@kynaston,
kynaston;67425 wrote:I was over there - in Mostar was it - the place with the ancient bridge they destroyed? - last year, and we saw none of this. One of the daughters had helped bring out refugees from there back in the war - she was a journalist, and the Serbs wouldn't kill journalists, so a bus with her on was safe. We were shown round a beautiful old mosque, and I had a friendly discussion with a waiter about why I couldn't have wine with my lunch, ending in expressions of mutual respect. Later I managed to get a glass of beer under the ruined walls of a building that was full of shell- and bullet-holes, and swallows were building nests in them, which I thought very symbolic. Lovely country! Don't turn American, you!
Hehehe - well, you're right, it's called Mostar.
It is one of the most beautiful cities in my country:
And it is very different there. First of all, much of the city is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and can't be changed in any way. Secondly, it's not the capital - it's not as cosmopolitan. It's like going to a small town in America, you're not going to find all of the stores and other amenities you would in a large city.
I'm surprised you couldn't get wine - hahaha, it must have been a restaurant serving traditional cuisine? Of course, it is more traditional there than in the capital - and most of the religious, Islamic infrastructure is near the bridge where the tourists are so it's easy for them to get the impression all of the Muslims are religious and it's easy for them to forget more than half the city's population is Catholic.
But, yes, we won't change too much. American things here are either a part of our culture as well (cell phones, etc.) or they are admired as foreign, cool, etc... (girls wearing sneakers instead of high heels, etc.)
Stumble It!
Tweet This
Bookmark on Delicious
Share on Facebook
Share on MySpace