Lion Hostel Sarajevo

... having only brought thongs (for our feet yaar) and light clothing, despite not having money to do so, we stayed an extra night and had an overall fantastic time. The local trout and veggie plates were fantastic, the wine was beautiful, the beer good and the people we met were lovely. Kovacs was quite the character and introduced us to the owners of the Balkan bar as well as the local big musicians playing there that night. That first night we had great music and ...

... every year because there is millions of debt)

More stories and many photo's later. Especially about Srebrenica which to my surprise looked so much better than last year. (a lot of work has been done there) And, don't worry... Bosnia hosts many nice people. There are of course many people which are honest. The country has beautiful landscapes. But for this trip the above really really ruined it for us. For some time i was really considering never to go to Bosnia again.

... Its old town quarter bang in the middle is lined with cafes, restaurants, mosques, cathedrals, synagogues, shops, boutiques, and everything you could think of. Senior citizens sit around playing chess with their buddies, drinking coffee, laughing... living. Everyone in Sarajevo seems to be happy... no, content with life. They're friendly, willing to help, and smile at even the smallest things. I realized how easy it is for us expect our lives the way they are, and yet complain ...

... not being able to walk around at all incase someone might snipper you or someone might chuck a grande at you its pretty crazy. The guy who was 7 at the time was telling me some pretty intersting things such as the fact that the only place he could play was in front of his garage as it was out of range of snippers and grenade attacks and that to go to school he and his freinds would have to meet at there freinds house and the teacher would come to them and teach them in the garage ...

... with Pete and the receptionist, who gladly shared with Pete her stories of the war, her brother, 16 at the time, and father both fighting on the bosnia side. It was really sad to hear her talk about, especially having spoke from experience and memories. She remembers not being allowed to go outside at all, mothers orders. That night, it started to snow again. The four of us decided it would be perfect for taking pictures. The new zealander was raring ...

... to eat on a daıly basıs was a challenge. People had to rısk theır lıves everyday whıle lookıng for food to feed theır famılıes as snıpers were everywhere. Imagıne that. If you dont leave your home, you starve. If you do leave yopur home to search for food, you may never come back ıf a snıper catches you. What goes through ones mınd when they leave theır home ın search for food? What goes throughthe mınd of theır famıly members when they see you leave? After the ...

... Basèarsija on taynna kauppoja, joissa vasataan kasityona esimerkiksi metalliesinita, ja lahempaa nykyista keskustaa loytyy iso kauppakatu jossa myydaan kaikkea maan ja taivaan valilta. Lahihistorian kannalta tarkeita paikkoja loytyy monia, kuten silta jonka luona muuan kruununprinssi laitettiin kylmaksi ja Holiday Inn, joka oli Bosnian sodan aikana ainoa turvallinen paikka koska se majoitti kaikki ulkomaalaisten toimittajat. Sarajevon panimokin loytyi, vahan erinakoinen kuin joku ...

... a similar longitude to Turkey, Bosnia is an hour behind, so the sun sets not long after 4pm. It was dusk as we headed back to Halvat for a rest and a recommendation for dinner. We were advised to visit Inat Kuca (Spite House). This was also on my list of restaurants so it worked out well. The food was great and the atmosphere relaxed. After dinner we walked back home in the chilly evening air. What a great birthday.

... was right at the end of our street - a graveyard. Every grave indicated the deceased passed in 1995. And scanning the city from our slightly elevated position we could see how many green patches had become graveyards - fresh with still-white marble freshly hewn and not yet browned by the passing of years. Even the parks surrounding the Olympic stadium had been surrendered to the necessity of interring the war dead. Yet this is not a macabre scene. Sarajevo is ...

Wow, September already! Time flies. It's still been really hot weather over here but it seems that as soon as September 1st hit the evenings have been blessed with cool breezes. We left Korcula in high spirits and had a long day of bus travel. Three hours back to Dubrovnik, three hours of waiting, and almost four more hours to Mostar, Bosnia. We were glad to finally arrive and extra glad for the pick up from the bus station by the hostel. Arriving in ...