tag:sarajevo.svbtle.com,2014:/feedEmma Williams2014-08-31T10:21:40-07:00Emma Williamshttps://sarajevo.svbtle.comSvbtle.comtag:sarajevo.svbtle.com,2014:Post/reflection2014-08-31T10:21:40-07:002014-08-31T10:21:40-07:00Reflection<p>I have been back in Pennsylvania for about a week, and I look back fondly on the many unique experiences I had this summer abroad. When travelling around the Balkans, I was surprised by how welcoming the people were. The locals wanted to show me what made their cities special and to learn about America. </p>
<p>Working in another country has unexpected differences. One of the upsides of working in a relatively small company was the close relationships shared by the different departments. For example, if we needed to clarify or make changes to a design we were able to talk to the other departments in person. The collaborative energy was evident. Even though the work atmosphere was less rushed and stressed than how I’ve found it in America, everything was still finished on time. At the office, my coworkers were glad to have me around and liked to hear about the different plans I had for the weekends.</p>
<p>I found that one of the most noticeable differences between Americans and the former Yugoslavians was their compassion. One example of this community responsibility that the Sarajevans had was when I was coming back from Mostar on the train. When I arrived in Sarajevo, a woman that I was walking near offered to show me around the city because I looked foreign. In America, that would be cause for suspicion, but in the Balkans, it was genuine and innocent. The cities felt like small towns because the people cared about their neighbors. The shop owners were all local families that had good products at fair prices. They were providing a service to their friends and not trying to make money off of other peoples needs. Because everything had to be done over the phone or in person, there was an added level of humanity in everyday transactions that made me feel more connected to the people of Bosnia. </p>
<p>My experience as an American tourist in Southeastern Europe exceeded all of my expectations. While many tourist-saturated cities treat Americans with indifference, the people of Sarajevo and other cities in Southeastern Europe were genuinely excited to meet me and were as curious about my culture as I was about theirs. When buying fruit from the markets, I didn’t feel taken advantage of even though I was not comfortable enough to try bartering.</p>
<p>The main challenge I faced was the language barrier. French and Spanish are regularly taught in American schools, but Bosnian, Croatian, and Serbian are unheard of. I was able to pick up a few words and phrases from my coworkers. Because of my unfamiliarity with the language, I usually bought my food from the grocery store. As I felt more and more comfortable navigating my way around these language barriers, I started branching out to the local bakeries and open air markets. After weeks of listening to my office-mates talk about different dimensions on the diagrams they were making, I was confident in my knowledge. One of my favorite accomplishments was when I was able to successfully (albeit very slowly) translate numbers and pay for my purchases without looking at the displayed price.</p>
<p>This three month adventure was a priceless experience. Like the average American my age, I have fully accepted the trend towards online information and transactions. Living in a country where face-to-face interaction was necessary put me outside of my comfort zone. At first, this was very disorienting, but after a few weeks, I began to settle in. Being forced out of my comfort zone gave me opportunity to learn so much about myself and how I react to new situations. I surprised myself a few times and I am very grateful for it. This summer I was able to gain a new perspective from living in a region with such a long history. Although their current political situation leaves them with a bleak future, the Bosnian spirit will always be strong and compassionate.</p>
tag:sarajevo.svbtle.com,2014:Post/weekend-in-osijek-croatia2014-08-05T02:44:38-07:002014-08-05T02:44:38-07:00Weekend in Osijek, Croatia<p><em>Friday, July 25</em></p>
<p>I was planning to take the 9:30am bus from Sarajevo to Slavonski Brod, a border town on the Croatian side. From there I would take one of the frequently occuring buses to Osijek. I stopped by the University campus on the way to the station to meet Haris. He had taken the time to meet me before I left to give me my salary for the month of July, just in time. With my wallet full and my expectations high, I boarded the bus. It was going all the way to Zagreb but I would be getting off right after the border.</p>
<p>The first half of the ride was relatively uneventful as we traveled north through the Bosnian countryside. We stopped at a restaturant for people to use the bathroom, smoke, and buy snacks if necessary. The woman in front of me, who was aldo going to Slavonski Brod returned to her seat with cold beer and a bottle of wine. I assumed the wine was a gift but I was confused why she would buy it all the way out here instead of in the city. A young man sat next to me. Once he finished his bottle of juice we started talking. He was a Romanian Serb who had come to Bosnia after a few months partying in Switzerland. He was currently on his way to the <a href="http://ozorafestival.eu">Ozora Festival</a> in Hungary. Every couple of minutes while we were riding along he would hop up out of his seat, kneal on the ground as if praying, then jump back into his seat.</p>
<p>At one point we came to a complete stop. The construction had reduced the road to only one lane, so we had to wait for the oncoming traffic to go through before we could pass through the construction. This was when the woman in front of me began to sob. While I had been talking to Aleks, she had gone through about half of the bottle of wine. She was upset because she thought we were at the border. She said that she was from Sydney, Austrailia, but she had a Bosnian accent. She did not want to leave the country and did not know when she would have the chance to come back. She eventually quieted down and went back to drinking. I thought that would be the end of the drama but then she tried to get up. She was clutching the seat in front of her, wobbling, and trying to make her way to the aisle. She was mumbling incoherence and all the I could make out was “God help us”. A woman from the back of the bus came and asked her if she was alright, but she did not notice the woman. When Aleks asked her what she was trying to do, she responded with,“I have no idea,” and then proceeded to sit down and pass out.</p>
<p>We continued north calmly, and I fell asleep for an hour or so. I woke up as we were aproaching the border. On our was out of Bosnia they checked our passports, but did not stamp it to signify our departure. Then we pulled up to the Croatian border checkpoint. We all got off the bus and lined up with our passports to be checked individually. On my way off the bus, I tried to shake the sleeping woman awake, but she was deep asleep. I don’t think the driver saw her because the bus pulled forward with her still on it while we waited in line. The check was quick, and we all hopped back on the bus. A few minutes down the road, the ticket collector came back and managed to wake the woman up, she had asked him to tell her when we got to Slavonski Brod. She was still very drunk when she woke up and almost fell out of her seat when we unexectedly turned the corner. We pulled into the small, run down station and parked in the first peron. I was able to squeeze past the ticket collector and out of the back door because I knew it would take a few minutes for her to get all of her bags together and exit the bus. First, I went to a travel agency and asked the man where to exchange money so that I could buy my ticket to Osijek. He sent me to the post office behind the station.</p>
<p>When I walked into the post office, the woman who exchanged money was busy counting a large stack of bills. Once I gave her my BAMs, it took her a few more minutes to correctly identify them even though it says the country on both sides of the bill. With my new Croatian kunas in my hand, I rushed back to the station to buy my ticket. Exchanging money took too long and I missed the first bus but I only had to wait 45 minutes for the next bus. Luckily, the next bus was faster and I would only be arriving 15 minutes late. When I got on the bus, it was surprisingly full. It was stoping first in Osijek and then continuing on to Zagreb. We passed mostly agriculture on the hour and a half ride. We arrived in Osijek a few minutes late at 4:20. I had told the IAESTE members in Osijek that I would be getting in at 4pm so they had to wait for me, but I was glad they did.</p>
<p>The walk to campus took about half an hour. when we arrived, none of the other IAESTE members were there so first we went to the dorms. The dorms only cost 10 euros per night and once I got my key I put my bag down in my room. We were ssupposed to all meet at 5pm in the cafe so we waited around. Eventually a group showed up. It was the interns that were based in Osijek. There were two Slovakians, a Norweigan, an Iranian, and a Scottish guy. As we sat and talked, more people trickled in. Once everyone was there we had an additional Norweigian, three Polish interns, and a guy from Hong Kong as well as some Croatian LC members from Zagreb. The interns were all from Osijek and Zagreb. We paid 380 kuna for the weekend which included all meals, bike and canoe rentals, drinks, and an event shirt. We went out into the courtyard and played an icebreaker game while being feasted on by all of the mosquitoes. There was an optional drinking game, and then the pizzas arrived. They were comprable to the giant kong pizzas in Pittsburgh. They had vegetarian pizza, Mexican pizza,and an everything pizza. After we all ate, we rounded everybody up fro the pub crawl.</p>
<p>We went to four bars in total with one drink at each. Jens, one of the Norwegians, introduced me to a drink called the Radley. It was a 2% mixture of beer and lemonade and it came in a bottle. The last bar was a loud rock bar that played American 90s hits. We made our way back home around 4am (the bars close at 6) and I collapsed into bed.</p>
<p><em>Saturday, July 26</em></p>
<p>On Saturday we were woken up by knocking on our door around<br>
9:30am. We headed up to the kitchen and they had instant coffee, tea, and leftover cookies for breakfast. Once everyone was up we walked over to the bike rental place. We each got a bike and the man was nice enough to adjust the seats for us. First we went to the gas station to pump up the soft tires, then we were on our way. We biked out of Osijek to a small lake. There were pitas and juice waiting for us for brunch. Then we got in the canoes and paddled around in the water for as long as we wanted. Out on the water the sun was not too hot and the breeze made it perfect. After canoeing it was time for lunch.</p>
<p>We got back on our bikes and rode a few minutes down the street to a small family farm. All of the food they prepared for us was grown on their farm. We were given a short tour before we sat down to eat. First, we had a brothy soup with noodles and carrots. Then we had breaded chicken with croquettes, lamb ribs with small dough balls, kielbasa, rice, salad, and fresh bread. To drink there was white and red wine, to be mixed with sparkling water and coke respectively, and a special Balkan juice made from a small white flower. Whenever a plate or drink was finished, it would be magically replaced with a full one. The feasting went on for almost an hour, and after a quick rest, dessert was served. It was a cherry baklava and was complemented with a cherry rakija. After much lounging on the various hammocks and benches, it was time for us to leave. We dropped the bikes back off at the rental place and split up.</p>
<p>Some of the interns were going to the store to buy ingredients for the international dinner that we had planned for that night. I went back to my room and my twenty minute nap turned into a two hour nap. I woke up just in time for dinner and wandered up to the conference room at 10pm. After a little waiting, all of the tables were set up. The guy from Hong Kong had made a minced pork soup. The guy from Iran had made some crispy egg pancakes and the Slovakians made spicy onion pancakes. The three interns from Poland made peirogies and the Norwegians had brown cheese and crackers as well as some candies. A few of the groups also had bottles of local alcohol that they brought and the Scottish guy had some fancy whiskey. The Croatians who organized the event had cheese, meats, bread, and cookies set out as well as homemade rakija and some local beer. The food disappeared quickly and people sat around and drank for a while afterwards. The plan was to go to some more bars that night but I was still exhausted despite my nap so I headed to bed around 1am.</p>
<p><em>Sunday, July 27</em></p>
<p>We were allowed to sleep a little longer on Sunday and were not woken up until 11. They had made two sandwiches for each of us and we also got a bottle of water and some redbull. After eating one of our sandwiches, we were split into two teams for the scavenger hunt. In addition to solving the riddles and finding the monuments, we had a trading challenge which our team excelled at. We were given one egg and were told to trade it as many times as we could. First we traded the egg for an ashtray from a cafe. Then we took the ashtray to a second cafe and were given a chair pillow with the cafe logo and an umbrella that had been left there. We were able to trade the umbrella to a woman sitting on her balcony for a nice serving plate and a jar of homemade strawberry jam. We took the jam to another cafe and trade it for a cup of coffee, complete with a plate, spoon, and sugar. Along the way, we did as many of the scavenger tasks as possible.</p>
<p>I had to leave before the next planned activity which I was a little disappointed about. I had heard rumors about stew for lunch and was pretty excited. I was leaving early because I was taking the bus with two IAESTE members who lived in Zagreb and one had offered to let me sleep in her spare bed for the night. We were dropped off at the bus station and after grabbing a few sandwiches and buying my ticket we boarded our bus. We fell silent as we all devoured our sandwiches. When it was time to take off, they announced that our bus had problems and we would need to take another one. We all hopped off and they pulled one out of the bus parking lot and brought it over. We boarded as they switched over all of the luggage. Unfortunately, this bus did not have air conditioning, but at least we were finally on our way.</p>
tag:sarajevo.svbtle.com,2014:Post/afternoon-in-visoko2014-07-24T04:00:14-07:002014-07-24T04:00:14-07:00Afternoon in Visoko<p>The Bosnian Pyramid of the Sun</p>
<p><em>Wednesday, July 23</em></p>
<p>I boarded the 11:30am bus to Visoko. In my backpack I had my camera, a bottle of water and some snacks, which included pumpkin seeds and a few pitas. Having missed my morning kafa, I was tired and fell asleep in the short ride to the former center of the Bosnian medieval state. It is a small city, but <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visoko,_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina">one of the most densely populated areas in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, with almost 180 residents per square kilometer</a>. The area is thought to have been inhabited as early as 4000BC because of the rivers that flow through the valley.</p>
