No curve was too sharp for them and their bicycle. No puddle was deep enough to stop them. -- Friends by Helme Hein

30 March, 2008

Grocery Run

March is still just too cold for a spring break. We debated for a long time (maybe too long) about what to do and where to go. Finally, we jumped in Buba and headed to Slovenia. The drive north to the Croatian border was depressing. The river was swollen and I've never seen a natural resource so dirty in my life--for miles and miles every inch of the river was covered in plastic bottles and plastic bags. I can't pinpoint where the trash is coming from, but it must be more than just the stray bottle flying out of the car. More than one person has told me that they have seen locals throw bags of trash in the river. It makes me angry because Bosnia is a beautiful place. Closing in on the border, every second house was bombed out and abandoned. After an hour wait at the Bosnia/Croatia border, we crossed the river and felt like we had landed in comparative paradise. Croatia is clean, clear and well taken care of. Proof what money and tourism can do to help a country bounce back from war.

The weather everywhere was so cold that we didn't do much that we would have liked. We spent one night at Lake Bled, a gorgeous mountain lake community in northern Slovenia. It's a place we would like to go back for sunshine biking. We did one great hike in Triglav National Park along a river gorge that was coated in icicles. We also stopped at a thermal spa near Ljubljana and enjoyed some morning water exercises with the geriatrics. Slovenia is a beautiful, less traveled European country. The mountains, rivers and cities are pristine.

But mostly, we just went out to get groceries: thai spices, coconut milk, tortillas, and other goods we can't get in Sarajevo.Lake Bled, Sloveniabuba tripping
gourmet pasta salad in bread bowls in the buba

Snow White and the Seven Dwarves on Kum Mountain near Ljubljana, Slovenia.
Buba made it to Triglav National Park!
This walkway is suspended over the river and was covered in about 1/2 inch of ice.
Every falling 'pop' made me cover my head in fear of falling icicles.

20 March, 2008

Goofing around

a sunny day in Sarajevo a few weeks ago
a bombed building that used to be part of our daily commute to school...just demolished today
another commute picture--demining the frontlines again
the sun is gone again and the snow is back for the 2nd day in a row

06 March, 2008

Must See

I usually fall asleep during movies, but these are 3 I recently watched that have really left an impact on me. The scenes and words and music keep replaying in my head, hours after the movie ends. I realize we aren't usually ahead of popular culture in Sarajevo, so please forgive me if these are "sooo last year" at home in America. I want the soundtrack for each of them:
  • Darjeeling Limited (a colorful and musical feast for the senses. And Adrien Brody...)
  • Into the Wild (gorgeous cinematography and a raw story full of love)
  • Juno (a teen flick that redeemed itself with great music and a real, heartfelt story)

01 March, 2008

A Few Sarajevo Pics

My brother came to visit in early February. Here are a few more pictures of Sarajevo as I was out showing him around.Club Bill Gates
An original '84 Olympics parking pass on a Jugo!
For Sale: Open floor plan, light and airy. Great views.
The Buba and the Bobsled
The bridge that Austrian-Hungarian Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie, were driving over when they were shot by Gavrilo Princip, which led to the start of World War 1.
Vucko, the 1984 Winter Olympics mascot.
Where I shop for fruits and veg (and subsequently get ripped off!).
Hay truck in town
A Sarajevo rose--red clay filling in the spot where a civilian was killed.