Crossroads of Adriatic Day 5
Crossroads of Adriatic
May 04, 2007 - Friday - Ride into Bosnia & Herzegovina-Sarajevo
Today was our last morning in Zagreb. We woke up at 6:07 when we received our 6:30 wake-up call! Even though it was cloudy, the birds in the garden outside our window were chirping happily as usual.
We put our luggage out a 7:00 and went down for breakfast. As 8:20 we met our driver Nik who was loading our luggage on to our mini-bus. We left Zagreb a few minutes earlier than our assigned 8:30 which is a good sign everyone in our group seems to be punctual.
Tammy gave us a short summary of our journey today as we headed east and then south to Sarajevo, the capital of independent Bosnia and Herzegovina. We followed the Sava River to the border.
Part of our route will took us along the road once named the "Highway of Brotherhood and Unity," a transit project begun shortly after World War II that was intended to connect the different republics (and different ethnic groups) of Yugoslavia and strengthen national identity.
Blocked, and then mostly destroyed in 1995, this highway linking Zagreb to Belgrade was reopened later after the war and symbolized one of the first steps in the normalization of Croatian-Serbian relations.
Tammy began our understanding of Yugoslavian and Croatian history with the Roman occupation and trading on the Mediterranean Sea. She continued with the history up until Marshall Tito and the War of Separation.
We stopped comfort brake at 10 AM at one of the many Auto Stops along the route. Twenty-five minutes was a good chance to stretch our legs, buy a little snack, and for the driver to have his required break from driving. After getting back on the bus, Tammy continued her historical talk about the break up of the country of Yugoslavia.
At 11:30 we crossed into the Republic of Srpska, situated within the borders of Bosnia and Herzegovina. We had to stop at the Croatian border checkpoint where a border guard came into our bus and checked our individual passports. On the other side of the Sava River at the town of Slavonski Brod we passed through the border checkpoint of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Tammy had gotten off the bus to take all our transportation paper work and when we were ready to go 15 minutes later she told us that many times it takes almost an hour for the border crossing. We were not allowed to take any photographs; a border patrol officer got on our bus and once again checked our documentation.
Slavonski Brod was the front line of the war and bullet holes and bombed buildings were very evident everywhere. Some of the buildings have been restored but many have been abandoned and are for sale for almost nothing.
The main road which was also damaged was very narrow with many patched areas. Tammy told us that even though this is a very historical and interesting area we would not be able to stop and get out of the bus because there are still live land mines along the roads and fields.
It began to rain and was very foggy when we stopped for lunch. With all of the bombed houses we all had a very somber tone as we passed through this war zone. There are still limited opportunities for restaurants and comfort stops in this area but we were able to have a typical Bosnian meal at a roadside café. The facility was brand new, the food was excellent, and the prices were minimal.
We continued on this narrow secondary road through hills of green trees, small farms, large vegetable gardens, and more skeletons of former homes. We followed the Bosna River, through the formerly very prosperous industrial area known for its black coal. Islamic mosques and Catholic churches sit side by side in the small villages.
Today there is still a 45% unemployment rate in Bosnia. Many Islamic countries have now begun to invest in the country's economy and are bringing more traditional Muslim customs and values to the area. We stopped at Zenica, one of the most productive industrial centers after WWII. We were able to stretch our legs, get a drink and use the facilities.
In thirty minutes we were back on the road to Sarajevo. As we entered the outskirts of the city we saw much construction - new roads, rebuilt bridges, and reconstructed homes and business. The city was under siege by the Serbs from 1992 to 1995. Tammy gave us a brief description of this terrible time and we will learn more about the town in our tour tomorrow.
We arrived at the hotel at 5:15 PM and were awed by the modern building and its spacious rooms. The hotel is very high tech from the elevators, the revolving dining room, and internet in every room. At 7 PM we had dinner on the 15th floor as the panorama of the city passed below.
Radon Plaza Hotel - - - Meals: B, D
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Comments
OAT Map of Trip
Packing Our Bus
Our Driver Nik
Remnant of War in Bosnia
Radon Plaza Hote in Sarajevo
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