<p>In October 2005, Semir “Sam” Osmanagic announced that he believed a number of the hills standing above Visoko were actually ancient pyramids that were 12,000 years old, with the largest being the Pyramid of the Sun. Since I had some free time, I decided to go check them out to see what the fuss was all about. The bus pulled into the Centrotrans Visoko station at 12:30, giving me plenty of time to explore the small city and the pyramid. I ate one of my pitas and headed across the river. First, I found an information center and grabbed a map, then I set out towards the pyramid. As I walked it began to sprinkle, but never fully developed into rain. I turned up a small steep street next to an abandoned-looking church. At the top of the incline, I was relived to see a sign for the Pyramid of the Sun, along with a small souvenir shop and a group of French tourists. The signs boasted peer amazement with Osmanagic’s discovery and had “facts” about the pyramid. It stated that the entire hill had subsonic vibrations that were beneficial to the health and soul and that a large beam of electromagnetic energy shot vertically out of the top of the pyramid that allows levitation. I continued up the hill, following signs for <em>Dig Sites #4-14</em>.</p>
<p>After a short, dusty dusty walk, I came upon an old woman standing by a small table wearing sunglasses. On the table were some hand-knitted socks and a few small jars of mystery cream that she claimed helped all types of ailments. As I was passing her, she called out to me and directed me up the path she was in front of. I would have walked right past it if she had not been standing there, but I guess that’s why she chose that spot to set up camp. Directly up the stairs behind her was a small archaeological dig. The digs on this hill are run by student volunteers from all over the world. The archaeological community does not believe Osmanagic has presented enough evidence to back his claims and there were no professionals present. <a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/05/pyramid-bosnia-1.html">“Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence,” said Curtis Runnels, an archaeologist at Boston University in Massachusetts and a Balkan prehistory expert.</a></p>
<p>Despite dismissal by the professional community, the Bosnian government is supporting Osmanagic’s claims and has granted him permits to explore the site in more depth. According to a National Geographic article <a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/05/pyramid-bosnia-1_2.html">supporters say the dig is a spade of positive news in the once war-torn country.</a> This may have swayed the government to support the claims of an ancient pyramid in Bosnia. Having something like this to work on brings the people of the country together and gives them something to talk about that has nothing to do with the previous conflict and everyday struggles. All of the Bosnians that I have talked to about the pyramids do not believe the claims but are still glad to talk about them, in an endearing, joking kind of way.</p>
<p>I continued further up the stairs to a small wooden structure with a map and a man selling tickets. The tickets were 5km each and he only spoke Bosnian and German. Well, I came this far, I’m not going to walk all the way back down the hill without first seeing the pyramid, so I bought a ticket. Just before the stairs left the hot sun and went into the pine trees, I turned around and had a sweeping view of the valley that Visoko sits in. The shade of the trees was appreciated greatly and I took a short water break before continuing up. I came across some uncovered slabs and a sign explaining that they were what the pyramids inhabitants used to cover the outside of the pyramid. According to a <a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-mystery-of-bosnias-ancient-pyramids-148990462/?page=1">Smithsonian article</a>, the geological history of the valley has a better explanation. Before the hills were formed, there was a large lake in the area. The bottom of that lake was covered in different layers of sediment depending on the nature of the rivers feeding into it. After the lake dried and the hills were formed, the layers remained under the dirt of the hills. A layer of sandstone and clay, that is present under the entire valley, could be mistaken for cement plates. Osmanagic’s fascination with these layers shows his archaeological and geological inexperience. <a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-mystery-of-bosnias-ancient-pyramids-148990462/?c=y&page=2">“What he’s found isn’t even unusual or spectacular from the geological point of view,” says geologist Robert Schoch of Boston University, who spent ten days at Visoko that summer. “It’s completely straightforward and mundane.”</a></p>
<p>Most of the local supporters believe that this solidifies the Bosniak claim of medieval, royal heritage and places their ancestors above even the intelligence and skill of the ancient Egyptians. <a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-mystery-of-bosnias-ancient-pyramids-148990462/?page=3">“The pyramids have been turned into a place of Bosniak identification,” says historian Dubravko Lovrenovic of the Bosnia and Herzegovina Commission to Preserve National Monuments. “If you are not for the pyramids, you are accused of being an enemy of the Bosniaks.” Osmanagich insists he disapproves of those who exploit his archaeological work for political gain. “Those pyramids don’t belong to any particular nationality,” he says. “These are not Bosniak or Muslim or Serb or Croat pyramids, because they were built at a time when those nations and religions were not in existence.” He says his project should “unite people, not divide them.”</a> All of the local historians, archeologists, and politicians who have publicly denounced the validity of these claims have been verbally abused with things like “enemy of Bosnia” and “friend of the Serbs”. <a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-mystery-of-bosnias-ancient-pyramids-148990462/?page=4">When the minister of culture of the Bosniak-Croat Federation blocked the renewal of foundation permits in 2007—on the grounds that the credibility of those working on the project was “unreliable"—the action was overruled by the federation prime minister.</a> Many are outraged by the public funding that Osmanagic has received while the National Museum of Sarajevo, which has over two million archaeological artifacts, cannot find the funding to reopen.</p>
<p>Down one path was another small archaeological dig. I was hoping to find a path leading to the top of the "pyramid” so that I could see the valley from 700ft, but I was disappointed by the short paths and lack of signage. Many historians are worried that the exploration of the hills will damage existing history that has not yet been uncovered from the earliest, proven civilization in the area. <a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-mystery-of-bosnias-ancient-pyramids-148990462/?page=5">When refused access to the artifacts that had been uncovered, the Commission to Preserve National Monuments expanded the protected zone around Visoki, effectively pushing Osmanagich off the mountain.</a> He has turned his attention underground and has been excavating tunnels to connect the pyramids in the area. Although I did not find the tunnel excavation site, I did enjoy my walk up the hill. I walked around Visoko, checking out the old mosques. Since it was Ramadan, a majority of the shops in the area were closed and it gave the old shopping center a abandoned look. I wandered back into the bus station a few minutes before the Sarajevo bus pulled in. When we left the city, there were only a few older women on the bus besides me. The ticketer sat down with them to talk and the driver turned up the music, dancing in his seat as we drove. Once again, I fell asleep on the bus.</p>
<p>I hopped off the bus early as it drove through Sarajevo. Seeing all the stalls along the road selling fresh produce reminded me to stop by the open air market. I bought a slice of watermelon, which I had been craving for the past few weeks, and rode the tram back home, cradling my heavy, hydrating snack like a football. The watermelon was delicious, dark pink and full of flavor. I continued to plan out my walking tours through Budapest and Belgrade. When I went to make dinner, I found that the one clean pot that I had been using to make my pasta, was sitting in the fridge with leftovers. The other, larger pot had taken up permanent residence on the kitchen table with burnt food residue covering the inside. So, I decided to take myself out to dinner. While researching some restaurants I found a small blurb about the open air market. It had been the site of two brutal massacres during the war. The first massacre, occurring in February 1994 had killed 68 unarmed civilians and wounded 144 more. The second massacre was in August 1995, killing 43 vendors and market-goers and injuring 75. This second massacre was the event that finally triggered the NATO airstrikes against the Bosnian Serb forces and eventually led to the Dayton Agreement. The stubbornness of the Bosnian people who continued to sell their produce in this market is what has kept the Bosnian culture alive throughout their tumultuous history. </p>
tag:sarajevo.svbtle.com,2014:Post/wanderlust2014-07-24T00:47:04-07:002014-07-24T00:47:04-07:00Week 8: July 16-22<p>Wanderlust: Mostar</p>
<p><em>Wednesday, July 16</em></p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/oi0luvwkcda0rw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/oi0luvwkcda0rw_small.jpg" alt="poster.jpg"></a>image <a href="http://mostarblues.com/v2/plakati_eng.html">source</a></p>
<p>I left work around 1:30pm with plans to catch the 2:30 bus to Mostar. When I arrived at the station around 2:15, first I went to the information desk at the train station to see when the next train would be leaving. The train is cheaper and more comfortable than the bus but it only leaves at 7am and 7pm. I bought my bus ticket, headed through the gates, and boarded the waiting bus. Still tired from my previous weekend of festivities, I fell asleep as soon as we left the station. I woke up an hour later to find the bus full. A tall Bosnian man had sat next to me and he tried his best to keep his long limbs to himself but he inevitably bumped me when retrieving his newspapers from his bag. On the other commercial bus lines, the radio was usually played, but on this trip, the driver had a CD of some traditional music. The rhythm was similar to a reggaeton beat which actually made it difficult to sleep because it was quite lively. We pulled into the Mostar bus station at about 5pm. I had to decline several hotel offers on my way to the water fountain, and then back again on my way out of the station.</p>
<p>I initially walked to the wrong hostel because I was in a rush and didn’t check my map key, but I easily found my way back to the correct one. I was staying in the Hostel Backpackers and it was painted bright green on the outside. image <a href="https://www.airbnb.com.au/rooms/3005122">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/coqxqj8gz3bjoa.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/coqxqj8gz3bjoa_small.jpg" alt="hostel.jpg"></a> <br>
The hallway leading up to the lobby/lounge was painted light blue and covered with guests’ graffiti and reviews of the hostel.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/1z6ntk9w2qjdvw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/1z6ntk9w2qjdvw_small.jpg" alt="Picture 009.jpg"></a><br>
Behind the front desk the wall had a large map of the world. The woman here is Irma, one of the employees that works the day shift.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/ww0qnhr8to5m3a.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/ww0qnhr8to5m3a_small.jpg" alt="Picture 112.jpg"></a><br>
Since I had reserved my four nights earlier that day online, I was told I would only pay for the first three nights and get the fourth night free. The cost for the dorm rooms was ten euros a night, so I was already getting a good deal. The mother of the owner only spoke Italian and Bosnian, but she made me a cup of coffee and let me relax in the lounge area. I sat next to Madison, a girl from Colorado who was leaving the next day. When the owner Ermin returned, he showed me to my room. I followed him up a brightly painted staircase to the third floor.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/iw2kddayddltzq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/iw2kddayddltzq_small.jpg" alt="Picture 111.jpg"></a><br>
The room I had booked had five beds, but no one else had reserved them, so I had the room to myself.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/pgrtyvdqaklg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/pgrtyvdqaklg_small.jpg" alt="Picture 002.jpg"></a><br>
There were two bathrooms on the third floor and one bathroom on the second floor. All of the bathrooms were easily identified by their comic book wallpapering.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/kafsnquondtxxg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/kafsnquondtxxg_small.jpg" alt="Picture 003.jpg"></a><br>
The hostel was a converted nightclub and although Ermin had replaced most of the mirrored walls, the bar was still there and was currently being used to store linens.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/am8ifa2dvbgajw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/am8ifa2dvbgajw_small.jpg" alt="Picture 005.jpg"></a><br>
The hostel was located on one of the main streets in the old part of the city and the views from my window were great.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/bgwyukk9spcthg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/bgwyukk9spcthg_small.jpg" alt="Picture 007.jpg"></a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/yfwf7zpysh9sjw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/yfwf7zpysh9sjw_small.jpg" alt="Picture 008.jpg"></a><br>
After settling in, I headed out for the night. Since this hostel was open 24/7, I was able to leave my bag in my locked room and did not need a locker like some other hostels. Even with a map, it took me a few tried to correctly navigate the small city streets to the location of the first show. The Wednesday night show was a free preview of the fun to come. It was held outside of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OKC_Abra%C5%A1evi%C4%87">OKC Abrašević</a>. image <a href="http://www.klix.ba/magazin/muzika/otvoren-12-mostar-blues-rock-festival/140717014#8">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/ww676srocshp7q.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/ww676srocshp7q_small.jpg" alt="birds of beer.jpg"></a> <br>
The festival was kicked off by a performance by a Mostar Rock School student band called Birds of Beer. The guitar player surprised me with some great solos and the female singer belted out a Janis Joplin style cover of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ball_'n'_Chain"><em>Ball ‘n’ Chain</em></a>. This got the crowd pumped up and the air was buzzing with excitement when it was time for the next band: <a href="http://www.innessibun.org.uk/">Innes Sibun and Band</a>. image <a href="http://www.facebook.com/mostarbluesfestival?hc_location=timeline">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/z5wyq3euwmxnq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/z5wyq3euwmxnq_small.jpg" alt="innes 1.JPG"></a><br>
He was an old school rocker with tight pants, headbanger hair, and an attitude to match. He played long solos while roaming the stage and at one point he jumped down right in front of me and continued to play his solo. The very drunk fan with the ponytail took this opportunity to join Innes and he played the air guitar next to him, somehow managing not to spill any beer on him. Innes did not miss a note and he climbed back on stage to continue his solo. image <a href="http://www.bljesak.info/rubrika/lifestyle/multimedia/photo/zestok-zvuk-i-dobra-atmosfera-mostar-blues-i-rock-festivala/1809">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/fm6h7sbdhpy0rq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/fm6h7sbdhpy0rq_small.jpg" alt="innes 2.jpg"></a><br>
As the night went on, Innes got very sweaty from all of his exertion. About halfway through his set, he brought out Coco Montoya, who was scheduled to play the next night, to play a song with him. They played an old song by one of my favorite blues artists, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_King">Albert King</a>, called <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFvaC0GqV0c"><em>As the Years Go Passing By</em></a>. Albert King had been the main influence for Coco Montoya to play the blues: </p>
