(Untitled)

[kimlovesdanish]

The tour yesterday was pretty amazing! We started off at 10am, piling into Batta's (our guide's) van 'Bella', equipped with stereo surround sound (blasting 80's hits, of course) and a disco ball. We didn't get back until 10:30 that evening. It pretty much took us to a lot of places around Mostar

Comments

[cabbagestabbage]

You finally got some Rakia! In Romania we call it Tuica (tzooykah), but has an amazing amount of different names (Palinca, slivovic, etc). I think it's almost exclusively former-Yugoslav/Romanian thing.

The whole Yugoslavia situation is very complicated. This Bosnian friend of mine explained to me that the Serbs were usually treated best during the communist era, which fueled nationalism upon the end of Tito's reign. Croatia had a history of nationalism, having been run during WW II by the Ustase, a fascist regime - and apparently there are some neo-Nazis there.

[kimlovesdanish]

Yeah, that bit about the Serbs is right, from what I understand. I can't wait to hear the Serbian side of the story too. Also, it was the Ustase that was leading the attacks against the muslims in Mostar, from what I understand. You can see their symbol graffiti'd everywhere on the croatian side today.

Also I don't understand what Rakia is exactly, because it comes in so many varieties! I had honey rakia which was good, and a rakia made of wine grapes, which was strooong. :P

[cabbagestabbage]

Ah, seems then that Rakia is the word for distilled alcohol/brandy. I thought it just meant plum brandy (which is the former-Yugoslav/Romanian thing).

Are you going to Romania at all?