Spring Break Day 5: McDonalds!

Upon waking up to my alarm at 6:00am I ran to the kitchen chugged some water and noticed there was still about a fourth of a bottle of wine left. I was glad we hadn’t finished it.

We quickly ran to the market to get some “juice” or sugar water, and grabed a hot dog stuffed baked item from the bakery. I finished packing (throwing my things in my bag) everyone piled into the car and we drove to go see a waterfall.

We passed a cave, which upon further discussion we decided was the waterfall. The water only flows right after it rains and since it hadn’t rained the whole time we were there, it was clear the water had dried up. We decided to stop briefly for a coffee, and I purchased the grossest chocolate milk in the whole world.

The ride was rough, mostly because I was just hung-over and my stomach was confused by the mass of items I gave it. At one point we stopped to pee and I got out and the song “pissing in the wind” came right to mind as I fought against the wind to make sure my urine didn’t stream right back toward me. Eventually we made it through the boarder crossing, stopped in a small city to have a look around, convert some money and pee.

At this point I was starting to get to the potion of a hangover when you just need to eat something greasy. Arielle and I passed the time discussing what we would want our dream homes to look like. Luckily, Scott had presumed there would be a McDonalds in Mostar (once you’ve been in a country that doesn’t have one it becomes a luxury) and I was getting excited. After stopping to ask for directions once we found it and parked in a parking ramp of a shopping mall.

This was an overwhelming experience that made me a bit nervous about coming back to America. There were several times when I thought I might either vomit (luckily my stomach was empty) or pass out from being completely overwhelmed. Everyone wanted to go to the supermarket and I couldn’t even bring myself to look inside of it. I ran toward McDonalds, which was also overwhelming. I looked briefly at the menu before realizing I knew exactly what I wanted. Double Cheeseburger, fries, and a hot fudge sundae. The sundae went first (with some fries) followed by the rest of the fries in barbeque sauce, and then the burger. Oh my god. It tasted so good, mostly because I was starving, but also because it had just been so long since I had those flavors in my mouth.

After calling the hostel they said they would come and pick us up, so we sat and waited. We passed the time watching people’s umbrellas break due to the terrible wind. After waiting for about 40 minutes I realized I was hungry enough for another burger. This one was so hot and juicy that it satisfied my needs.

We had quite the experience getting the van out of the parking ramp, and navigating it through the tiny side streets. The owner of the hostel and his sister and mother were so welcoming. They offered us coffee, and fried donuts with raspberry jam and some sort of cheese sauce. I was so full that I could only eat two, but I still enjoyed them. They showed us a map of the city, and we were quickly on our way to explore the town.

The Old Bridge

We walked through old town and stopped in some shops, as well as spending some time taking pictures of the famous bridge. Then we walked to the “sniper tower,” where, during the war snipers would stand guard shooting. I have mixed emotions about the experience. I got really bad vibes from the place for obvious reasons, but also kept reminding myself that this is an experience I will never ever have again. The place was covered in glass and graffiti, and the wind made the trip up and down the uncovered stairs quite scary.

view from sniper tower

Once down we headed to the Irish bar for a Croatian beer, and a glass of water. We ask about other bars nearby and headed to Hemmingway bar where I tasted probably the best Balkan beer I’ve ever had. Karlovako dark was a delicious beer that had a coffee flavor in the aftertaste. After this beer we were ready to head back to the hostel. We got a bit lost and confused, and the rain and wind were making everyone frustrated and angry. Once back we talked to the man about a nearby place for food and tried the Bosnian version of quofte. Robert decided to beat the record and ate 40 sticks of beef like a champion.

Croatian Beer

Once back at the hostel I took the best shower I have had in my entire life. Two shower heads, one straight above my head and the other from the side. If I could sleep standing up I would have stayed there all night long. Time to prepare for our crazy outdoor Mostar tour tomorrow. Potential for cliff diving!