This is from a May 2004 letter.
Mostar is the second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the “capital” of Herzegovina. We visited it before the war. It’s in worse shape now than Sarajevo was four years ago. Many of the buildings have warning signs proclaiming them a “Dangerous ruin” and advising you not to enter or park your car too close. Much of the old town around the Stari Most, Old Bridge, from which the town gets its name is still badly damaged. In Mostar there has been some rebuilding of the main monuments. The ancient Turkish bridge’s arch again spans the river but the “patina” to make it look ancient has not yet been applied so it looks stark against the dark blue river. The old Hans, or inns, on either side of the bridge are also mostly repaired and Slovenian tour busses take visitors to see the restored ancient site, although a Bailey type bridge is still under the stone span supporting construction gear and a giant crane still hovers over the not quite finished project. The bridge is scheduled for official opening at the end of July. There is a Catholic church with a very tall and slender steeple that mimics the minarets.
