Bridging Cultures in Herzegovina

View from Stari Most

Whenever I am planning a trip I always want to go somewhere that I have never been. It almost feels like a waste to go back to a place you have already explored. Something can be said for yearly family vacations with the same people in the same places. That is how traditions are created, but I also don't want to give up the few opportunities I have to go someplace new. I suppose it is a balance. There is always something nice about revisiting your favorite places in the world. Most likely on your first trip you did all of the things you're supposed to do but now you are free to seek out the things tourists rarely do. That was the case for me when I revisited Mostar, a small city in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

On my first trip to the region I was an inexperienced traveler. I was paranoid when the border patrol agents got on the bus after crossing from Croatia into Herzegovina took my passport and even more paranoid when they got back on and returned everyone's passport except mine. There we are sitting on the bus and I'm looking around. Clearly everyone knew that we were waiting because of me. My only previous border crossing experience up to that point was going from the United States to Canada. To stay that those two experiences were vastly different would be the understatement of the millennium. No one got on my bus with a machine gun going to Niagara Falls. Eventually I got my passport back and we were on our way to Mostar.

Cemetery in Mostar

The focal point of Mostar is the Old Bridge (Stari Most). Most means bridge, so obviously just by looking at the name you can infer that the bridge has played an important role in the history of Mostar. The Old Bridge divides two parts of town, one part is typically Bosnian Muslims and the other Croatian Catholics. The original bridge was destroyed during a war in the region in 1993.  It was eventually rebuilt and served as a symbol for the region during reconstruction. Many of the tourist regions around the bridge have been rebuilt or restored since the war but if you go even slightly out of that area there are lasting reminders everywhere you turn. Shells of buildings that are barely still standing line streets and cemeteries filled with graves marked 1993. As a high school graduate in 1993 it was a sobering experience to look out among those graves and think about the differences between our lives. While I was preparing for college, out boozing with my fake i.d. and skipping classes, these young people were  defending their families, struggling to find food and hiding their younger siblings in basements. Regardless of your ethnic, political or religious beliefs, in the end we are people with families. As we have all experienced at some point in our lives, losing a loved one is never easy.

Muslibegovic House

There is a dichotomy as you spend time in Mostar. There is a sadness but then there is also this excitement as well. Young men jump from the bridge to entertain the tourists. Streets were closed down, filled with chairs and televisions to watch the World Cup soccer tournament. I meet people on both sides of the bridge who were proud of their cultures. I spent time at the Muslibegovic House, a national monument in Bosnia and Herzegovina. My room was beautiful and the courtyard with pillow top benches were perfect for a few quiet hours of reading. The hosts provided incredible meals and were so gracious and hospitable. I received the same graciousness and hospitality with a Croatian family in a Siroki Brijeg, small town outside of Mostar. They took me in and treated me like I was a part of their family. We laughed over language differences, especially when the father said, "I love you" instead of "How are you?" Overall, my experiences with the people were very positive but in both cases things were said that made it clear all is not well in the region among the people. Small comments like, "Why would you stay there?" or "Why are going over there?" I know tensions in the region are still simmering and some people are working hard to repair both the physical and emotional damage.

Bridge Jumper

Travel to regions with ethnic, religious or political tensions can be difficult and at times scary. There were times when I felt uneasy, but that feeling always subsided when I spent more than 5 minutes talking with the people. It is easy to focus on the history and the politics of the region. War leaves deep scars. Those scars are often more visible than the signs of reconciliation. A friend warned me for my safety to not talk about politics with people and if someone tried to change the subject. Religion and politics can be difficult discussions amongst the closest friends let alone with strangers and your own language barrier. I had read a lot of historical information before I went and I was interested in listening to the people talk about what it was like and where they see things going. I engaged in some of those conversations on small scales but my friends cautious words were in the back of my mind. Warnings like that can deter some people from visiting. It is like the men jumping off the Old Bridge, it can be scary but sometimes it is worth the risk. One of my most precious travel memories is sitting along the river at the bottom of that bridge at sunset and crying. It was during my first trip and I was overwhelmed by the history, the uncertain future and the fact that I never dreamed I would be here. American kids often dream of going places like Paris or Rome, but it would be hard to find one who dreams of Stari Most. That is a shame. The Old Bridge might not be as romantic as the Eiffel Tower but you would be hard pressed to find a place in the world that is more symbolic of a people's past and their hope for a better future.