DAY 8: MOSTAR
Today was an especially exciting day as it is going to be our only night away from Sarajevo and the Pansion, therefore, it was very important that we get up on time, eat a healthy breakfast, and take time to pack.
However, these were three things we didn't do seeing as pretty much everyone (primarily the bottom floor) slept through their alarm clocks including those who signed up for breakfast duty. So we certainly got off to a rough start but everything started to look up when we boarded an air conditioned bus (quite different from those we took to Vares).
We departed for Mostar, a very unique and interesting city. In 1992 at the outbreak of the war, the Muslims and Croats united against the Serbs, however, they soon turned on each other dividing the city in half.
Today East and West Mostar appear to be separate cities and it is clear by the existence of two bus systems, schools and soccer teams that ethnic tensions are not a thing of the past. We were all surprised by how different the city was from Sarajevo. It is the 'capital' of the Hercegovina region of the country, which is less-developed. 
After our three hour bus ride we arrived in the city and stepped into the intense heat which the city is known for and which surpassed anything we had experienced in Sarajevo. We soon saw the beautiful turquoise Neretva River which runs through the city and immediately wanted to dive in. We started walking through the main street which divides the two sections of Mostar where most of the fighting took place and saw how little seemed to have been reconstructed.
Our hotel was in the Muslim section of the city and only a few blocks from the old town where we went for lunch. But before we could eat we had to see the old bridge, a famous bridge built in the sixteenth-century, during the Ottoman Empire known for the beautiful arc connecting the two sides of the once united city.
It was destroyed by a Croat force during the war and reconstruction did not begin until 2000. It will be formally opened on July 23rd and although we were able to see it we could not walk on it.
The bridge is considered, primarily by the international community, to be a symbol of reconstruction and the unification of the city.
However, locals seemed skeptical of the actual effect the bridge will have.
It is clear by walking through the city that while symbols may give hope they will not help to rebuild the destroyed apartment complexes and businesses nor end ethnic tensions.
After enjoying a delicious lunch at a restaurant on the river bank we took a walk through the old town where everyone enjoyed some shopping.
Then, after Meg's persistence, we went to the riverbank to cool off and take a swim.
Although the water was freezing, it was definitely a nice break from the heat. We went back to the hotel and relaxed for a few hours during which a few of us went with Mr. Sethre on a tour of the Croat portion of the city.
It was very different from the Muslim part of town and it was interesting to see how differently the war affected Mostar in comparison to Sarajevo.
We met back at the river back in the old town for dinner and returned to our hotel to enjoy air conditioned rooms and endlessly hot showers.
Rebecca B., July 9, 2004
Day 9
