October 6/16

We really counted our blessings for the beautiful weather the day before as today started out cool and cloudy and quickly turned to rain!  Luckily it was partly a transfer day as we made our way from Dubrovnik to Split.  However, we did cross into Bosnia and Herzegovina to travel to Mostar.  We had to endure rain for the majority of our time in Mostar but we made the best of it!

We had a very good young guide.  We walked through the old town and visited the Karagoz Bey Mosque and a Turkish house that showed us what life was like over 100 years ago.  The big highlight of Mostar is walking across the Stari-Most, a UNESCO recognized 16th Century Ottoman bridge.  It was rather hilarious because it was wall to wall umbrellas!  A bit of a pain!  However, we were really happy and lucky to get good pictures back at the bridge from the terrace of the mosque (with only a few umbrellas going across)!

After doing most of our walking tour in the rain, we were happy to find a quaint little restaurant for lunch that was warm and dry!!

This tour has been extremely interesting as it involves 6 countries that still have their share of problems with getting along.  We could sense that there are many sides to each story, depending on who tells the story.  It is hard to imagine that merely 20-25 years ago cities were under seige and a full out war was raging in this area.  We have seen so many remnants of the war still visible on the sides of buildings.  They have done wonders in rebuilding but they still have a ways to go. It has certainly been an eye opener!

We arrived in Split at 5:30 and had some time to rest before gathering for our predinner drink.  Then we walked down to a local tavern and had a fabulous meal.