We had a couple Bosnian Bridges on our road trip radar. Both of them were constructed in the 1500’s and are long standing testaments to the excellence of Ottoman craftsmanship.
The first was Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge that spans the Drina river in Visegrad. It was built in the 1500’s which boggles the American mind. It’s painfully beautiful to see—as just recently in 1992 it was the site of horrific ethnic cleansing during the Bosnian War. The clouds that day cast long shadows which seemed fitting for what had happened here.
The second is the Arslanagić Bridge in Trebinje. It was actually moved downstream from its original setting. Mark was a bit bummed that it had been moved but I was quite impressed since I’m not quite sure how to move a bridge. We recently had a fair bit of trouble onboard Bedouin reconstructing a porcelain bowl that broke into three large pieces after the waves sent it flying off the galley counter. That reconstructed superglued bowl certainly didn’t turn out as good as this bridge—but then again I’m not known for having the best super-glue skills.
We decided we should collect a few more Ottoman masterpieces so Mostar Old Bridge is on the list for later this summer. Perhaps these will motivate us to up our supergluing skills.
Mehmed Paša Sokolović Bridge
Arslanagić Bridge in Trebinje
