"Bosnia and Herzegovina . . . as I remember it" Bosnia and Herzegovina by karenincalifornia

Bosnia and Herzegovina Travel Guide: 3,706 reviews and 7,432 photos

Mostar, 1986

Before the war

Eighteen years ago in 1986, my husband and I honeymooned for four weeks in what used to be known as Yugoslavia. We spent part of our trip in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), a place with a unique blend of cultures, history and scenery.

I instantly fell in love with the region. In 1986, BiH was peaceful, yet energetic. Tourism was flourishing. Yugoslavia, as a whole, was the most prosperous of all the Eastern European countries. Although I was surprised to run into only one other American, BiH, with its rich history, culture, beautiful moutains, delicious food and wines, seemed to be a diamond on the verge of being discovered by the American tourist industry. I predicted that within the next decade, its appeal would become well-known and it would be swarming with American tourists.

I was wrong.

If I went back to Bosnia and Herzegovina today, I know I would find a dramatically different republic. Instead of coping with American tourists, BiH is struggling to rebuild itself. I will go back some day, but when I do, I will always remember Bosnia and Herzegovina as it was in 1986.

The People of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Old Town Sarajevo

It will be hard to find people more welcoming and warm than those we met in BiH. My husband is Serbian American - our last name ends in "ich" (or "ic", depending on how you spell it). All we had to do was introduce ourselves and we would instantly hear "Ah, you are one of us!" This warm acceptance was universal throughout Yugoslavia, regardless of the ethnic origin of the people we would meet.

The Honeymoon Mobile

Zastava - how we got around BiH

We rented a Zastava (made in Serbia) to carry us throughout Yugoslavia. OK, not this exact car, but one very much like it. It would have been a fine little vehicle, except for the fact that it had no reverse (we would have to get out and push it), and the motor killed every time we idled at a stop. This made for very interesting driving. I hope Zastavas have improved in 18 years!

All of my pictures of BiH were from 1986, just a few short years before war set in. This is how I remember it....

(It has been 18 years -- not all of our pictures and slides are labeled, so I am relying on memory. If I have made any mistakes, please let me know.)

Pros and Cons

Pros:Rich, diverse culture, friendly people, excellent food
Cons:Difficult to restore region to exactly what it was in 1986
In a nutshell:I felt I had stepped back in time

Last visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina: Sep 1986
Intro Updated Jan 21, 2004
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Reviews (14)

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Comments (18)

croisbeauty Mar 26, 2012 at 3:14 AM Report Abuse

haven't seen any of destroyed mosque or catholic church on Prasnjavi's pages, I wonder why is that, lol
Nemorino Oct 14, 2008 at 2:27 PM Report Abuse

Hi Karen, nice to see you online. My only visit to Mostar, like yours, was before the war. An Austrian uncle of mine caught malaria in Mostar while he was stationed there in the Royal and Imperial Austro-Hungarian army in 1909.
Bwana_Brown Dec 2, 2007 at 12:35 PM Report Abuse

An excellent retrospective of happier times in Bosnia & Herzegovina! The bridge at Mostar is indeed an amazingly beautiful structure - thankfully, rebuilt since its destruction. Thank you for this peek at a part of Europe that has always intrigued me.
richiecdisc Aug 2, 2005 at 5:41 PM Report Abuse

Feel like a bit of a whiner about the brewery in Camden now. I'm sure Mostar has changed a lot more dramatically. Nice to be able to hold onto a dreamy trip like this. Interesting honeymoon choice!
camilo74 Jun 29, 2005 at 2:59 PM Report Abuse

Wonderful photos and surely wonderful memories, thankls for sharing
pigletsmom Feb 20, 2005 at 2:28 PM Report Abuse

extraordinary page. Love the main photo. Plus was 1986 really 19 years ago? Wow, I am getting old.
american_tourister Dec 10, 2004 at 5:12 AM Report Abuse

You got to see Stari Most before it was destoyed. The one I saw was the new rebuilt model.
JLBG Dec 7, 2004 at 2:23 PM Report Abuse

I drove once across BiH, from Greece to France, following the 50 tunels road. That was superb but what I miss is not to have really visited the country. I hoped to come back for a real visit. I did not!
850prc Jul 15, 2004 at 9:44 AM Report Abuse

BH is an area that I once was about to visit...back in the mid-80s. I wish I'd gotten there before the war. Still, an interesting read and look, Karen.
blissfultraveler Mar 22, 2004 at 8:47 AM Report Abuse

Wonderful page - how I wish I could have seen BiH as you saw it!