<blockquote>
<p><a href="http://www.blindpigrecords.com/index.cfm?section=artists&artistid=38">“Then one day I went to a concert featuring Creedence Clearwater and Iron Butterfly. Albert King played between the two groups and I had never heard of him. Boy, after he got done playing, that changed everything. That revolutionized my whole life and showed me what music and guitar playing really were about. I knew that was what I wanted to do.”</a></p>
</blockquote>
<p>They played riffs back and forth, like a rap-battle but with guitars. Throughout the entirety of the performance, Innes broke his guitar strings about four times. Each time he would have a sound guy run up, hand him his back-up guitar and he would continue to play. They would restring his main guitar and give it back to him at his earliest convenience. The show went on until 1am with solos from all members of the band.</p>
<p>I walked back to the hostel in the warm summer night, carrying the T-shirt I had bought at the concert. When I arrived back, Ermin asked me where I had been and how the show was. He told me about a rock pub called <em>Black Dog Pub</em> owned by a man from Seattle, Washington. I made a mental note to check it out and went to bed, exhausted.</p>
<p><em>Thursday, July 17</em></p>
<p>I woke up around 9:30 on Thursday and went down to the lounge to ask Irma about the tours that the hostel offered. She told me about the different places they visited but since a large group had gone the day before there would not be one on Thursday. She assured me there would be one on Friday and made me a cup of coffee. I headed out into the bright morning sun to see the local sights. First, some breakfast.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/mt2fok0aqm5mgg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/mt2fok0aqm5mgg_small.jpg" alt="Picture 014.jpg"></a><br>
I went to the Eko-Eli Pekara to grab a quick pita. I got the cheese pita and it was piping hot, right off of the grill. This bakery cooked the pitas as large (2ft in diameter) spirals and would cut off a slice for each portion.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/hr0tnewfpbdgq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/hr0tnewfpbdgq_small.jpg" alt="Picture 010.jpg"></a><br>
I ate my delicious pita sitting in the shade. It was early but it was already starting to get quite hot. Mostar is similar to Sarajevo in the juxtaposition of old and new.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/qp2lgwlk6yy5yq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/qp2lgwlk6yy5yq_small.jpg" alt="Picture 012.jpg"></a><br>
I set out towards the Muzej Hercegovine and snapped some pictures along the way.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/vte3ii8jfvnbiq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/vte3ii8jfvnbiq_small.jpg" alt="Picture 015.jpg"></a><br>
This cafe courtyard had a fountain and some busts.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/v46sgewep1sg7q.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/v46sgewep1sg7q_small.jpg" alt="Picture 016.jpg"></a><br>
Old mosques dotted the streets.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/kmbmpnfruxegdw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/kmbmpnfruxegdw_small.jpg" alt="Picture 018.jpg"></a><br>
I turned up a wide set of stairs and found the museum. The door was closed but the sign outside said that they were open, so I headed in. The door jingled when I opened it and a woman came out of the back office. The ticket was 5km. She took me into the museum and turned on the short film.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/zn6mjzjxq0ttkw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/zn6mjzjxq0ttkw_small.jpg" alt="Picture 019.jpg"></a><br>
The movie was about the cultural importance, destruction, and reconstruction of the Stari Most. I had the whole small theater to myself, and in fact the entire museum to myself. After the movie was finished, I headed upstairs to the main exhibits, passing some small displays in my way. They had one traditional Ottoman-Bosnian room, one tradition Hercegovian village room, and a room dedicated to Yugoslavia and the beloved Tito.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/nvevawz2lhddwg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/nvevawz2lhddwg_small.jpg" alt="Picture 031.jpg"></a><br>
The Bosnian room had a small carved table in the middle surrounded by similarly carved stools. There were examples of the clothing, dishes, and decorations around the walls.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/qzbtpskso6mcww.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/qzbtpskso6mcww_small.jpg" alt="Picture 025.jpg"></a><br>
They even had a hand-writted copy of the Koran.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/dwa7oqe5ipqig.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/dwa7oqe5ipqig_small.jpg" alt="Picture 033.jpg"></a><br>
The village room was about the same size. They had a butter churn, hemp processing tools, and traditional cookware.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/yeyb5b3esp3jg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/yeyb5b3esp3jg_small.jpg" alt="Picture 037.jpg"></a><br>
The Yugoslavia room was the smallest. One side was dedicated to Tito, who I am posing with, and the other side had information about <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/D%C5%BEemal_Bijedi%C4%87">Džemal Bijedić</a>, the prime minister of Yugoslavia. The museum was small but very interesting.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/jbe7f68zkv2xqq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/jbe7f68zkv2xqq_small.jpg" alt="Picture 043.jpg"></a><br>
Mostar is also surrounded by mountains like Sarajevo. I went back to the Stari Most.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/okt099ngnope2q.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/okt099ngnope2q_small.jpg" alt="Picture 044.jpg"></a><br>
From the top of the bridge I could see how deep the water was for the divers to jump into.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/tlajzrazjlfwpg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/tlajzrazjlfwpg_small.jpg" alt="Picture 047.jpg"></a><br>
Here are two bridge-jumpers resting in the shade before they go back out to ask for monetary incentives.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/gk2i4xtjk9mig.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/gk2i4xtjk9mig_small.jpg" alt="Picture 052.jpg"></a><br>
Here is a jumper trying to gather a crowd, balancing precariously on the outside of the bridge fence.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/6velz1chegdbew.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/6velz1chegdbew_small.jpg" alt="Picture 053.jpg"></a><br>
The hot weather brought out even the smallest of sunbathers.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/vf0txzj1bgyava.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/vf0txzj1bgyava_small.jpg" alt="Picture 056.jpg"></a><br>
Sitting by the water was cooler and many of the tourists and locals braved the icy waters for some relief from the blazing sun.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/tsljed3ytybc7a.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/tsljed3ytybc7a_small.jpg" alt="Picture 057.jpg"></a><br>
I joined them, taking off my shoes and sticking my toes in the clear water.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/ws2bpemlz7saw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/ws2bpemlz7saw_small.jpg" alt="Picture 064.jpg"></a><br>
The calm shallows on the edge of the river were home to a small school of fish. I took a nap in the hostel to escape the smothering afternoon heat and went back out in the evening. I went first to the water to cool off from the short walk. Upon closer inspection, I found a “nest” of eggs stuck to some rocks and plants at the edge of the river.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/dojkpsapnwzhqg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/dojkpsapnwzhqg_small.jpg" alt="Picture 067.jpg"></a><br>
There was a small improvised diving board on the river for less adventurous jumpers to try. It was still a long way down to the water.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/os19bslcnoa8lg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/os19bslcnoa8lg_small.jpg" alt="Picture 072.jpg"></a><br>
For dinner, I went to a restaurant called Hindin Han. I sat outdoors along a smaller river that fed into the Neretva. It was quite and peaceful and it was starting to finally cool down. On a suggestion from my guidebook, I decided to try the stuffed squid.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/koccdtwuq4ofja.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/koccdtwuq4ofja_small.jpg" alt="Picture 077.jpg"></a><br>
They were delicious, fresh off the grill, and filled with gooey cheese. When I had finished eating, I headed over to the Crooked bridge to check out the Black Dog Pub.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/1bo1apyysvykia.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/1bo1apyysvykia_small.jpg" alt="Picture 079.jpg"></a><br>
I arrived at the pub around 7pm, just as the sun was slipping behind the surrounding hills.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/apdquontwy8q.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/apdquontwy8q_small.jpg" alt="Picture 081.jpg"></a><br>
First I tried the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/oldbridz.ale">Oldbridz</a> pale ale.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/jpfnbu1mrbixrw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/jpfnbu1mrbixrw_small.jpg" alt="Picture 083.jpg"></a><br>
Oldbridz is a local brewery. I got a seat outside by the water and slowly sipped my drink.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/msl7fahiny9hdq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/msl7fahiny9hdq_small.jpg" alt="Picture 087.jpg"></a><br>
From the terrace nook I had a great view of the Crooked Bridge. When I finished my first beer, I still had an hour before I wanted to walk over to the second night of shows, so I ordered a second one.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/hafozveui8mmg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/hafozveui8mmg_small.jpg" alt="Picture 089.jpg"></a><br>
This time I tried the Oldbridz Red Ale, which was quite good. I found a small flyer about the brewing company at the bar and I got a chuckle out of “the red color makes this one popular with the ladies”. Sitting next the water had its disadvantages and my legs were getting bitten by mosquitoes. I headed inside to finish my beer on one of the comfy looking couches in the corner.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/bt3z561u6enrq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/bt3z561u6enrq_small.jpg" alt="Picture 092.jpg"></a><br>
The ceiling was covered in flags from all over the world. There was a motorcycle in one corner. The decorations ranged from well-loved books to licence plates to a framed, rusty piece of barbed wire from a politically motivated fence across southern Asia. When the Ramadan firework was set off at 8:38, I left the pub and slowly walked across the city to the Pavarotti Music Center where the second night of shows would be held. I had my ticket barcode scanned and walked through the bar to the interior courtyard. The show was scheduled to start at 9pm, but when I walked in at 8:50, the first performer, Keegan McInroe, was already more than halfway through his set. No one else got the memo, so the place was almost empty.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/61b3cjqpwotp8q.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/61b3cjqpwotp8q_small.jpg" alt="Picture 093.jpg"></a><br>
I took advantage of this and stood right up near the front, I didn’t need a table to set my nonexistent drink on. He was taking a quick break in between songs when he looked straight at me and said, “Nice Grateful Dead shirt, man. They were the reason I started playing when I heard their American Beauty album.” I gave him a double thumbs up, fully aware that I was not loud enough to respond verbally. He continued to play and even got the keyboard player from the next band to join him for a song. After he was finished, it was time for Vjeka and Electric Blues Project.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/cbpqq5mgrhuzhq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/cbpqq5mgrhuzhq_small.jpg" alt="Picture 100.jpg"></a><br>
She was a very talented singer, and her band was also very good. The guitarist used a lot of different effects and experimented with a lot of different sounds. As they were playing a lot of professional photographers arrived, but they were not taking pictures, they were waiting for <a href="http://www.cocomontoyaband.com/">Coco Montoya</a>.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/vqwvlsxfsr1fg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/vqwvlsxfsr1fg_small.jpg" alt="coco_montoya 1.JPG"></a>image <a href="http://www.zenica24sata.com/pocela-pretprodaja-ulaznica-za-12-mostar-blues-rock-festival/">source</a><br>
The venue was full by the time it was Coco’s turn to play.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/gbri7e8pnk1itg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/gbri7e8pnk1itg_small.jpg" alt="Picture 104.jpg"></a><br>
He started out a little awkwardly, he plays the guitar left-handed, just like Albert King. After a few songs, he started to get into his groove and looked much more relaxed.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/0lryygompuq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/0lryygompuq_small.jpg" alt="Picture 106.jpg"></a><br>
He nailed every note and was having fun, moving around the stage, and engaging the audience. Luckily for me, where I happened to be standing was in front of the clear area of the stage. When he would come forward to do his solos, he would stand right in front of me and rock out!<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/efqdnxppgbwbvw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/efqdnxppgbwbvw_small.jpg" alt="Picture 109.jpg"></a><br>
Each of his band members was similarly talented and they had comparable solos of their own, albeit much less frequently.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/at9ben2yjjcqsw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/at9ben2yjjcqsw_small.jpg" alt="Picture 110.jpg"></a><br>
After they finished their set, I went to seek out Keegan McInroe, to ask him about the Grateful Dead. I found him sitting in the bar area talking to the owner of the Black Dog Pub. When they were finished, I approached him. He is from Texas, so communication was not an issue. He told me about a trip through Croatia he took with his mother. They ended up in a small music store and the owner asked him to sign a book full of musicians signatures. On the first page was the signature of Jerry Garcia (the lead singer of the Grateful Dead) from the year that Keegan was born. Since he was staying around Mostar for the rest of the Festival, he had been asked to open on Friday and Saturday for the other bands that would be playing. He told me that he would play a Grateful Dead song for me each night since they had been so influential for him. After speaking with him, I went back out to the courtyard to enjoy the Coco Montoya encore.</p>
<p>When I got home from the shows, I was surprised to find a man sitting in my room. He was from Mexico and had just arrived in Mostar that day. He was interested in seeing some of the surrounding cities. I told him about the tours that the hostel offered and then we both went to bed.</p>
<p><em>Friday, July 18</em></p>
