Linda & Tim's Travel Adventures

18/11/2024

An impressive building in Podgorica is the modern Serb Orthodox Temple of Christ's Resurrection. It was started in 1993 and completed in 2013. It resembles an old style Byzantine cathedral with a more modern look. The interior paintings are new, but rendered in the style of Byzantine icons. Anyone who remembers their catechism or Sunday school lessons will recognize most of the scenes painted. Anyone who thinks Graphic Novels are a new thing should take an Art History class.

18/11/2024

We are on our way to Tirana, Albania and we stopped for a couple of days in Podgorica, Montenegro. We were going to stay longer but our bus was canceled and we'll be leaving earlier. Good thing though, we kind of saw what we had to see here. Don't get me wrong, Montenegro is a beautiful country, especially if you like mountains, and hiking, and such, and they have some beautiful summer resorts. But we are a little more laid back, and want to see a bit more of the old world charms of Europe. The American fantasy of art, architecture, charm and sidewalk cafes. There is some of that here, but it spaced wide apart, and all of the sidewalk cafes are full of smokers. (Some of the highest percentage of smokers are in the Balkans.) And after a couple of days we've seen enough.

Podgorica is the capital of Montenegro, a province of Yugoslavia that became independent in June 2006. There was a Roman town here called Doclea, there is a photo of a stone bridge apparently from that time, but it has been rebuilt many times. By 1326 it was being called Podgorica. The Ottomans captured it in 1474 and the Old Town dates from the Ottoman Empire. Except for an old Masque and a clock tower there is not much to see there. After WWII it was named Titograd in honor of the communist dictator, Josip Broz Tito and reverted back to Podgorica in 1992.

There is a free art museum where we saw contemporary surrielist artist Ivan Đuričić, some of his paintings are below. And 1/3 of the city is parkland, so we had several nice walks in parks.

16/11/2024

Border crossing from Bosnia and Herzegovina to Montenegro.

14/11/2024

I would not say that Sarajevo has a swinging nightlife, but in the winter it gets dark early and it lights up well. Nighttime in Sarajevo.

11/11/2024

On the hills sounding Sarajevo there are large cemeteries. I can see three from our AirBnB. The closest, and one of the smallest, I can see from our window, just below the Yellow Fortress. I took a walk up to this one just before sunset. These cemeteries hold those killed during the Bosnian War and the Siege of Sarajevo from April 1992 through February 1996. A total of between 11,541 to 18,888 people were killed during the siege, (there are different numbers wherever I look) including 1,601 children. Reading the names and dates on these tombstones adds a stark reality to the siege and war in general.

08/11/2024

We are staying in the Stari Grad, or “Old Town” of Sarajevo. It is the oldest part of the city dating back to the 15th Century when it was a stronghold of the Ottoman Empire. Most of the buildings here are not that old, but some ruins are. Most of the mosques are from the Ottoman period that lasted from the 1400s to 1878 when it became part of the Austria-Hungarian Empire. The Old Town does have a number of mosques as well as a Synagogue, a Roman Catholic Cathedral, and a Serbian Orthodox Cathedral. They claim this is where Eastern and Western cultures meet. Here is a random assortment of images of Stari Grad.

