I know it’s been a long time without me writing much. Life sometimes goes too fast to realise what is happening. I then have to catch up on processing all the things I’ve seen and learned. The quiet season is coming up, but somehow I managed to fill up the majority of my ‘quiet time’ already. So I’m trying to catch up. And hey, old news is better than fake news right!?
This summer I’ve spent a lot of time in the Balkans and I’ve seen some amazing things. I made it to the town of Mostar (in Bosnia and Herzegovina) three times this summer and twice something special happened. The first time was in June. I was sitting on a terrace close to the Stari Most, the old bridge, having drinks with some of my travellers when we heard a sound. It sounded like drums, but why would there be drums? Then some flags were lowered on the bridge. The Turkish flag? It was quickly followed by the Turkish army. Mostar was not being invaded, but some sort of ceremony took place. Even the locals were surprised. Then they realised it is a yearly event that commemorates the construction of this beautiful bridge. We watched as they marched across the bridge through the rain that became heavier by the minute. At the end of the ceremony, the flags looked sad and heavy, dripping into the river below.
In September we stumbled upon a completely different event. As we were driving towards Mostar, I was talking to one of my guests about the bridge and the events around it. The Red Bull Cliff Diving competition came up. I confirmed they come to Mostar as well. About 15 minutes later we are turning the corner on the old, cobbled streets and I see some sort of scaffolding on the old bridge. Of course it was Red Bull!
They were setting up and practising for the cliff diving competition of the next days. Young girls and guys in swimmers walked by the restaurant where I was having lunch. So afterwards I decided to get down to a viewpoint from where I could see the bridge. There was a very casual atmosphere as the competitors practised their moves. It was great to see they were all encouraging and supporting each other. When someone got it right you could see the victory on their faces as they swam back to shore against the current.
It was spectacular to see these athletes at work. I would have never thought of visiting an event like this, but I’m happy I stumbled upon it. The skill and courage involved is mind-blowing. The atmosphere was great, with random tourists clapping each time a jump went well. I was talking to the same man I’d been discussing this with on the bus and we were wondering why they were spraying water in the water. Then one of the divers behind us explained it was an aiming point for the divers. Every time I go to Mostar I wonder if I’m going to see someone dive of that crazy bridge. This day I saw more than I could ever have hoped for!