<p>I woke up around 9:30 on Friday and went down to have a coffee in the lounge. My roommate soon followed and he asked Irma about the tours and opportunities for fly fishing. After Irma contacted Ermin, she said that he could take us on a tour later that morning. I ran down to the pekara, and while I was waiting, they cut off a portion of the sirnica pita for me, remembering my order from the previous morning. While I was sitting in the lounge waiting for the tour, a girl with a shaved head walked in. She was from Nebraska and came to Mostar every summer to visit her grandparents. When Ermin was ready to go, I grabbed my water bottle, camera, and sunglasses and we headed out to his car. There was a man from Belgrade that had decided to return and stay in the hostel to learn English from the employees and he joined us on the tour so he could listen to Ermin speak English to us. The four of us first drove to Blagaj.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/ca0t8hc4dyokia.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/ca0t8hc4dyokia_small.jpg" alt="Picture 119.jpg"></a><br>
Blagaj is a small town with a long history. On the cliff, just to the left of main rock in this picture are the ruins of the Old Blagaj Fort. Ermin told us about how the prince took the kingdom from his father with a small army by giving each soldier multiple torches so that his forces looked more numerous.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/rb9ixu8smxozia.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/rb9ixu8smxozia_small.jpg" alt="Picture 114.jpg"></a><br>
Under the rocky overhang, is a small cave, inside of this cave is the spring of the river Buna. Next to the cave is the Blagaj Tekija, a Dervish monastery that was built around 1520.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/sy6cqzgaag54ia.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/sy6cqzgaag54ia_small.jpg" alt="Picture 117.jpg"></a><br>
The water was cool, clean, and potable. There were a few small boats and they were offering rides into the cave. The other groups that were there were from other hostels and Ermin knew the tour guides.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/lizbgxdgf5foa.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/lizbgxdgf5foa_small.jpg" alt="Picture 123.jpg"></a><br>
Next we drove to Počitelj, a walled city that was built in the fourteenth century and remains relatively unchanged today.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/n4wnj2mtqzbs6a.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/n4wnj2mtqzbs6a_small.jpg" alt="Picture 122.jpg"></a><br>
The city was a target of attacks by the Croatian forces in 1993 and much of the art and architecture was destroyed. This mosque was rebuilt and outside they have a small display of some of the original stones from the previous mosque.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/apekkdotbohyxa.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/apekkdotbohyxa_small.jpg" alt="Picture 121.jpg"></a><br>
We walked up through the ruins. It was very hot in the early afternoon sun.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/2j66ttedhoeq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/2j66ttedhoeq_small.jpg" alt="Picture 126.jpg"></a><br>
We finally made it to the top of the tower that stands above Počitelj. This man here is Ermin.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/lg2p20hcdavzq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/lg2p20hcdavzq_small.jpg" alt="Picture 130.jpg"></a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/qhrkfcqotclm8a.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/qhrkfcqotclm8a_small.jpg" alt="Picture 129.jpg"></a><br>
From the tower we could see the whole city next to the large river. We stopped at the cafe for an iced coffee before continuing on our way. Next stop: Kravice Waterfalls.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/hnqjb8ibvig.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/hnqjb8ibvig_small.jpg" alt="Picture 131.jpg"></a><br>
In the past few years, the waterfalls have become increasingly more touristy and well known. We sat in the shade of the bar and enjoyed the cool mist from the falls while the Mexican went swimming. I had not brought my bathing suit to Mostar. The Mexican was determined to go to Međugorje, a small town dedicated to the 1981 report of sightings of the Virgin Mary. On our way we stopped at the Herzeg Ethno Village of Međugorje. image <a href="http://www.visitmycountry.net/bosnia_herzegovina/en/index.php/tourism/eco/94-turizam/eko/788-ethno-village-herceg-medjugorje">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/snorjmw45ijaog.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/snorjmw45ijaog_small.jpg" alt="Međugorje.jpg"></a><br>
This unique resort is its own little village complete with shops, ponds, and a park. When we made it to Međugorje, the man from Mexico decided he wanted to stay for a few hours and offered to take the bus back, so we drove back up to Mostar. After the long day in the sun I was exhausted, so I took a nap to prepare for the third night of the festival.</p>
<p>Tonight the shows were held in the Kantarevac, a converted sports arena behind the Gimnazija. It was a beautiful night and the sun was setting as I set out across the city.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/l9p1sspiejkwqq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/l9p1sspiejkwqq_small.jpg" alt="Picture 133.jpg"></a><br>
I was unsure of exactly how to get there, but luckily right as I was walking down the block, Keegan McIroe started his set, so I followed the sound to the gates.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/lan5fyzplcnhtq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/lan5fyzplcnhtq_small.jpg" alt="Picture 135.jpg"></a><br>
Just as before, the venue was practically empty when I arrived and I got a good, front row spot to enjoy the music. After a few songs Keegan played [<em>Black Peter</em>](<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ka6yhEUyos">www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ka6yhEUyos</a>), a song from the Grateful Dead album <em>Workingman’s Dead</em>, which is one of the few Dead albums that I own. After that song, he brought out the lead singer of Texas Flood, who were scheduled to play next.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/zquew3j0xgvg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/zquew3j0xgvg_small.jpg" alt="Picture 138.jpg"></a><br>
They sang a duet together and then Keegan finished his set.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/rnocnastjxoqa.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/rnocnastjxoqa_small.jpg" alt="Picture 139.jpg"></a><br>
Texas Flood is named after one of my favorite songs written by Stevie Ray Vaughn. The band was very high energy and moved around the stage a lot, mixing different covers together and adding their own twists to blues classics.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/1kbbuoptqyfmaw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/1kbbuoptqyfmaw_small.jpg" alt="Picture 140.jpg"></a><br>
The guitarist and bassist had matching guitars and good chemistry. image <a href="http://www.abcportal.info/clanak/pocela-pretprodaja-ulaznica-za-12-mostar-blues-i-rock-festival">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/g2yf1lefqnioqw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/g2yf1lefqnioqw_small.jpg" alt="vlatko 1.jpg"></a><br>
Next up was The Vlatko Stefanovski Trio. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlatko_Stefanovski">Vlatko Stefanovski</a> is revered as one of the most talented guitar players in the Balkans.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/0ldikvfiwvqufa.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/0ldikvfiwvqufa_small.jpg" alt="Picture 144.jpg"></a><br>
I was right up in the front against the barrier for his performance. The mostly instrumental music was easy to dance to and he had the whole crowd moving. All that dancing tired me out and I moved to the bleachers in the back for the subsequent performers.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/qc0elmrzh9dl5w.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/qc0elmrzh9dl5w_small.jpg" alt="Picture 150.jpg"></a><br>
The headliner for Friday night was <a href="http://www.ericsardinas.co.uk/">Eric Sardinas and Big Motor</a>. He played heavy southern blues and the crowd loved it. <br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/ypitkmahp4xbw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/ypitkmahp4xbw_small.jpg" alt="Picture 154.jpg"></a><br>
About three quarters through his set, he left the stage and Big Motor (his bassist and drummer) held their own for a good ten minutes before he returned. After they had finished playing, I found Keegan and thanked him for the song before they played their encore. There were supposed to be after parties at the participating rock bars in the area. I swung by the Black Dog Pub, but it looked more like a few small groups talking among themselves so I headed back to the hostel. When I got back, Ermin and Dragan (the man from Belgrade) were still up so we sat outside and talked for an hour or so before going to bed.</p>
<p><em>Saturday, July 19</em></p>
<p>I slept in the next morning and when I got up, the Mexican had already left for the next leg of his trip. I had no plans for Saturday and drank my morning coffee with Irma in the lounge. I went out for a short walk and bought a few souvenirs in the early afternoon. When I came back the lounge was full of employees and their friends. Dragan, Ermin, and I watched <em>Old Boy</em>, a Spike Lee remake, while Irma and her friend played a board game with a guy from Belgium. Ermin wanted to see Tito and Tarantula play that night, but he had to work the hostel desk until midnight, so he was unable to join me. That night Keegan played [Sugaree](<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GikGnKuehms">www.youtube.com/watch?v=GikGnKuehms</a>) for me, a Jerry Garcia song off of his solo album. I thanked him for the song when he had finished his set and promised to see him play back in the United States sometime. The next band to take the stage was Switch, a Bosnian band from Banja Luka.<br><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/zedr90a0opoxjw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/zedr90a0opoxjw_small.jpg" alt="Picture 161.jpg"></a><br>
They mostly played covers of American blues songs. After their set, I was already tired from standing and went to sit in the bleachers where I had a great view of the stage. image <a href="http://www.zenica24sata.com/pocela-pretprodaja-ulaznica-za-12-mostar-blues-rock-festival/">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/9xki1vq6il83g.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/9xki1vq6il83g_small.jpg" alt="atomsko_skloniste 1.JPG"></a><br>
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomsko_skloni%C5%A1te">Atomsko sklonište</a> played next keeping the energy up and the audience on their feet.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/p7ry4onfawwg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/p7ry4onfawwg_small.jpg" alt="Picture 165.jpg"></a><br>
As a bass player myself, it was nice to see a bass playing lead singer for a change.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/tydhp3npahumgq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/tydhp3npahumgq_small.jpg" alt="Picture 168.jpg"></a><br>
After their set, I made my way over to the hot dog man. His grill was hanging from his shoulders with a splash guard to protect the customers from any sizzling drops of oil. His assistant would cut open the hot dog buns and place them on the grill to warm up. When a hot dog was ordered, he would quickly squirt some ketchup, mustard, or both onto a bun and pop a dog in while his assistant collected the money. The hot dog was fresh but the bun was a little tough. There were also small stands with vendors selling popcorn, almonds, and pumpkin seeds. The festival was sponsored by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O%C5%BEujsko">Ožujsko</a>, a Croatian beer and they had tents around the perimeter selling beer and other drinks. image <a href="http://www.zenica24sata.com/pocela-pretprodaja-ulaznica-za-12-mostar-blues-rock-festival/">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/bscm87vjt8wnw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/bscm87vjt8wnw_small.jpg" alt="tito_tarantula 1.JPG"></a><br>
The last performance was <a href="http://www.titoandtarantula.com/Tito_Tarantula/titoandtarantula.com.html">Tito and Taratula</a>. I stayed in my bleacher seat, unwilling to join the drunk, bustling crowd at the front of the audience.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/lda1p2ilbff0q.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/lda1p2ilbff0q_small.jpg" alt="Picture 172.jpg"></a><br>
Even though the band has been together for a long time and composed many songs for movies, they remain relatively unheard of in the United States. The drummer must have lost a bet because they sent him out first to sing the song [U.S.A.](<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0a5BJxrarL0">www.youtube.com/watch?v=0a5BJxrarL0</a>) by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dubioza_kolektiv">Dubioza Kolektiv</a>, before the set began.</p>
<blockquote class="short">
<p>I am from Bosnia</p>
<p>Take me to America</p>
<p>Take me to United States </p>
<p>I will assimilate</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Their music was good, mixing hard rock with strong blues undertones. This band had a female bassist, the first female non-singer I’d seen all weekend. Towards the end of their set, they invited members from the audience up onto the stage to dance with them as they continued to play.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/93mkggtzuvxzuq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/93mkggtzuvxzuq_small.jpg" alt="Picture 174.jpg"></a><br>
One man even joined Tito in singing the next verse of the song. The overall attitude of the festival was rather inclusive. The diversity of the audience, from punk kids with mohawks to old guys in cowboy hats to families with children reminded me of a Janis Joplin quote. I decided to add to the graffiti in the hostel and wrote this quote in between a large smoking duck (courtesy of Arthur from Belgium) and some smaller reviews.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/umxsx5wichnqg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/umxsx5wichnqg_small.jpg" alt="Picture 155.jpg"></a><br>
Music is purely for enjoyment and no one should be judged for what kind of music they listen to or how they enjoy it.</p>
<p>On my way back from the show I ran into Ermin. I sat and talked with him and his friends before heading back to the hostel. I had to get up early the next morning to catch the 7am train back to Sarajevo.</p>
<p><em>Sunday, July 20</em></p>
<p>I woke up at 6:00 on Sunday. I had packed most of my stuff the night before and only needed a few minutes to get ready before leaving. When I went down to checkout, both of the desk attendants were sleeping on the couches. I had paid in advance, so I let them sleep and left my keys on the counter. The 15 minute walk to the station was not bad because it was not too hot yet this early in the morning. I bought my train ticket and climbed the stairs to the platforms. A few minutes later the train rolled in and the small crowd boarded it. I helped the man behind me get his bike through the small doors onto the train. I found a window seat and went straight back to sleep. I awoke to the sound of a child screaming. This toddler screamed as loudly as she could for the entire second hour of the train ride. Unfortunately, the door between our seats and the closed booths where the family was sitting, was a swinging door and it would open and close depending on the acceleration of the train. All of the non-related passengers migrated from that part of the train to our seats in order to escape the nonstop screaming.</p>
<p>When we rolled into the Sarajevo station, I followed a woman with curly hair off of the train. As we were walking out, she turned to me and asked me if it was my first time in Sarajevo and if I needed any help getting around. She had seen me at the Blues Festival (and I was wearing the shirt I had bought there). We walked together and talked. She had done an IAESTE internship in Poland. When we got to the main street near my apartment, we went different directions. When I got back to the apartment, Paras unlocked the door for me. I unpacked, showered and did a load of laundry. I also finally had the time to finish unpacking from my trip to Serbia. I went to the grocery store and bought some food for the week. That evening I had two back-to-back Skype calls scheduled around a 9 hour time difference to California.</p>