05/11/2024

It is not often when you visit a historic site that you can pinpoint the exact location where events changed the course of history. Sarajevo has such a spot. On 28 June 1914, Gavrilo Princip stood on this corner of Obala Kulina bana and Zelenih beretki and shot and assassinated the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, Franze Ferdinand, and his pregnant wife Sofia. Within two months most of Europe was at war.
The museum is very small and about half of it is dedicated to life in Bosnia under Austro-Hungarian rule. After the end of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877, Austria-Hungary got the responsibility of occupying and running the country. In July of 1878 Austro-Hungarian troops entered Bosnia-Herzegovina, The locals and the Ottoman Empire didn’t agree, but the Austrians won in October of 1878. During the Austro-Hungarian period, Sarajevo got its first paved streets, first trolly cars, first railroads, first electric lights, (the first mosque illuminated by electric lights was here in Sarajevo), sewage and water, modernized laws… cheez, no wonder they hated the Empire so much. In 1908 Bosnia became part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and in 1910 its own constitution and parliament.
On 28 June 1914 the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne visited Sarajevo and followed a well-publicized route to a reception at the Town Hall, you want a lot of happy subjects cheering your motorcade. In the crowd were members of Young Bosnia, a revolutionary Serb-nationalist group intent on ending Austo-Hungarian rule. The group of six assassins mostly bungled things and failed to act. One assassin tossed a bomb at the Archduke’s car but it bounced off and blew up the next car wounding about 20 people. The motorcade sped off to the Town Hall for a reception. After the reception and some speeches, Ferdinand and Sophie decided to go to the hospital and visit the wounded. The driver was supposed to go on a more secure route but apparently didn’t get the memo and he took a right turn at the Latin Bridge, right in front of where one of the last assassins, Gavrilo Princip just happened to be standing. Governor Potiorek, also in the car, yelled at the driver to stop. “What an idiot! You took the wrong turn!” (I’m not sure that is exactly what he said, but maybe that is what he said.) While the car was stopped right in front of him, Princip shot twice. One bullet wounded the Archduke in the jugular vein. Princip was trying to kill the Governor but missed and the second bullet went in the stomach of the Duchess. Princip then tried to kill himself but was arrested.
The car sped away to the Governor’s residence for medical aid. Sophie fell unconscious into her husband’s arms. Franz Ferdinand’s last words were “Sophie, Sophie! Don’t die! Live for our children.“ When they arrived at the Governor’s residence Sophie was dead and Franz died 10 minutes later.

04/11/2024

02/11/2024

There are many war memorials and reminders of the Siege of Sarajevo and the war, and just around the corner from us are the Siege of Sarajevo Museum and the Museum of Crimes Against Humanity and Genocide. The war lasted from April 1992 to November 1995 when the Dayton (Ohio) peace agreement was signed.

Here, in a nutshell, is an oversimplification of the war. About a decade after Tito died in 1980, the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia started to break up. Essentially the balkanization of the Balkans. Slovenia and Croatia, predominantly Roman Catholic, seceded in 1991. Bosnia and Herzegovina, a mix of Muslim Bosniaks (44%), Orthodox Serbs (32.5%), and Catholic Croats (17%) – passed a referendum for independence on 29 February 1992. The Serbs wanted to remain part of what was left of Yugoslavia, or essentially a Greater Serbia, and boycotted the referendum. Bosnian Serbs, led by Radovan Karadžić and supported by the government of Slobodan Milošević and the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA), mobilized their forces inside Bosnia and Herzegovina to secure ethnic Serb territory. The Serbs sounded Sarajevo, and other ethnic Muslim enclaves such as Srebrenica, Goražde, Foča. All of these places had a mixed population but when the war started most of the Serbs left leaving mostly Muslim civilians behind. (There was fighting between Bosnia and Croatia and between Croatia and Serbia, but that is too complicated and this is a simple explanation.)

The war was marked by ethnic cleansing, shelling of civilian towns and cities, systematic mass r**e, and massacres. To be sure, all sides were guilty of some atrocities, but the Serbs practiced a methodic, systematic ethnic cleansing campaign not seen in Europe since the end of World War II.

The Siege of Sarajevo Museum concentrates primarily on Sarajevo where the siege lasted 1,425 days from 5 April 1992 to 29 February 1996. It mostly displays artifacts and the stories of individuals which can be kind of disturbing. For example a comic book collection from a child who was killed or the fire brigade helmet from a volunteer who was wounded by snipers while trying to put out fires. There where so many stories it was a bit overwhelming. One story was about a bomb that fell in Markale that killed 68 people and wounded 144, and then another bombing there that killed 43 people and wounded 84. I talked to the curator and it turns out the Markale is the Market where Linda and I have been buying our fresh vegetables and fruit. There is a monument there and a distinctive marking that you will find all over the city. Where ever someone was killed by a bomb there is a blood-red marker following the pattern that the bomb creates when it explodes. I don’t think all of them are marked. During the siege, an average of 329 shells fell every day. 11,541 people were killed, and 1,601 were children.

