One of the hostel workers in Sarajevo had to go to Mostar the same day so he gave me a ride, which was awesome. I really enjoyed my stay with them. Maybe I will see them in the future.

Mostar was a very small town, but yet full of history. Just like Sarajevo, there are buildings with Turkish influences and modern buildings, but along with those there are war torn buildings. The remains of the war in the early 90s is very clear through the numerous bullet holes and bomb explosions.

We passed a school where the next door was a bombed out building. The children walk by this area every day. It is a big reminder of the history and, along with the several signs, a reminder to never forget and to not repeat history.

At my hostel, Hostel Miran, the owner offers a tour of the area and his own personal war story as he was around 16 when it was happening. He even participated in the army when he was 21.

He told us that after Yugoslavia fell, every country wanted to be independent. However, Serbia wanted to be Gran Serbia and attacked both Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. They fought back, but soon, Croatia decided to attack B and H too.

Mostar is very close to the Croatian boarder. And like Berlin, it was cut in half during the war. The people were in constant danger when they would leave their homes for the store or to visit people, from snipers or bombs. He showed us a home video of the time and his family as well as a documentary that was filmed during.

It’s hard to imagine what it was like, but yet, when I was walking around, I could see the results. He also showed us an old B and H bunker that he served in, which is now run down and in ruins.

Walking around the town later, I really was appreciative of where I was born and the family I was born into.

On a more happy note, we got to see waterfalls and an old Turkish market town. During the reign of the Ottoman empire, this small small town was a big commercial hub. Now, only the ruins are left. Most of the people left the town during the war. He said only 39 remain. We stopped at another spot that has Europe’s cleanness river. The water did taste very fresh.

I re-met my Australian friend, D, here as  I met her originally in Zagreb. It was nice seeing her again. The hostel was full of interesting people- majority from Australia. One from Belgium, Scotland, another American, and an Argentine.

The hostel was great. It is very home-y and the owner really wants you to feel like family. There was a free breakfast consisting of hard boiled eggs, cheese, cereal, bread, and meat.

The common area and the room were quite warm, which was perfect for me as I love the heat. Mostar was a bit warmer than Sarajevo, which was very pleasant! There is no key for the lockers making them cubby holes and no key for the room door. However, I felt very comfortable leaving my things.

Mostar has a famous bridge. It looks really nice, but is famous because people jump from it. The river is that deep. Not many people jump now that it’s winter though.

Walking around the city, there was a lot of construction going on and, unlike home, it wasn’t roped off meters/feet away. One could walk inches/centimeters away from the drill or the hole or whatever.

Both nights, the hostel owner made dinner. They were delicious! I highly enjoyed my stay in Mostar. The company and the food were great, but I also enjoyed learning more about the history here and especially getting a first hand account of it.