<p><em>Monday, July 21</em></p>
<p>I showed up at work at my usual time and immediately transferred my pictures from my camera to the computer. It had begun to lightly rain by the time I was leaving and Mirela gave me a ride most of the way, dropping me off across from the US Embassy. That evening I had one more Skype call scheduled.</p>
<p><em>Tuesday, July 22</em></p>
<p>On Tuesday, I hopped on the #6 tram to take me to work. I had seen two #5 trams pass and I had a funny feeling because I had never seen a #5 before. When we got to the station where the #5 turns around, there were four trams already there! One was blocking the tracks and the other three were lined up in the circling loop. My tram turned onto the loop, opened its doors, and kicked us all off. I still needed to go two more stops to get to work so I walked the short distance. Unfortunately, I arrived at work after the cafe window was closed, so I was unable to get my morning kafa.</p>
<p>While I was settling into the office, Zoran helped me plan my transportation to Osijek. The only two bus options would either have me leaving at 1:30 in the morning or arriving at 8pm. With Zoran’s help, I found a 9:30am bus that would get me across the border to Slavonski Brod and then from there it would be a short, frequently occurring, bus ride to Osijek. I was travelling to Osijek for the <a href="http://www.iaeste.hr/gett-osijek-2014/index.php">IAESTE Croatia intern get-together</a>. I had seen previous plans for a meetup in Poland but that would have been too far for me to attend. The IAESTE HR members had organized a weekend of events for us around the city. Since Ramadan was finishing on the 28, the following two weeks would be a holiday from work. I decided to take advantage of this by travelling from Osijek to Zagreb, then Budapest and Belgrade before returning to Sarajevo in time to pick up my mother from the airport on August 1st. I printed out some maps for the capital cities and began researching hostels, walking tours, and free events.</p>
<p>As I was about to leave work it started raining furiously, big fat drops were falling quickly. I stood on the stairs to the building and waited for the rain to lighten up. Once I saw my chance I darted out and started fast-walking to the tram station. The large, dark clouds were rumbling as they rolled down the hills into the valley. It started raining hard again while I was waiting for the light to change. I saw two women leaving the protection of the tram stop to run to a dry spot next to a building and I remembered that the tram was not running this far down the line. Amer had mentioned a bus that would be completing the services but I don’t usually take buses in Sarajevo and did not know where it would pick up. I walked as quickly as I could to the gas station down the street and stood under the roof, looking out at the pouring rain. I was soon joined by the women from the tram stop and a man with two children.</p>
<p>The rain was starting to slow down when my fellow refugees made their moves. I followed them back out and saw a big yellow bus ambling down the road towards us. It pulled over next to the gas station and we all hopped on. There was a temporary sign taped up inside the door “ILIDZA – NEDZARICI” telling the passengers that this bus was specifically for getting commuters around the tram construction. I sat down in the back, glad to be out of the rain. When we got to the Nedzarici tram station, everyone filed out and crossed the street like a migrating herd. To get onto the tram we either had to show our passes, or buy a ticket, just like the stop in Ilidza at the end of the line.</p>
<p>I made it back to the apartment without any problems and spent the evening planning out my trip to Zagreb. I reserved a bed in a hostel and drew a route on the map so that I could hit all of the open sights in one big loop. Unfortunately since I would be in Zagreb on Monday, all of the museums were closed, so I would be able to see most of the main sights in a short period of time.</p>
<p><em>In summary:</em></p>
<p>The people that I have met in the Balkans have been welcoming, generous, and very hospitable. They live in relative harmony and focus on enjoying each day instead of the political woes facing their countries. They are very inclusive and apologize often for speaking the native language even though I am the visitor. Even strangers, recognizing that I am a foreigner, offer me help instead of taking advantage of me. They want to share their life with me and show me how wonderful their cities are, despite all of the negative media attention in the past. Amer likened the American picture of the region to be similar to the violent conflict that is currently taking place in the Gaza and I had to agree with him. After the war, international reporting effectively stopped and most of the local news sites are in the local languages. The recent flooding brought reporting back to the area, but they focused on the tragedies. Calm, everyday life does not make good headlines.</p>
<p>I did, however, notice some underlying tension that has remained from the conflict. While in Novi Sad, Serbia, I befriended a group of Serbians from a small neighboring city. Our conversation touched on Muslims and I was surprised to hear one of them say, “I don’t like having to work with Muslims, I just don’t like them, you know?” This caught me off guard and I had to hold my tongue. While in Mostar talking with a man who I assume was Bosnian, he mentioned a few times that the Croatians only care about money and they are why the vendors are so aggressive and tourism along the coast is more expensive. I had to keep in mind that the war was in the lifetime of the people I was talking to and they had first hand experience of “ethnic cleansing”. Although the war may have been started by one ethnic group, each side retaliated with comparable brutality. That being said, most of the civilians were only victims and not directly involved in the fighting. As a young child, being targeted by the other ethnicities would leave an understandable mark of fear, distrust, and even hatred. Hopefully the new generation that did not experience the violence will be able to put their differences behind them and work together to stabilize the future of the Balkan countries.</p>
<p>While travelling around, I will not have access to a computer and therefor will not be able to upload pictures to the blog posts. Those that are interested in my experiences in Visoko, Osijek, Zagreb, Budapest, Belgrade, and then my trip through Croatia, Italy, and France can check back for regular updates without pictures. Once I return to Pittsburgh, I will be adding pictures and plan to have them all ready by the time classes start on the 25th.</p>
tag:sarajevo.svbtle.com,2014:Post/week-7-july-10162014-07-16T04:03:00-07:002014-07-16T04:03:00-07:00Week 7: July 10-16<p><em>Thursday, July 10</em></p>
<p>I woke up very early Thursday morning. I was excited for my trip to Serbia and the adrenaline helped me get out of bed. I had packed the night before so I didn’t have to worry about forgetting anything. I threw my brush in the bag, ate the rest of my cheerios and grabbed the garbage from my room to dispose of on my way out. I thought I had made a stealthy escape but as I left the building, I heard Paras call my name. He was standing on the balcony and wanted to make sure I had left my keys. We have two sets of keys to the apartment for three people, so while I was gone I was letting him use my set. The sun was just starting to rise and the quiet was broken only by the squawks of the crow-like birds. The songbirds rose with the sun and chirped relentlessly, announcing to all that were awake that it was morning.<br>
image <a href="http://www.autobusi.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=34">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/g0m2cmhkrnx4bw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/g0m2cmhkrnx4bw_small.jpg" alt="bus station sarajevo.jpg"></a><br>
I arrived at the bus station a few minutes after 6am. There were a few other passengers mulling around the station, sitting in the caffe and reading newspapers. The bus pulled up to the station at 6:10, half an hour before it was scheduled to leave. After seeing a woman with pink hair board the bus, I approached it and handed my backpack to the man standing in the doorway. “One bag, one mark,” he said and tagged my bag, placing it in the compartment under the bus. I found a seat near the front and settled in as a few more passengers slowly joined us. A man with dreadlocks boarded the bus and greeted the woman with pink hair. They must have known each other and were both going to the <a href="http://www.exitfest.org/en">Exit Festival</a>. An American wearing a Washington Redskins jersey got on the bus and sat a few rows behind me. By the time we pulled out of the station we had less than ten riders on the bus.<br>
The clouds were blocking the sun and it was quite cold on the bus. There were twenty stops in between Sarajevo and Novi Sad. After driving for about an hour, we ascended into the surrounding mountains. These narrow, winding streets did not intimidate the driver and he only sped up, expertly navigating around hairpin turns. I was too pumped up on adrenaline to sleep and the countryside was beautiful. Small farms dotted the hills and sheep grazed lazily on the grass. There were a few logging companies situated out in the wilderness and they had their sawmills along the road. The trip was scheduled to arrive in Novi Sad at 14:55, for a total travel time of <br>
8 hours and 15 minutes.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/ufoxrochuzamwg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/ufoxrochuzamwg_small.jpg" alt="bus route all.JPG"></a><br>
At some of the stations we would had 10-15 minutes to stretch our legs, use the WC, and smoke. We stopped at one restaurant up in the mountains that had a fountain from a natural spring.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/dp6hzbczpgslmw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/dp6hzbczpgslmw_small.jpg" alt="Picture 001.jpg"></a><br>
I ate my grapefruit while we took a short break here, then we all got back on the bus and continued on our way. We made it to the border at around 11am. First we stopped at the BiH checkpoint and I got my passport stamped signifying my departure from Bosnia. Then we crossed the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drina">Drina River</a> and stopped at the entrance checkpoint to Serbia.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/weiunjyhh8ftng.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/weiunjyhh8ftng_small.jpg" alt="Picture 003.jpg"></a><br>
My passport was faintly stamped again. The woman with the pink hair and the man with the dreadlocks were chosen to be searched more thoroughly. They had to bring their luggage from underneath the bus into the station to be checked. This took about ten minutes each and once they were cleared we were moving again. The bus driver and the ticket collector switched places. Directly across the border was mostly agriculture with small, single-family farms growing corn. As we drove along the river, I could see how high the water had gotten during the floods because there was trash hanging from trees and water damaged buildings along the banks. Now that we were out of the mountains, passing was allowed on the small highways. I never would have expected a bus to pass so many trucks and cars but I was surprised by the acceleration capabilities of the bus. When we stopped in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruma">Ruma</a>, our second to last stop, it began to storm. It rained hard and fast but the bus driver never slowed down. We powered through deep puddles, spraying water high into the air.</p>
<p>Luckily the storm had passed by the time we pulled into the Novi Sad bus station. image <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Novisad3.jpg">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/bqtddnlyhb3beq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/bqtddnlyhb3beq_small.jpg" alt="ns train station.jpg"></a><br>
Similar to the other bus stations in the region, the bus station was next to the train station. They dropped us off at the train station and handed out the luggage. I went into the train station and exchanged 100 marks for about 6000 dinars. I grabbed my jacket and the map I had printed out, and headed off in the direction of the fortress. I had decided that it would be easiest to first visit the fortress to collect my wristband, and from there get directions to the camp. There were signs directing traffic to the fortress and once I got to the bridge that crossed the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danube">Danube River</a>, the sidewalks were filling up with festival goers.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/adrxme9t3h4q0q.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/adrxme9t3h4q0q_small.jpg" alt="Picture 008.jpg"></a><br>
After crossing the bridge, there were <a href="http://www.exitfest.org/en">Exit Festival</a> signs with directions to the entrance and ticket areas. I traded my E-ticket for a red, plastic wristband signifying that I would have access for the entire weekend. Single-day tickets did not need wristbands. Blue, cloth writbands were provided to partiers that had bought the Exit Adventure package which included a ticket to the <a href="http://www.seadancefestival.me/en">Sea Dance Festival</a>, a beach festival in Montenegro which continued for the rest of the week. On my way from the fortress to the camp, I missed a turn and ended up walking along the river until I found a beach bar/club where I was able to ask for directions. They sent me off in the correct direction and after passing through the University campus, I arrived at the camp ground that had been set up on the lawn in front of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SPC_Vojvodina">SPENS Sports Center</a>. To my dismay, there was a huge, blob shaped line for the camp registration. Charter buses pulled up and added more weary travelers to the ever-growing mass of tired and hungry people. Surprisingly, people were drinking alcohol in line. I had assumed that they would at least wait until they had set up their tents to drink, but they wanted to get the party started. A Serbian local was making his way through the crowd selling bottles of rakija, “the national drink of Serbia” (and the rest of the Balkans).</p>
<p>Finally, at around 8pm, I had made it to the front of the line. They photocopied my passport and then I was directed to the desk. I exchanged the photocopy, my E-ticket, and a form with my expected departure date and emergency contact information for a green wristband. Once inside the camp, I tried to buy a small tent. I was told I had to first acquire an Exit money card before I could make any purchases. The card was used for merchandise and drinks, but cash was needed for food. I found the money tent and got my card. There was a 100din deposit that would be returned, along with a refund for any money left on the card, when I left, as long as I kept the original receipt. After buying the small “two-person” tent for 3500din ($40), I proceeded to wander around the grounds looking for an open spot to claim as my own.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/0vic2vbx2hjcdg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/0vic2vbx2hjcdg_small.jpg" alt="mapa_kampa.JPG"></a><br>
There were two sides to the camp. The side with the showers, food, and ATM was full, so I crossed over to the more residential side. I found a spot at the far end of the site, near the bathrooms and the back entrance. On one side were two small single-person tents, and on the other side I was next to some roots. The tiny 4'x6’ tent fit snugly, and it was a plus to not have neighbors on the one side. Here is my blue tent with bright yellow accents.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/gjdx8vbcdecedw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/gjdx8vbcdecedw_small.jpg" alt="Picture 005.jpg"></a><br>