The Museum of Crimes Against Humanity and Genocide covers the war more broadly, including the massacre at Srebrenica in July 1995 when the Serb forces killed 8,000 Bosniak men and boys. This museum also has a lot of personal stories and artifacts.

A good book about the war is Joe Sacco’s graphic book, "Safe Ara Gorazde". https://a.co/d/1Cb9YbT

29/10/2024

So far, the best negroni in Sarajevo, and a very cool place.

28/10/2024

On Saturday Linda and I took the cable car, or gondola up to Trebević, a mountain just south of Sarajevo, at an elevation of 1,627 meters, or 5,338 feet above sea level. The summit has been a favorite spot for picnics and gatherings. Apparently, during the 19th Century, there was a Muslim holiday and a Christian holiday that coincided, and both groups would meet here for barbeques and picnics. In 1959 the first gondola was built from the city to the summit.
During the 1984 Winter Olympics, this was the site of the bobsled run, and you can still see the concrete ruins of the run.
During the Siege of Sarajevo, 5 April 1992 through 29 February 1996, the Bosnian Serbs controlled Trebević summit and used heavy artillery to bombard Sarajevo. The surrounding forests were heavily mined. Much of the bobsled run was ruined during this time.
After the war, the mines were cleared out and in 2014 this area was made a protected area with hiking and biking trails, and amazing views of Sarajevo. I think I am able to see our apartment from the summit.

22/10/2024

Eating out in Europe is so much less expensive than in the USA. The other night we went to the Klopa restaurant here in Sarajevo, for dinner. The specials were lamb chops and chicken breast with cheese. The waiter told us we could order separately, but why not get the two-person special that included a sample of each. This is what we got. 3 lamb chops, 3 chicken breasts, grilled vegetables, roasted potatoes, salad, and bread. In addition, we each had a pre-dinner aperitivo. Linda had an Aperol spritz, and I had an Antique Pelinkova. We each had two glasses of wine, a liter of sparkling water, and fruit brandy each after dinner. We ended up bringing 2/3 of the dinner home, (for a couple more meals at home).
The total bill was 123 Bosnian Marks, or $68.

And unlike in the US where sales taxes are added AFTERWAORDS, all taxes are in the quoted price. So, if something is listed as 10 euros, when you pay it is 10 euros. There is a tax, but it is included in the price.

Also, you don't have to worry about a tip. If you decide to, it is not 20% of the bill.

Not only was there a lot of food, it was very good, and the waiters were delightful.

16/10/2024

Moonrise in Sarajevo.

15/10/2024

We are safely in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This is our morning view from our apartment. The only price we pay is that it is a 5-floor walk-up. But look at that view! And we are just a block or two from the old part of town.

15/10/2024

We took an 8-hour bus ride from Zagreb to Sarajevo. The mountains were beautiful but my stomach was not happy. It brought back memories of all the times I was car-sick when I was a kid. We were on a nice freeway till we got to the Bosnian border.

15/10/2024

These are just some impressions about the architecture. I certainly am not an expert on the historical architectural styles of Zagreb, but I did notice four major categories.

Old: These would be pre-19th century buildings, mostly churches and perhaps some older homes.

18th & 19th Century: These would be the government buildings and most of the buildings in the old town section. They tended to be 4 to 6 stories high, with large stone facades, ornamentation, and grand.

Tito Communist Era: These would be post-WWII and would include some government buildings, like the police station I was in, and a lot of apartments. The Communists did build a lot of housing for average people, which was good. But they are the most butt-ugly buildings around. Flat, stucco facades, that just invite graffiti. Also, they do not age well. The steel used in the construction is often exposed when the outer walls wear down causing stains, and of course, nothing is painted, except with graffiti. We stayed in one, it was roomy enough, but the electrical plugs were old, half of them didn't work, and the plumbing had a lot to be desired.

Modern: Glass and concert, urban modernism. Love it or hate it, it is a part of all modern European cities.

And, a lot of the buildings were being renovated, especially the more historic buildings.

15/10/2024

Also on Sunday was the 32nd Zagrebacki Marathon. Some photos.

15/10/2024

More on Zagreb. Just down the street from our apartment is a little square. On Sunday mornings there is a swap meet, not sure what they call it in Croatian. You can buy anything you want there.