Sunshine and Rain

In Sarajevo, the majority-population of Bosniaks (or Muslims) are called to prayer five times a day from the innumerable mosques around the city. The hills that create the valley tower over the tallest towers and communist housing blocks are a rich forest green. The roofs of the houses along the hillsides are all red. The roads are a mix of cobblestones and pavement. There are roses everywhere and fruit stands are abundant. Everything about this city is fantastic, people are friendly, their personal histories are heartbreaking and the beer and food is delicious.

Saturday was spent exploring the city. We saw some of the local religious buildings, the bridge where Franz Ferdinand was assassinated to start WWI, refurbished buildings, and bombed out buildings. In Sarajevo the buildings have plaques on them that commemorate the individuals who died when the building was shelled. We took taxis up to a restaurant on the top of one of the ridges and ate delicious chevapi and salata overlooking the absolute sprawl of the city. A few of us walked back down the hill towards the center of town and the river (don’t worry mom, we stayed on the roads). Back at the Motel, a few girls did a workout DVD and the granddaughter of the motel’s owners joined us! I had more fun dancing with the six year old than doing the actual squats. The day was glorious and the barbeque that night was also fun. Saturday night it started raining around eleven and it is still raining almost 30 hours later!

Sunday was a rainy day, full of sleeping, and reading and writing. A fog has taken over the city and covers the tops of the hills (I know, I’m getting poetic). We took a group dinner to the brewery just up the river from our motel. Afterwards we had yummy Socher cake (chocolate and raspberry) and espresso at the Viennese Café of the Hotel Europe. The café had recently reopened after an extensive rehabilitation (the building was shelled during the war) and was gorgeous on the inside (brown and blue), perfect for a rainy day. After a quick run across the street, we had a beer at the City Pub. Went back to the Hotel Europe for an espresso and then returned to the City Pub with a supposed CNN correspondent.

Tomorrow marks the end of our stay in Sarajevo. After meetings in the morning we will get on the bus for the six-hour drive to Banja Luka. I plan to sleep and to read. It will be very interesting to go to not only another city in BiH but also a primarily Serb city (Sarajevo is close to 90% Bosniak). The time here has been fantastic and I look forward to the new adventures of the up-coming week! I love getting emails from you all so please keep them coming!

 

With love and best wishes,

Lauren