The instructions provided with the tent were in multiple languages, but unfortunately only languages found in the Balkans. Thankfully the tent was a breeze to put up. It had two crossing support beams and the smallest rain cover that went over the one vent at the top. Once I was all settled in, I made my way to the shower area to fill all of my water bottles. <br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/cq7a23sxrdzgqw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/cq7a23sxrdzgqw_small.jpg" alt="Picture 007.jpg"></a><br>
On the left are all of the showers, and on the right are the faucets. image <a href="http://flickrhivemind.net/Tags/exit2012/Interesting">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/zkby07zrb9hjza.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/zkby07zrb9hjza_small.jpg" alt="camp faucets.jpg"></a><br>
If I had known that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nemanja_Koji%C4%87_(musician)">Hornsman Coyote</a> would be playing at 8pm on Thursday, I would have gone to the festival earlier, but without a schedule, I decided to take a nap before heading out because I was exhausted from my long day. I left the camp at about midnight and walked back towards the bridge. Fireworks were being launched above the fortress and I wished I had left earlier in order to see them. I came across a group of young Serbians who were selling rakija in test tubes. They were only 19 but did not have tickets to the festival and were just selling the rakija to make some money. They explained the high unemployment rates in Serbia to me, which were similar to the issues in Bosnia. They were walking with a man from Belgrade who was also going to the festival alone, but just for one night. The walkway along the river was full of young people drinking and hanging out. Not all had tickets for the festival, but the street was almost a party on its own. Bottles and cans littered the walkway and there were more locals selling rakija. image <a href="http://www.vojvodinacafe.rs/forum/novi-sad/ns-ko-s-razglednice-13090/strana4.html">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/wgbf27mihxvq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/wgbf27mihxvq_small.jpg" alt="walk.jpg"></a><br>
The bridge had lights on it and they changed colors. Here we left the young Serbians and I continued with the man from Belgrade over the bridge and to the Festival. The bridge was lined with more venders selling hladno pivo (cold beer), plastic ponchos, and all kinds of glowstick accessories. Once we were across the bridge, the street was closed to all traffic except buses and it was full of people. image <a href="http://www.exitfest.org/en/node/7877">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/bgvdlptjiziha.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/bgvdlptjiziha_small.jpg" alt="podgradje exit.jpg"></a><br>
The man I was with stopped to buy a single-day ticket and Exit money card and then we headed into the festival. First they had a gate with a large dumpster for everyone to dispose of their bottles. Further up the path, the workers scanned the barcodes on the tickets and writsbands. There was no in and out access in order to deter any ticket-sharing; once I was in, I would have to stay until I was done. Another 20 yards up the hill was the security area. They checked bags and jackets for contraband which included any food, water, and, of course, drugs.</p>
<p>We entered through the main entrance and just inside the fortress walls there was a booth handing out schedules and maps. image <a href="http://www.exitfest.org/en">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/tyaihzzrbuspg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/tyaihzzrbuspg_small.jpg" alt="mapa_festivala.JPG"></a><br>
In all, there were 13 different stages. The thick stone walls of the fortress insulated the stages from each other very well. The first stage we encountered was the Main Stage and we arrived in the middle of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pet_shop_boys">Pet Shop Boys</a> concert. The music was good and everyone was singing along and dancing. They had two dancers that would change outfits every song. They had silver suits, black suits with stiff arms that reached the ground, red body-suits with large brain hats, the list goes on and on. image <a href="http://rocksubculture.com/2014/04/10/pet-shop-boys-electric-tour-2014-at-fox-theater-oakland-california-482014-concert-review-psbtour/">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/yxdxj5pgshsva.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/yxdxj5pgshsva_small.jpg" alt="pet shop boys.jpg"></a><br>
At one point, the man from Belgrade saw some people he knew, and I wanted to move closer to the stage so we split up. After the encore performance I headed to the next stage, ready to boogie down to some bumpin’ grooves. I arrived at the Radio AS FM Stage and found some space near the front to dance. image <a href="https://sr-rs.facebook.com/beogradnocu.com.fanpage/posts/479872288816737">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/vxzpwg515hoy4w.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/vxzpwg515hoy4w_small.jpg" alt="sa fm.jpg"></a><br>
Soon after I began dancing, I was approached by a young Serbian woman who invited me to join her group. They were all 26-27 years old and were very welcoming. They were from another town but had come to Novi Sad for the festival. I danced with them for a while and then we decided to move to the next stage. We went to the Gaia eXperiment Trance Stage which was small enough for them to meet one of their friends. image <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoucvbCMxTs">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/2waqaa156xfqa.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/2waqaa156xfqa_small.jpg" alt="gaia.jpg"></a><br>
After meeting their friend, we went back to the AS FM stage for the rest of the night. We left the Festival at 5am. It had started to rain and two of the group members invited me to sleep on their couch so that I would not have to camp in the rain. They were staying at the apartment of one of their brothers and it was close to the festival. The guy told me about how his father was a fishing permit officer on the Danube River but he rarely ticketed anyone because the unlicensed fishers needed to fish in order to have something to eat. We stayed up and talked and went to bed around 7am, they shared the pull-out couch while I slept on the other couch. </p>
<p><em>Friday, July 11</em></p>
<p>In the morning (2pm), we drank coffee while watching Adventure Time on Cartoon Network, a favorite show that we had in common. image <a href="http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/tv_shows/adventuretime/video/index.html?atclk_gn=un_video_Adventure-Time">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/w8m8u7xeldraug.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/w8m8u7xeldraug_small.jpg" alt="adventure-time.JPG"></a><br>
They gave me their phone number and we made plans to meet later with the rest of the group. After we grabbed a quick meal from the pekara down the street, I headed back to the camp around 4 to change and relax. It started to rain pretty hard in the evening, but the lowered temperatures enabled me to nap. They had written the meeting place on a post-it note for me and by asking enough locals, I was eventually directed to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novi_Sad_Fair">Novi Sad Fair</a>. image <a href="http://shows.newmaker.com/company-779-Novi-Sad-Fair.html">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/gvxuvxp1alwhxa.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/gvxuvxp1alwhxa_small.jpg" alt="novi sad fair.jpg"></a><br>
From there I borrowed a phone to call them and a few minutes later he came down to meet me and take me to the friend’s apartment. After a 4 floor ride in the smallest elevator I have ever been in, we rejoined the group. There were about 10 people sitting around in the living room. The resident, Nikola, was playing music through a set of small speakers. Two of the girls had made snacks: small croissant shaped pastries with salama and cheese rolled inside. I sat next to a man who had traveled to Iran, so he could relate to my experience of being in a country where I didn’t really speak the language. They shared everything with me, including their <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinjak">Vinjak</a>, which is a Serbian brandy. image <a href="http://www.packageinspiration.com/rubinov-vinjak.html/">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/hwb0jspicferkq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/hwb0jspicferkq_small.jpg" alt="Rubinov-Vinjak-2.jpg"></a><br>
After a while we headed out to the bus stop. A few of the members of the group stayed behind because they only had Saturday night tickets. It had stopped raining but the bus was packed. We were lucky enough to squeeze in the back. We got off at the stop right before the bridge where there were promo girls handing out free bottles of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burn_(energy_drink)">Burn</a>, an energy drink made by Coca Cola. image <a href="http://www.sibeg.it/en/prodotti/sparkling-drinks/burn.html">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/o6xfaretowgymg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/o6xfaretowgymg_small.jpg" alt="burn.jpg"></a><br>
Small newsstands were selling tiny, 50ml bottles of alcohol and they were very popular because they were the perfect size for smuggling into the festival. We joined the flow of people crossing the bridge. When we came across a vendor selling rain ponchos, Nikola bought two and gave one to me. When we made it to the entrance, we threw out all of the leftover Burn and headed through. First we went to the Main Stage to see <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rudimental">Rudimental</a>. image <a href="http://www.richardisaac.co.uk/2014/02/rudimental-brixton-academy/">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/fmeipvwyrv5fdg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/fmeipvwyrv5fdg_small.jpg" alt="wpid-15-02-2014_Rudimental_concert_Brixton_Academy_048.jpg"></a><br>
We spent the rest of the night hopping from stage to stage, dancing and having fun. We stopped by the Fusion Stage to see <a href="http://www.exitfest.org/en/stages/fusionstage/asian-dub-foundation">Asian Dub Foundation</a>. image <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asian_Dub_Foundation">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/bpnnziy0mfyqyq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/bpnnziy0mfyqyq_small.jpg" alt="Asian_Dub_Foundation.jpg"></a><br>
We ended the night at the Main Stage with <a href="http://www.exitfest.org/en/stages/mainstage/my-nu-leng">My Nu Leng</a>. image <a href="http://daily-beat.com/nu-leng-knowing/">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/rfo2vks1vgrosg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/rfo2vks1vgrosg_small.jpg" alt="my nu leng.jpg"></a><br>
I headed back to the camp and fell asleep as soon as I laid down in my tent.</p>
<p><em>Saturday, July 12</em></p>
<p>I awoke to the sound of a very loud motor. It sounded like someone was riding a motorcycle right outside of my tent! I could only assume that they were emptying the port-o-potties at 8 o'clock in the morning, but I had no windows. When the motor shut off, a woman with a thick Serbian accent yelled, “Thank you! It sucks to sleep with that noise!” and everyone in the camp started cheering and clapping. Why they scheduled the cleaning at 8am for a camp catering to festival goers escapes me. Now that everyone was awake, the camp was full of tired, hungover people, milling about in the bright sun. Once the morning had warmed up, it was too hot to sleep in the tents. It felt like a sauna because the heat from the sun penetrated the tents but the breeze could not. Most of the campers were not done sleeping and simply moved their bedding to the shade. image <a href="http://www.festicket.com/festival/exit-festival-2013/">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/zi1m9hdz6npa.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/zi1m9hdz6npa_small.jpg" alt="sleeping in shade.jpg"></a><br>
I decided to take a quick walk around town to see what Novi Sad was all about. My original plan was to find a place to grab brunch, so I did not bring my camera. I ended up stumbling into the center of the city. This blog <a href="http://www.emminlondon.com/2010/09/novi-sad-liberty-square-and-town-centre.html"><strong>that is linked here</strong></a> has many pictures from the center of town and descriptions for each. The most prominent building was the Crkva imena Marijinog, the Roman Catholic Parish Church of St Mary’s Name. It had a beautiful, multi-colored roof. The door was open and when I went inside I was amazed by the full height of the ceilings and the intricate stained glass. image <a href="http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1240483&page=9">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/dtt7za1jgwabfa.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/dtt7za1jgwabfa_small.jpg" alt="Crkva_imena_Marijinog.jpg"></a><br>
When I returned to the camp, more people were up. There was a pool in the sports center that had music playing and many people from the camp were sunbathing by the pool. There were puddles inside my tent where the rain had leaked in and I used a plastic spoon to scoop the water (and mud from my boots) into an empty can of corn before dumping it outside of my tent. This hack was quite effective and once the puddles were gone, the heat evaporated the damp spots. I put my bedding out in the sun the dry off and I spent the rest of the day relaxing the shade. Once it was cool enough, I took a nap before heading over to the festival around 9pm. I was planning on seeing Afrojack that night, but he would not be playing until 1:45am. I decided to check out the other stages. My first stop was the Silent Disco Stage. image <a href="http://flickeflu.com/set/72157626692518239">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/p9pe6gji8idrq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/p9pe6gji8idrq_small.jpg" alt="silent disco.jpg"></a><br>
This stage was nestled in between the Latin Stage and the Metal Stage. I showed up at the perfect time before the line got long. I went down the stairs and was handed a set of headphones. There were 2 channel options and volume control. It was very interesting to see people dancing to different beats. This stage turned out to be my favorite part of the festival, I stayed and danced for a long time. I eventually made my way to the Dance Arena Stage, stopping at the Reggae stage and the Green Village on my way. The Green Village was an area with bean bags and lights for people to relax in. They sold cigarettes and had a few stations around the festival as well as one station at the camp. When I made it to the Dance Arena Stage, they were still finishing the previous set. They had two women dressed as robots dancing and a woman performing aerial silk acrobatics. This picture is from the 2009 Exit festival, but it is the same stage. image <a href="http://www.katieswift.com/#!aerial-stilts/cn4w">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/h4z5fgyvw42y9w.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/h4z5fgyvw42y9w_small.jpg" alt="aerial silk.JPG"></a><br>
When it was finally time for Afrojack vs Quintino, the crowd was packed tightly, and more people continued to push their way in. image <a href="https://twitter.com/Afrojack247">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/wsdqgprrg5hl4a.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/wsdqgprrg5hl4a_small.jpg" alt="afrojack quintino.JPG"></a><br>
I started down in the ground level part of the audience, but it was too full, so I moved up behind the sound tent and there was a lot of empty space. I was exhausted from my lack of sleep the night before and after dancing for an hour or so I sat down and accidentally fell asleep! I woke up as the show was ending around 3:45 and took advantage of the migrating crowd to slip out and go back to the camp.</p>
