off the bridge.

Today, as tourists flock to Mostar, locals will have the courage to jump from the bridge into the freezing cold river below assuming there is some economic incentive from the onlookers.  The divers work in pairs collecting as much money as possible prior to actually making the dive.

 

The divers usually appear in the afternoon as it is warmer during that portion of the day and makes the dive into the cold river below more tolerable.

The river below is so cold, at 12 degrees Celcius, that it is not recommended for tourists to participate in this tradition.  Prior to jumping, the divers will hose themselves down with cold water to lower their body temperature.  The divers are usually members of the local diving club so they are experienced with the jump.

There is no doubt that the centerpiece of Mostar is the Old Bridge.  It was certainly worth spending a few hours walking around the old town and witnessing the bridge jumping tradition.  However, I would not recommend spending an overnight here as there are so many other interesting places to visit in the Balkans.

Sarajevo is a thought provoking city to visit.  After overcoming communism and a brutal war, the city and country still has so many obstacles to overcome.  For one, the three main factions and religions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which include the Serbians (Serbian Orthodox) ,Croats (Catholic) and Bosniaks (Muslims), seem to have difficulty working together.

 

 

This clashing between groups is evident in the modern day government of the country.  Three presidents oversee the government, with one president representing each ethnic group.  This confusing bureaucracy coupled with distrust among the three groups makes the political process extremely inefficient.  In fact, no formal census has ever been taken in Bosnia and Herzegovina due to the difficulty with the three different ethnic groups and inability to communicate with each other.  This stalemate in government proceedings has slowed economic and infrastructure development.  The mountainous terrain, at least in the south, makes transportation difficult.  Nothing seemed easily accessible and no main tollways have been established unlike in Croatia and Slovenia where roads were generally excellent and well marked.  In addition, air travel to and from Sarejevo and Bosnia and Herzegovina is stagnating.  The airport seemed empty and deserted.  For a city with a population of several hundred thousand, choices for air travel were somewhat limited.

 

Also, the entrance of multinational corporations into Bosnia and Herzegovina has been slow.  Even a simple task such as opening the first McDonald’s, which opened in 2011, took over four years because it was met with such resistance from the local restaurant owners.  I am not advocating placing a Starbucks or McDonald’s on every corner, but the entrance of corporations will be vital to pump jobs and money into this struggling economy.

With a current unemployment rate that hovers around 43%, the economic situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina is dire and foreign investment is badly needed.  But despite everything working against it, I am hopeful that Sarajevo and the country can prosper.  As we witnessed in the 1990’s, Sarajevo is a resilient city and this will serve it well moving forward.  For right now though, just having a peaceful existence is progress enough.

In my travels to forty-six countries, not one place has evoked the kind of emotions that Sarajevo did.  After visiting Sarajevo, I felt depressed, happy, excited, and sad all in one day.  It was true roller coaster of emotions as my wife and I walked throughout the city.  Nestled in a valley among the mountains, Sarajevo is the political, cultural and economic center of Bosnia and Herzegovina.  But it is a true city of contrasts.

While enjoying the scenic mountains that rise up around the edges of the city you can just as easily see a depressing communist style, bullet riddled apartment buildings.  This type of up and down feeling closely approximates the recent history of Sarajevo.

In what surely was one of its proudest moments, Sarajevo served as host of the 1984 Winter Olympics.

A mere eight years later the city was under siege for four long years during the wars that broke up the former Yugoslavia.  Remnants of this tragic war are still present to this day.

Monuments scattered throughout the city are a reminder of the conflict that tore apart this proud city.

However, the city has rebounded from the war and there is lots of optimism and hope today.  After walking many miles around the metro area, my general impression was that the people of Sarajevo seem happy.  They were smiling, laughing, and certainly seemed to be enjoying a normal life, one that seemed impossible during the mid 90’s.  However, one cannot help but think about the emotional and physical toll the siege of Sarajevo took upon its residents.

With that said, Sarajevo was a highlight of our trip to the Balkans.  The Ottoman influence is ever present throughout the city with a plethora of mosques and their highly visible minarets dotting that landscape.  In addition, the old town of Sarajevo had a very Turkish feel to it.

One of the national dishes of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Cevapi, was easily accessible at any number of restaurants in the old town of Sarajevo.  Consisting of Kebabs in a pocket of bread with diced onions and cheese, it was absolutely delicious.

In contrast to the Ottoman influences, the city still has a European feel to it with many outdoor cafes and impressive cathedrals.

Based off this mixing of cultures and many different religions (Muslim, Roman Catholic, Serbian Orthodox), it was a difficult place to get a feel for.  Despite the recent turbulent history and blending of cultures, Sarajevo felt united and at peace with the present.  It is a city that has overcome so much adversity, almost unimaginable to someone who didn’t live through it.  Sarajevo is a city that is a must visit to anybody traveling through the Balkans.