Saturday, September 23, 2006

On the Road to Hvar -- Pocitelj

Old Town Pocitelj

Pocitelj near Mostar off the Neretva River in the Croat part of BiH is a medieval Ottoman hill town heavily damaged in the 1990s war but still beautiful.

We made a stop here on our way to the coast to sightsee, shop and eat what turned out to be the BEST fresh cevapci and french fries in a pretty little cafe. I bought a traditional clay pot and basket. Hawley was agap at kiwi fruit growing on a bower and pomagranites in a tree. "I've only seen that in the supermarket!" became her signature exclamation.

Walking up the heavy cobble-stoned stairs past inns and a mosque and old apartments and courtyards we ran into several South Korean tourists who practiced enthusiastic English on us. Pocitelj is listed on the UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites.

Internet research says the fortress here was around in 1444. Turks took it over from Hungarians in 1471 and the gorgeous mosque dates to 1563.

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