<p><em>Sunday, July 13</em></p>
<p>I had originally planned to skip Sunday night and return to Sarajevo in time for work on Monday, but seeing that Pretty Lights and Adventure Club were scheduled, I decided to stay and sent Amer an email from a cafe with wifi. I was rudely awoken again by the motor at 8am and it was already heating up. I took another walk, and this time visited the old part of the town next to the fortress. I walked along the Danube River and stopped at a memorial statue. Around the statue was a list of names. The description was in Serbian, but after asking my co-workers when I returned, I had enough information to research it online. <br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/5sejkcnotacbw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/5sejkcnotacbw_small.jpg" alt="Picture 009.jpg"></a><br>
<a href="http://sites-of-memory.de/main/novisadzrtvamaracije.html">“The statue was built in 1971 and it stands for the mass shooting of Serbs, Jews and Gypsies by Hungarian fascists in 1942.”</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/3zgvvpqjnvxdq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/3zgvvpqjnvxdq_small.jpg" alt="Picture 011.jpg"></a><br>
Along the river they had large barges moored to the bank with caffes, and there was even a floating Citroen dealership.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/9mcwx6j9pviwq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/9mcwx6j9pviwq_small.jpg" alt="Picture 014.jpg"></a><br>
The Danube River is much bigger than the Miljacka that flows by my apartment. <a href="http://sites-of-memory.de/main/novisadzrtvamaracije.html">“You can see in the Danube river two pillars of the Franc Josef bridge that was built in 1883. It was destroyed in April 11, 1941 by the military of the former Kingdom of Yugoslavia to prevent Germans from entering the city.”</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/usj91qeuuhayvw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/usj91qeuuhayvw_small.jpg" alt="Picture 015.jpg"></a><br>
During the day, this quiet street is relatively empty, but at night it is full of partiers walking to the festival. I was amused by the weeds growing out of the gutters on this old building.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/ychnqxpoqeb4w.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/ychnqxpoqeb4w_small.jpg" alt="Picture 016.jpg"></a><br>
Everything on this side of the river was very old.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/jaoamddcxxmca.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/jaoamddcxxmca_small.jpg" alt="Picture 018.jpg"></a><br>
To get to the main entrance to the festival, all of the participants had to pass through this gate.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/cqhi7vbgxm9n1a.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/cqhi7vbgxm9n1a_small.jpg" alt="Picture 020.jpg"></a><br>
There were volunteers picking up trash and people sleeping in the shade. I honestly think these people never made it home and spent the morning on the grass. The sun was blazing hot and I took a break in the shade outside of the fortress entrance.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/4ojyd9jwi3xrqq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/4ojyd9jwi3xrqq_small.jpg" alt="Picture 022.jpg"></a><br>
After my short break, I headed back towards the bridge. I passed some marine-themed street art.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/eiqzhlfnsjzswa.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/eiqzhlfnsjzswa_small.jpg" alt="Picture 023.jpg"></a><br>
Here I am next to the Danube River.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/ccx9lcpn7g5ga.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/ccx9lcpn7g5ga_small.jpg" alt="Picture 025.jpg"></a><br>
When I got back to the camp around noon, I was starving! I stopped at the ATM then waited in line at one of the food stalls. I ordered an Index Sendvic, which is a local specialty in Novi Sad. image <a href="http://www.minikes.rs/ponude/dva-velika-index-senvica-za-220-din-u-piceriji-italia">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/zauedcpmxdssg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/zauedcpmxdssg_small.jpg" alt="index.jpg"></a><br>
According to my Lonely Planet guidebook, the Index sandwich was created in the 1990s and named after a local football team. It was delicious and consisted of mushrooms melted into cheese inside of thick slices of ham on a long sub with any choice of toppings. I took my sandwich across the street to a grassy area with trees. I settled under a small tree and ate in the shade. After eating, I copied the rest of the people on the lawn and took a nap in the grass. I must have laid down on some little critter because when I woke up I had two small bug bites on the back of my hand. After waking up from my nap, I stopped by the small grocery store next to the camp. I bought an iced tea and headed to the park next to the river. I found another good nap spot and fell asleep in the shade. Around 4 I headed back to the camp and sat in the shade in the Green Village, enjoying the music and staying out of the sun. After a few hours, a big dark cloud came rolling in and the pressure dropped. I stopped at the gyro stall for dinner. image <a href="http://www.donesi.com/beograd/en/big-pork-gyros-o646-p50213.php">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/jqkbv0pzjbeq7q.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/jqkbv0pzjbeq7q_small.jpg" alt="gyro.jpg"></a><br>
I ordered a chicken gyro and was pleasantly surprised when they put french fries inside of it. This reminded me of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where it is not uncommon to find fries in sandwiches and salads. I made it back to my tent just in time before it started raining. The weather had changed so quickly, but at least it was cool enough to be inside the tent. I headed back over to the festival around 9pm; I was aiming to arrive right when the Silent Disco opened so that I wouldn’t have to wait in a long line.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/ie7ao1lmygoyaw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/ie7ao1lmygoyaw_small.jpg" alt="suede.jpg"></a><br>
image <a href="http://cosmicjaam.com/wp/jaxx/2013/03/30/review-photos-suede-rock-city-nottingham-live/">source</a><br><br>
After a satisfactory dance at the Silent Disco, I stopped by the main stage to see a band called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suede_(band)">Suede</a> around midnight. I wasn’t in the mood for their style of music and after a few songs I headed over to the Urban Bug stage to see what exactly an urban bug was. image <a href="http://www.kurir-info.rs/klupska-energija-na-exitu-gaia-experiment-trance-stage-i-urban-bug-stage-clanak-1440491">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/jpbue0vfhveyoq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/jpbue0vfhveyoq_small.jpg" alt="urban bug.jpg"></a><br>
The pumpin’ beats made me feel energized and I danced until it was time to head back to the Main Stage to see <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pretty_lights">Pretty Lights</a> around 2am. image <a href="http://www.songkick.com/artists/645604-pretty-lights">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/zllsgpb61acqnw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/zllsgpb61acqnw_small.jpg" alt="pretty lights.JPG"></a><br>
I had seen <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pretty_lights">Pretty Lights</a> for the first time last summer at Outside Lands and his light show never disappointed. The music was good and the entire audience was dancing. When his set was over, I walked around the festival, looking to see if there was a stage that I wanted to check out. I bought a slice of pizza and settled down in the Green Village to take a break before the final show I wanted to see: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adventure_Club">Adventure Club</a> at 5:15am.<br>
image <a href="http://thissongissick.com/tag/adventure-club/#sthash.yjMlkF3X.dpbs">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/fzu4uwrv86ypa.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/fzu4uwrv86ypa_small.jpg" alt="adventure club.jpg"></a><br>
My friend and I had gone to a small <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adventure_Club">Adventure Club</a> show in Pittsburgh last fall and I remember enjoying it. When I found a spot to watch the show from, I was pleasantly surprised to be right behind one of the Serbians that I had hung out with a few days prior. The sky was getting lighter as the morning progressed. By the time they were done, I was practically asleep on my feet, I made it back to the camp and wiggled into my tent. </p>
<p><em>Monday, July 14</em></p>
<p>My original plan had been to leave immediately and slowly walk to the bus station, but I made the mistake of laying down and woke up at 9:30 Monday morning. I had missed my 8:30am bus! I quickly took down my tent and returned my Exit money card. I was glad to have the extra cash on hand because I ended up needing it at the station. I struck out towards the bus station, it was a straight shot down a big street. When I arrived, I went first to the information desk. I was relieved to learn that the next bus to Sarajevo would be leaving at 12:15. I settled in for the short wait, repacked my tent and tried to scrape some of the mud off of my shoes. <br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/qyc4t1yo4enw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/qyc4t1yo4enw_small.jpg" alt="Picture 029.jpg"></a><br>
With all of the rain, the fortress had turned into a mud pit! Luckily, I wore my boots so my feet stayed dry. Next to the bus station were small vendors selling magazines, sandwiches, and drinks. image <a href="http://www.panoramio.com/user/693202?with_photo_id=11310870">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/tzc4hzrlqvrb2w.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/tzc4hzrlqvrb2w_small.jpg" alt="ns bus food.jpg"></a><br>
I grabbed a ham and cheese sendvic and an iced tea. I then headed into the station to have my return ticket validated. It cost 120 dinars, about $1, to get the bar-coded receipt that I needed to enter the boarding area. When the bus pulled up at noon, I had my bag tagged and stowed and I got a seat in the back. I fell asleep as soon as we started moving. I must have been exhausted because I was awoken by my British seat-mate shaking my shoulder. The ticket collector was making the rounds. I gave her my ticket and paid 60din for the checked bag. Then I fell back asleep. I slept for most of the ride home, waking up only to eat my sandwich. The sandwich was really tasty with fresh bread, a generous heaping of shredded cheese, and slices of hard boiled eggs.</p>
<p>We arrived back in Sarajevo around 8:30pm. I hopped off the bus and headed straight for the trolley station down the street. Because it was the end of the line, there was plenty of room for me and my bag when the empty trolley pulled up. The stop closest to my apartment is in the middle of the street that is being repaved. As I was walking the few blocks home, I saw a gypsy woman and her daughter sneaking off with one of the metal pipes from the construction site! They leave the construction areas open to the public in order to save money on fencing and surveillance, but they run the risk of their supplies walking off during the night. The doors were unlocked when I got back to the apartment and my roommates were chilling in their room. I took a shower, unpacked, and checked my emails. Even after sleeping the majority of the day, I had still not caught up and slept soundly all night.</p>
<p><em>Tuesday, July 15</em></p>
<p>I walked back into the office Tuesday morning to find my desk covered in large P&ID printouts. My co-workers asked about my weekend and welcomed me back to work. For lunch, I ordered a doner from Fenix and it was filling. While we were eating, Drina gave me suggestions of places to visit while I am in Mostar. In the afternoon, I asked Zoran if I could have Thursday and Friday off again to go down to Mostar for the <a href="http://mostarblues.com/v2/vijesti_eng.html">Blues Festival</a>. image <a href="http://sova.ba/12-mostar-blues-rock-fest-2014">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/whyezgwwwslhiw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/whyezgwwwslhiw_small.jpg" alt="mbf.jpg"></a><br>
I had to choose between this festival in Mostar and the <a href="http://demofest.org/">Demofest</a> in Banja Luka this weekend, but my love for blues and the lack of English information about the Demofest ultimately swayed my decision. After work I headed down to the Baščaršija to buy my festival ticket, but the hostel that was listed as the Stari Grad ticket vendor was locked. I went home empty handed, did a load of laundry, and had a few skype calls, reassuring my mother and friends that I had survived camping alone at the festival in Serbia. I bought my festival ticket online for 40km ($27) and made a packing list. I had to wait for my clothes to dry before I could pack them.</p>
<p><em>Wednesday, July 16</em></p>
<p>I woke up early Wednesday morning and packed my damp clothes, some snacks, and my camera into my small daypack. When I left to go to work, I gave my keys to my roommate so that he could have a set for the weekend. At work I was able to print my ticket, look up bus times, and find a hostel. In my Lonely Planet guidebook, there was a section on accommodation. I saw a hip looking hostel in a converted bar that was presumably run by “music-lovers”. It took me a while to find this hostel online because they had since changed their name and closed the website that was listed. I eventually found the new name and some extremely positive reviews on TripAdvisor. I booked a standard dorm room with a shared bathroom for 4 nights. For lunch we went to the small restaurant in the mostly abandoned area behind our office. I ordered the cevapi again, they were good, but not as good as the ones from the Stari Grad.</p>
<p>The beginning of the trip to Mostar will be part of next weeks post.</p>
tag:sarajevo.svbtle.com,2014:Post/week-6-july-392014-07-09T12:25:04-07:002014-07-09T12:25:04-07:00Week 6: July 3-9<p><em>Friday, July 4</em></p>
<p><strong>Fourth of July!</strong></p>
<p>For lunch on Friday, I tried something new. I got bread filled with melted cheese, smothered in a white, creamy sauce, sprinkled with sauteed mushrooms and topped off with a few thin slices of grilled chicken. Needless to say, it was delicious. I was dismissed from work early, and took the time to begin preparing for the <a href="http://www.exitfest.org/en">Exit Festival</a> next week. I was able to catch my friend online and we chatted for a bit about the holiday.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/j9txqezf8hrgpw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/j9txqezf8hrgpw_small.jpg" alt="woki.jpg"></a><br>
image <a href="http://www.sonar.ba/experience.php?action=full&type=1&id=126&lang=ba">source</a></p>
<p>The [IAESTE](<a href="http://www.iaeste.org/">www.iaeste.org/</a>) members had organized a dinner for us that evening. We were all to meet in front of [BBI](bbicentar.ba/eng/) around 8pm. Then we walked a few blocks to a delightful little restaurant named Woki. The walls were covered in food themed cartoon characters, such as pizza slices with arms and hamburgers with eyes. The lights were large, gold cheese graters. We waited until it was time for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iftar">iftar</a>, the evening breaking of the <a href="http://eski.ihh.org.tr/bosna-da-ramazan-bir-baska-geciyor/en/">Ramadan</a> fast, before digging in. For dinner we all had the Sesame sandwich and a wonderfully fresh glass of orange juice.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/aiwkodcyuc9irg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/aiwkodcyuc9irg_small.jpg" alt="sandwich.jpg"></a><br>
