Srpska tomorrow
I’m off to Srpska. After the end of the Bosnian war and the Dayton Accord, Bosnia & Herzegovina was divided into two political entities; 51 % of the territory for Croats and Bosniaks and 49 % for Serbs. The latter is Srpska.
Fortunately, there’s no chance of bumping into Srpska’s horrid first president, as he’s behind bars – or at least locked up in a comfortable cell – in the UN detention centre in Scheveningen where he’ll face genocide charges – and about time, too. But enough about the Dr Evil. (Why does the fact that he’s a psychiatrist make his crimes seem even more sinister?)
Four years ago, we were in the “other” Bosnia & Herzegovina, the Federation of Bosnia and Hercegovina, as is its name. We even went twice. Once to Mostar, unofficial capital of Herzegovina; a sadly compelling and beautiful city. After having been blown to smithereens during the Bosnian war, the gorgeous Stari Most had just been rebuilt and officially opened by Prince Charles (!) just weeks before our visit. Macho men were busy jumping off the bridge to show off – not to the girls, but to each other, we were told. Well, it’s 24 metres down to Neretva river, and the water is bloody cold, so I suppose it is kinda brave. Boys have been diving from this bridge since the 1600s, so some things never change.
Our second visit was to holy grounds – to Medugorje, where six teenagers met Mother Mary in 1981. She still keeps in touch with them regularly, they say. Similar to Lourdes and Fatima, then – although the pope apparently hasn’t approved this particular sighting. However, that Vatican seal of approval doesn’t seem a requirement for the throngs of eager worshippers from all over the world who descend on this little Herzegovinian town every day. Religious tourism! Medugorje would make for a fascinating socio-anthropological study project. I see now that I should write a story about Medugorje – and probably one about Mostar as well. I’ll get to that.
But I digress. As for Srpska, I don’t know that it’ll be that different from its Croat/Bosniak counterpart, but it’ll be exciting all the same. A new “country”, even. That’s a bit exciting, too. Not very exciting. But slightly exciting.
Tags: Bosnia & Hercegovina, Europe, Former Yugoslavia, Odd countries, Srpska, UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Anne-Sophie
Agree that Medugorje’s interesting from a sociological point of view, that’s exactly what I was thinking when I was there… I’m soon off for my RTW and will be in Europe for the first few months. Thinking of visiting Lourdes to see if it’s the same, or even more crazy.
Write that story about Medugorje. I’d love to read it.
[…] little sis during her uni holidays, I did two short trips on my own in August: one to Trebinje in Republika Srpska, the Serbian part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, stopping off in beautiful Dubrovnik on the way. The […]