Mostar Local Customs

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One of the most popular beer brands in Bosnia and Herzegovina seems to be Sarajevsko Pivo. The brewery Sarajevska Pivara is of course located in Sarajevo, where it was established in 1864.

During our 1 week in Bosnia and Herzegovina I have tried both the light Sarajevsko Pivo and the light skimmed Sarajevsko Premium Pivo. Both beers tasted quite good, but I wouldn't say that they were fabulous.

Website:
http://www.sarajevska-pivara.ba/

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In my opinion Bosnia and Herzegovina has one of the most interesting currencies in Europe. The local currency is the Convertible Mark (Konvertibilna Marka) comprised of 100 Feninga. The Convertible Mark (KM) was introduced in 1998 and at that time fixed at par to the German Mark.

As the German Mark has been replaced by the Euro in 2002, the Convertible Mark is now pegged with the Euro at a fixed rate of 1,96.

As Mostar is a popular day trip destination from the Croatian coast, many prices are stated in three currencies: Bosnian Convertible Mark, Croatian Kuna and Euro. Especially the Euro is usually exchanged at a very fair rate, close to the fixed rate of 1,96 KM.

There is no way we can pass up an ice cream here. It is a popular item and available everywhere…Its displayed so enticingly…many varieties ( many are a mystery as we only speak English) all swirled in a castle like mound.

Our favorite spot to buy it was across the street from Sadrvon restaurant. Here you can sit in the shade on an old stone wall and enjoy!!

If you’re lucky, you might see some of the local youngsters jumping from the Old Bridge into Neretva River. These daredevils dive into the water from a height of 24 meters. Why not try it yourself? ;)

When entering a Muslim home or mosque - it's polite (required) to remove your shoes before doing so. It's preferable that women have their shoulders covered & it's better to wear trousers than shorts (both men & women). Also when shaking hands or exchanging goods with hands - always use your right hand - it's considered to be your clean hand. Other than that, common sense prevails. If you're in doubt there's no harm in asking as it shows interest & respect for other people's values & culture.

This is something that is a little personal to me, but might be of use to others as well. I tend to stay on the Muslim side when I visit Mostar, and thus there are many Muslims in the street. Some of the women do cover their hair and dress conservatively and because of that i try to be respectful of their culture. It is not a town that I would feel comfortable wearing short shorts in or extremely lowcut tops or anything that revealed a lot of skin. I like visiting the mosques and feel that dressing like that would be disrespectful, even though I am not of that religion.

Even in October, whole Herzegovina, including its capital Mostar, has lot of sunny days. Young people "flooding" coffee bar in whole city. Having coffee and chat with a friends in some coffee bar on the Neretva bank is such an adventure. Or, find some cookie-house and try some of oriental sweets such as "salep" or "tufahije". I don't want to explain you what is that. Trust me and try it.

Even in October, whole Herzegovina, including its capital Mostar, has lot of sunny days. Young people "flooding" coffee bar in whole city. Having coffee and chat with a friends in some coffee bar on the Neretva bank is such an adventure. Or, find some cookie-house and try some of oriental sweets such as "salep" or "tufahije". I don't want to explain you what is that. Trust me and try it.