Mostar

Leaving Sarajevo and driving south, Brian and I stopped for a picnic!!!

Not sure what was happening with my pants, but I wanted to show you how BEAUTIFUL the Bosnian countryside is!

The "Stari Most" (Old Bridge) of Mostar.  It is THE site of this town where Christians and Muslims live in harmony.

Local men, ask for money and when they collect enough money....(by the way, anyone notice someone we know?)

.....a guy dives off the bridge into the Neretva River below

The original Stari Most was built in the 1600's and stood for 427 years.

The Muslim side is along the eastern bank of the Neretva River.  When standing on the bridge you can see many mosques!

With the dissolution of Yugoslavia, this part of Bosnia saw a war between the Bosnian Croats (Christian) and aligned with Croatia and the Bosniaks.

From that hill above the bridge, the Bosnian Croats bombarded the town of Mostar and the bridge.

A different view allows you to see that at the top of the hill above the town and bridge is a cross.

On November 9th, 1993, the Bosnian Croats destroyed the original Stari Most.

All the headstones in this makeshift cemetery are from 1993.  This park was turned into a cemetery because it was surrounded by trees and locals could bury the dead during the evenings in safety.

As in many parts of Bosnia, there are still bombed out buildings.  You can see clearly, the cross at the top of the hill in this picture.

The bridge we see today was opened in 2004.  It's a stunner!!