A Connecting Bridge, a Fallen Bridge, and the Best Lamb Sandwich

The drive from Sarajevo to Mostar took only two hours or so. Though we were going to a different district, we were still in Bosnia and there were no borders to cross.

The scenery was spectacular no matter which side of the bus you were sitting at – mountains, canyons, the Neretva River, picturesque villages, old bridges. "I could get used to this," I said, with a reminder that I should just enjoy the moment, but not get used to it too much, lest I suffer from beautiful-scenery-withdrawal when I leave this place.

Halfway through our drive, we reached the small town of Konjik. Our guide said that this place is unofficially considered the town where Bosnia “meets” Herzegovina, basically the “and” to the name “Bosnia and Herzegovina.”

We would be driving shortly to the exact spot that connects the two districts – the Stara Cuprija, one of the finest bridges built during the Ottoman period that crossed the Neretva River. During the conflict in Yugoslavia, Konjic was of strategic importance, serving as a communication centre between Sarajevo and southern Bosnia and Herzegovina. We stopped by the bridge quickly for some pictures.  

But we did have a couple of longer stops despite the relatively short drive.

The first one was at Jablanica, a town that sits by the Neretva River and the Neretva Lake. Our guide wanted to show us a famous railway bridge and to tell us the story that made it famous.

Soon enough, we saw the “fallen” bridge hanging by a thread (not literally, or else, it would have been buried in the waters by now). The scene was quite dramatic, but the tale behind it is even more dramatic.

The setting was the Battle of Neretva during the Second World War. That time, Bosnia was the scene of some of the fiercest battles between the Axis Powers and the Yugoslav Partisans (Communist guerilla-resistance group).

At a crucial point in the battle, the partisans were trapped in a narrow pocket on the west bank of the Neretva River in Jablanica. With their backs to the river, they faced the advancing German forces, while on the east side of the river, the Chetnik forces (Serbo-Croatian guerilla forces that were also battling the Axis Powers but were at the same time at civil war with the partisans…complicated, I know!) were waiting.

The partisans did not have enough time to go across the river which is impassable in most places. The only link was a single railway bridge that was heavily guarded by the Chetniks. Since defeat was imminent and they were desperate, they devised a ruse to deceive and delay the Germans. They blew up the bridge (but in such as way as not to destroy its main structure) which led the Germans to think that the partisans were planning to push north along the west bank of the river. Thus, they changed the course of their attack and redeployed their troops northwards.

In the meantime, the partisans had their engineers hurriedly repair the bridge that the Germans thought had been completely out-of-commission. Once able to cross, they overwhelmed the Chetnik forces who did not expect their attack.

By the time the Axis forces realized the ruse, it was already too late, and they couldn’t redeploy their troops on time. But they quickly organized an air raid which was only partially successful because of the rugged terrain of the mountains.

This bombardment, however, completely destroyed the recently repaired bridge. After the war, the bridge was once again rebuilt.

In 1969, a Yugoslav Partisan film entitled, “Battle of Neretva” was made based on the above-mentioned events. The film was personally approved by Marshall Tito and was praised by historians for its accuracy. It was said to be the most expensive motion picture made in Yugoslavia and was even nominated for the “Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film,” the year after Sergei Bordanchuk, the famous Soviet actor who played the role of Martin Neretva in the film, won the honour for “War and Peace.” Actors Yul Brynner and Orson Welles also played important roles in the movie.

It was also said that one of the original posters for the English version of the film was made by no-less-than Pablo Picasso and that he agreed to do it without payment, only requesting a case of the best Yugoslav wines in return.

The film’s director, in his desire to create an epic battle scene wanted the bridge to be blown up for real. His justification, aside from a realistic depiction of the climactic scene, was that the broken bridge could later become a tourist attraction.

However, during the filming, thick clouds of smoke billowed from the explosion obscuring all the images. Thus, none of the footage made it to the actual film. It was decided to rebuild the bridge and destroy it again, but they encountered the same problem – the excessive smoke made it impossible to see anything. In the end, the explosion scene was shot using a table-size replica at a sound stage in Prague. As someone who worked in the television production industry, I can see why this became the most expensive film in Yugoslavia.

