Bosnia and War

Mostar from the Old Bridge

Old Bridge. The original was destroyed during Bosnian War (427 years old)

Mostar

Off-centered to the right stood the bank turned sniper nest. Only the skeleton of concrete, rebar and graffiti remained from the famous bank that looked like a fictitious level in the Call of Duty video game series. For the people of Mostar, this graphic video game scene was a reality for years and my tour guide had survived.

There are multiple perspectives to this conflict, as there always are, and my guide experienced the war in Mostar from the Bosnian Muslim perspective—a label he was sentenced to because his name, not his actions. He told stories of family, friends, and neighbors living in constant fear for their lives. He showed us locations where enemy snipers hid, waited, shot and killed daily and with no remorse. We were shown places where mortars were launched on the innocent civilians of the city. He told of concentration camps where loved ones were sent and never returned. Hearing these stories and understanding how recently they occurred (less than 20 year ago) makes your heart ache for the devastation and damage we can bring upon one another. As I was planning this trip, I knew I needed to spend time in Bosnia, but until you are talking to the survivors and roaming the streets that still contain skeletons of buildings not yet rebuilt, you cannot even begin to grasp what it was like.

Waterfalls in Bosnia

Overlooking Bosnia

After our last stop on the tour, we were welcomed back to a Disco Party

Sarajevo

I had spent the entire previous day walking around the bustling city and much of the devastation had been rebuilt, so seeing the images and videos of Sarajevo during the war were shocking.

I was at the Sarajevo Tunnel Museum, the last remaining portion of the tunnel that connected the stricken city with free Bosnian territory. This secret lifeline took over four months to complete and was a necessity to combat the significant loses of life of people trying to get food or supplies into the city.

A woman who lived through the war explained how Sarajevo was completely cut off from the world (she didn’t even learn that her parents had died until many months after). Everyday when you laid your head down to go to sleep, you were simply thankful to survive another day.

When walking, head hunched, through the tunnel, you could feel the desperation of the people that build it and those that were forced to walk through it, supplies on their backs, usually heavier than they were. This tunnel to the free territory was vital for the survival of Sarajevo. 

Latin Bridge. Assassination site that started WWI

Typical Bosnian meal (Cevapcici). 3 Euros

The Scenery

The Bosnian people are amazing. Taking care of others provides a greater reward than providing for themselves—they will provide excess for their guests even if they do not have enough for themselves.

The scenery looks similar to Croatia only the white undertones from the rocks are replaced by green grass in Bosnia. There are fewer bushes, more trees and rivers that cut through the country, which provided a valuable resource coveted during the war.

As you wind through the country, staring out the window, you are greeted by rolling mountains completely covered by full, green trees. Small gaps of family crops and brownish salmon roofs speckle the landscape like a paintbrush dipped in paint and flicked over the country. The landscape is beautiful which makes the contrast so much greater that such devastation can occur in such a peaceful looking place.