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Having thoroughly enjoyed our time in Split and the day trip to Trogia, it was time to set off for Dubrovnik. The 4hr bus trip took us through mountains, valleys and finally along the coast, a drive somewhat reminiscent of the drive along the Amalfi coast only at half the speed. Taking a local bus from the bus station to the old city, we found our accommodation, and set out to explore the city. Like most UNESCO protected cities, it was spectacular in its architecture, crowded and full of pizza cafes and gelati shops. It wasn't until we took a day trip to Mostar that we saw, and heard the real Croatia and what our driver continually referred to as the "ex Yugoslavia".
Driving back along part of the same coast road we had come down from Split, we turned inland and were immediately transported to a completely different landscape, of row after row of huge mountain ridges, not unlike the mountains we saw in Alaska, only these ones were covered with stunted trees and bushes, reflecting an arid and almost desolate picture. Once an area known for its high production of cheese and honey, the hills were scattered with low stone walls that served as fences for the sheep, or barriers to keep the wild pigs out of the crops, now fallen into disrepair and the people gone. What was particularly stark, was the overwhelming evidence of the aftermath of the 1991 war. Burnt out houses, some in villages, others just isolated farm houses. Neglected fields and terraces where there were once grapes and fruit trees, now overgrown with bushes and high grass. With so many of the men killed or entire families wiped out, there was no one left to care for the land. Compounding all of this were the abandoned factories of the former communist state. However, despite this, Croatia reflects a country that is moving forward, with new roads and buildings, especially houses and in some case whole villages, everywhere. Bosnia however, stands in stark contrast to this.
Devoid of a long tourist packed coastline or the fertile flood plains in the valleys, it lacks the potential income from tourism and agriculture that Croatia has, and of course, was subjected to far greater damage first from the 1991 war with Serbia, and then the later war with Croatia. To add to this, our driver explained that the tracts of arable land in the valleys were often the front line of the war with Serbia and had been heavily and indiscriminately mined, and these mine fields had still not been cleared, 25 years later. So different from what was evident in Croatia and the Serbian part of Bosnia Herzegovina. And everywhere, in every village and sometimes beside the road or in the woods, were cemeteries with rows and rows of shiny black headstones, yet another reminder of the two recent wars.
With innumerable coffee stops along the way at places well off the tourist track, the hospitality and openness of the people was a refreshing reminder of how a people, despite their adversity (as assessed by us as outsiders in one fleeting visit), appear to make the most of every day. I imagine having survived the horrors and losses of war makes one appreciative of the present and what seem like issues for us are nothing compared to the history of suffering in the Balkans.
Driving into Mostar was like driving into a 3rd world city. The road surface broken or poorly patched, the edges blending into the dirt and rocks, and rubbish and deserted houses, some blackened by fire, other with gaping holes in the bullet marked walls or collapsed roofs, a very sobering reminder of sectarian prejudice and intolerance that has been the hallmark of the Balkans for centuries. And then, to add to the contrast, whole villages of new houses set in manicured gardens which we were told, were owned by Croats or Bosnians who were working elsewhere in Europe and earning enough money to rebuild bigger and better houses than their neighbours.
Despite all of this, the whole day was not at all depressing, more sobering and insightful, and reason to reflect on how fortunate we are to live in Australia.
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