Meanwhile, the bridge was never repaired again.

And so there we stood, looking at and taking pictures of the "fallen" bridge, the bridge that was destroyed several times – once as a ruse, then in an actual attack, and finally, for cinematic effect. I wondered if it was ever going to be rebuilt again.

Beside it, on top of a cliff, stood a black locomotive, another remnant from the 1969 movie, and in front, a park and a monument commemorating the Battle of Neretva.

There is also a small museum called, “Museum of Battle for the Wounded on the Neretva River,” which displays pictures and mementos from the war. We did not go inside though because we had to drive on.

The second stop was for food. Jablanica is known for its roasted lamb meat called jagnjetina. Our Tour Director said that eating a lamb sandwich is one of the things he looks forward to when traveling to Mostar and attests to its deliciousness and juiciness. He described it as “lamb slowly cooked in an open fire on a spit.” He said it with such gusto that I could imagine him being the most convincing endorser of this lamb sandwich.

In fact, the American flight attendant did such an excellent imitation of him, complete with facial expression and Slavic accent – “Deeezzz lamb sandweeech izzz so yaaammmmeee and so jooozzzeeeeee!” So cute! I’d definitely buy one after I see a TV commercial with him in the starring role.

There are lots of restaurants in Jablanica that serve this roast lamb sandwich and most of them offer not only this gastronomic delight, but also an amazing view of the river. Our Tour Director told us he’d take us to the best place for both the sandwich and the view.

We drove to Restoran Zdrava Voda, (the name means “healthy water”), an institution in Jablanica, for they have been making the famous lamb dish since 1967.

Located on the main road with a terrace restaurant that offers unhindered views of the mountains and river, the restaurant’s wooden façade oozed with rustic charm from the colourful floral shrubs lined up in its driveway to the small water fountain and firepit set-up behind a bright-red wagon wheel that rotates in the breeze. At the parking lot, there is a lookout where one can take pictures and enjoy the view.

We took some photos at the lookout before joining the line-up for the sandwich. By that time, our Tour Director and our driver were already comfortably perched on a terrace seat eating their sandwiches. As the line-up was quite long and the restaurant was busy, I figured I’d just order my sandwich to go and eat it on the bus. On hindsight, I should have ordered the food first before spending time at the lookout, but I did get some nice photos from there.

The sandwich, juicy lamb strips in between slices of crusty bread, looked delectable but was humongous. I was sure I couldn’t finish it no matter how good it was. As if on cue, the single British guy approached me and asked if I could buy him a drink (since I was already in line and the end of the line was all the way to the other side of the restaurant). He told me he’d buy mine as a treat.

I checked if he wanted a sandwich as well, but he said he’s not that hungry and the sandwich was a bit too pricey for his snack budget. I asked if he’d be interested to split a sandwich with me since I was not that hungry either and that whole humongous sandwich was too much for me. I just really wanted to sample the lamb that our guide was raving about. His face lit up and he immediately said, “We’ve got a deal, but let me still pay for your drink.” I asked the server to cut the sandwich into two and to wrap the halves individually.

When I handed British guy his half sandwich, he thanked me for lining up and then he joked that should I feel the need for someone with whom to share my food or eat my leftovers, I should always look for him. I told him I’d keep that in mind and that I’d always remind myself that he is a “growing boy,” to which he replied, “Yes, Mom!”

Back on the bus, I enjoyed every bite of my lamb sandwich. What our Tour Director said was true. The sandwich was indeed amazing, and I will definitely recommend to anyone visiting Jablanica or Mostar to do a stopover at this restaurant for this delicacy.

As if reading my mind, the American flight attendant, who was sitting behind me and also munching on her sandwich once again said, “Hmmm…so yaaammmeee and so jooozzzeee!” 

I told her she could join our Tour Director in the TV commercial.