The sandwich had sesame breaded chicken with lettuce and a light sauce that faintly tasted like mustard. image <a href="http://www.donesi.com/sarajevo/en/sesame-sandwich-o67-p4167.php">source</a></p>
<p>We also ordered dessert, much to the <a href="http://eski.ihh.org.tr/bosna-da-ramazan-bir-baska-geciyor/en/">Ramadan</a> participants’ delight.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/7ss0yxzhitunzw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/7ss0yxzhitunzw_small.jpg" alt="donuts.jpg"></a><br>
We each got four small donuts drizzled in chocolate sauce. The donuts were warm, fresh, and tasted like small funnel cakes. image <a href="http://www.donesi.com/sarajevo/krofnice-wokice-o67-p4177.php">source</a></p>
<p>Every evening during <a href="http://eski.ihh.org.tr/bosna-da-ramazan-bir-baska-geciyor/en/">Ramadan</a>, a canon is fired to signal that it is time for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iftar">iftar</a>. The canon is fired from the <a href="http://www.furaj.ba/clanak-bih/uta-tabija/">Žuta Tabija</a> overlooking the city. After our dinner, we walked along the Ferhadija and up a large hill to the <a href="http://www.furaj.ba/clanak-bih/uta-tabija/">Žuta Tabija</a>. Near the canon was a small cafe that offered fancy <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iftar">iftar</a> meals for 25km each. The view from the hill was breathtaking with all of the lights in the city twinkling. At the top of this hill it was much windier than down in the city but we stayed as long as we could, looking down at the city and talking. On our way back, my roommates and I split off, heading towards the <a href="http://www.cinemas.ba/">Sloga Club</a>, which was near where we had dinner. Once we got there, they decided to wait for the club to fill up, and I decided to go home. They invited me to join them on an excursion to the city of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mostar">Mostar</a> on Saturday, and I agreed. The train left early in the morning, at 6:50, so when I got home I set my alarm and went to bed.</p>
<p><em>Saturday, July 5</em></p>
<p>I woke up at 5:45am on Saturday morning in order to catch the 6:50 train to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mostar">Mostar</a>. I packed my backpack with a few bananas, my notebook, and the Lonely Planet BiH guidebook. As I was eating my Honey Nut Cheerios I noticed that my roommates were nowhere near waking up because of their late night at the club. Since I had some important Skype calls scheduled on Sunday, I decided to go to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mostar">Mostar</a> on my own. I left at 6:20 and had a leisurely walk along the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miljacka">Miljacka River</a>, past [Caffe Tito](<a href="http://www.caffetito.ba/">www.caffetito.ba/</a>), and around the US Embassy. I arrived at the train station at about 6:35.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/kbswqz3rbrh4nw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/kbswqz3rbrh4nw_small.jpg" alt="Sarajevo_train_station_(1).jpg"></a><br>
image <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Sarajevo_train_station_(1).jpg">source</a></p>
<p>I bought my ticket at the desk and proceeded to wander around looking for the platforms. I followed some backpackers through a small exit in the corner which led to the “perons”.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/fpmuyskvp34mw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/fpmuyskvp34mw_small.jpg" alt="Picture 005.jpg"></a><br>
The train was sitting there and I boarded it cautiously, hoping it was the right one. I sat with a young man in his six-person booth, and soon a Bosnian couple joined us. After a few minutes of waiting, the train began to slowly chug its way out of the station, gradually picking up speed. We rode along most of the city, starting on the east side and exiting on the west side. My booth-mates soon fell asleep, but I was glued to the window watching the small towns and green hills fly by. Eventually we got up into the mountains, where we spent almost half of our time in tunnels, zooming along in the dark.<br><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/j01tvvczggrhfa.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/j01tvvczggrhfa_small.jpg" alt="Picture 007.jpg"></a><br>
When we came out of the tunnels, the views were amazing. The clear morning skies allowed me to see very far and we were surrounded by peaks, most were covered in trees but as we continued further south, jagged white rocks jutted upwards.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/tve1yvxanxeuoq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/tve1yvxanxeuoq_small.jpg" alt="Picture 009.jpg"></a><br>
We eventually descended out of the mountains and followed the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neretva">Neretva River</a>. The river is considered <a href="http://neretva.wikia.com/wiki/Neretva">“the Nile of Bosnia and Herzegovina and, indeed, all of South-East Europe”</a>.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/w5g947gtn7snoa.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/w5g947gtn7snoa_small.jpg" alt="river1.jpg"></a><br>
image <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neretva">source</a></p>
<p>The river is dammed in many places to provide hydroelectric power to Bosnia and the surrounding countries. I was not expecting this and the dams surprised me; such large industrial facilities in the quiet, natural beauty of the river.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/y61fvkstly2img.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/y61fvkstly2img_small.jpg" alt="Jablanica_Brana_02.jpg"></a><br>
Here is the Jablanica dam. image <a href="http://neretva.wikia.com/wiki/Neretva">source</a></p>
<p>Along the way we also passed a lot of fish farms floating in the calmer areas above the dams.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/sb3hix4d32cihq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/sb3hix4d32cihq_small.jpg" alt="water things.jpg"></a><br>
image <a href="http://www.panoramio.com/photo/28078991">source</a></p>
<p>Every so often we would stop and let off a few passengers in the middle of nowhere at small, empty-looking stations. These travelers were either backpackers going for hikes or fishers carrying poles and folding chairs.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/uusiplhegnica.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/uusiplhegnica_small.jpg" alt="fisher station.jpg"></a><br>
image <a href="http://www.panoramio.com/photo/28078966">source</a></p>
<p>We eventually made it to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mostar">Mostar</a> around 9:30. image <a href="http://www.panoramio.com/photo/28015862">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/0wevadgggmreda.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/0wevadgggmreda_small.jpg" alt="mostar station.jpg"></a><br>
All of the passengers slowly filed off the train and headed towards the stairs. There were two men holding signs, one was picking up travelers and the other was advertising for a hotel “20 euros per night”. I threw away my banana peel and followed the small crowd out of the station. There was a bathroom in the corner of the station charging 1km per person. I exited the station and tried to figure out where exactly I was.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/x8ohtafdpnaxa.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/x8ohtafdpnaxa_small.jpg" alt="Picture 011.jpg"></a><br>
Seeing a billboard across the street advertising the <a href="http://mostarblues.com/v2/vijesti_eng.html">Mostar Blues and Rock Festival</a>, I decided to go in that direction, to investigate further. As I waited to cross the street, I tried not to get my hopes up too high; I have been tricked many times in Sarajevo by old posters advertising events that have already occurred.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/iizry9aeoucdca.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/iizry9aeoucdca_small.jpg" alt="Picture 015.jpg"></a><br>
When I approached the billboard, I was able to read the small print. The festival was set to happen July 16-19. I made a mental note to look it up on the internet and ask for the time off from Zoran. I then headed down a busy, promising street and over the <a href="http://structurae.net/structures/data/index.cfm?id=s0005185">Carinski most</a>. The views from the bridge were magnificent.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/e3tlm4keqcck2g.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/e3tlm4keqcck2g_small.jpg" alt="Picture 017.jpg"></a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/r38ph7thsr8la.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/r38ph7thsr8la_small.jpg" alt="Picture 019.jpg"></a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/nvwr4zlza7quua.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/nvwr4zlza7quua_small.jpg" alt="Picture 022.jpg"></a><br>
On that small sandbar, there is a flag and someone has written BiH in light blue on the sand. I took a left turn, following some signage for the Old Town and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herzegovina_Museum">Muzej Hercegovine</a>. I passed some large pieces of street art and took a detour down a wide, shady avenue to see some more street art. At the end of the avenue was a small book fair.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/v0gozjzjeqsjq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/v0gozjzjeqsjq_small.jpg" alt="Picture 028.jpg"></a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/qvbntxmwnac3qq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/qvbntxmwnac3qq_small.jpg" alt="Picture 025.jpg"></a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/aof8sizz6dng.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/aof8sizz6dng_small.jpg" alt="Picture 038.jpg"></a><br>
This bright orange building is the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gimnazija_Mostar">Gimnazija Mostar</a>.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/7ebjbtesk5hkdq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/7ebjbtesk5hkdq_small.jpg" alt="Picture 040.jpg"></a><br>
Park commemorating Spanish assistance in the Bosnian war.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/iruo0kel4nc8ia.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/iruo0kel4nc8ia_small.jpg" alt="Picture 041.jpg"></a><br>
The Croats and Bosniaks in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mostar">Mostar</a> during the war were initially allies. About a year into the conflict, they turned on each other and starting fighting inside the city. They almost completely destroyed the city with all of the artillery. All of the bridges were destroyed and only one of 27 Ottoman mosques survived. Similar the the Bosniak/Serb split in Sarajevo, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mostar">Mostar</a> has a Bosniak/Croat split with two bus stations and two postal systems.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/tyspa8ap6iayma.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/tyspa8ap6iayma_small.jpg" alt="Picture 045.jpg"></a><br>
The parking lot behind the previous building was covered in street art.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/0jo18gdg9cjeaw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/0jo18gdg9cjeaw_small.jpg" alt="Picture 043.jpg"></a><br>
There was wild lavendar growing along the avenue and quite a few bumblebees buzzing around pollinating them.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/evgztmdiifdeqq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/evgztmdiifdeqq_small.jpg" alt="Picture 060.jpg"></a><br>
I then crossed over the Musala Bridge. The view from the bridge was beautiful.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/ldy6xvhfnypmsq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/ldy6xvhfnypmsq_small.jpg" alt="Picture 062.jpg"></a><br>
I passed more shelled buildings.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/wr8h3rjclbpcg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/wr8h3rjclbpcg_small.jpg" alt="Picture 068.jpg"></a><br>
I followed some more signs and eventually made it to the old part of the town. Here is the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karag%C3%B6z_Bey_Mosque">karađozbegova džamija</a> built in the 1550s and restored in the early 2000s.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/9d7pddaoz1dpvw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/9d7pddaoz1dpvw_small.jpg" alt="Picture 070.jpg"></a><br>
On a whim, I turned down a small side street. About one block in, I stumbled across another National Monument.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/0bci93eii0di3g.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/0bci93eii0di3g_small.jpg" alt="Picture 073.jpg"></a><br>
This turkish house was built in 1635.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/nfwt0dhs2jsquw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/nfwt0dhs2jsquw_small.jpg" alt="turkish.jpg"></a><br>
It is famous for its balcony room that juts out over the river. image <a href="http://www.fortuna.ba/en/excursions-from-mostar.php">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/nmx6ephxgpw5fa.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/nmx6ephxgpw5fa_small.jpg" alt="Picture 074.jpg"></a><br>
I paid the 4km admission fee, collected my free postcard, and slipped in right before the large Spanish tour group arrived. The courtyard had an intricate stone pattern. Before entering the house, all of the visitors had to remove their shoes. There was a woman watching the shoes and selling <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mostar">Mostar</a> travel books. Here are some pictures from inside the house.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/3uklvybfte5zzq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/3uklvybfte5zzq_small.jpg" alt="Picture 076.jpg"></a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/7gdcp1h9t3dung.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/7gdcp1h9t3dung_small.jpg" alt="Picture 077.jpg"></a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/aojcmpcpxmwma.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/aojcmpcpxmwma_small.jpg" alt="Picture 078.jpg"></a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/o4bd2lhe09qpq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/o4bd2lhe09qpq_small.jpg" alt="Picture 080.jpg"></a><br>
On my way out I stopped by the small garden in the courtyard. There was a strange egg sitting in the middle of the dirt.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/jwzodxitibbbca.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/jwzodxitibbbca_small.jpg" alt="Picture 083.jpg"></a><br>
I soon found out exactly where the egg came from when I discovered the group of tortoises living in the garden!<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/prt0zfhtg8yq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/prt0zfhtg8yq_small.jpg" alt="Picture 084.jpg"></a><br>
I headed back to the main street and continued on my way. I eventually came upon a small farmers market.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/a2fnr175e4dv6w.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/a2fnr175e4dv6w_small.jpg" alt="Picture 117.jpg"></a><br>
I bought a jar of honey and a small bottle of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rakia">rakija</a>. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rakia">Rakija</a> is a fruit based brandy and is like the moonshine of the Balkans. Although the alcohol is clear, it is often mixed with fruit to give it more flavor. I decided to try the blackberry <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rakia">rakija</a>.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/bi6qz4mhzxm2jw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/bi6qz4mhzxm2jw_small.jpg" alt="Picture 092.jpg"></a><br>
I had finally found the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stari_Most">Stari Most</a>!<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/sxhuoee2y15eq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/sxhuoee2y15eq_small.jpg" alt="Picture 099.jpg"></a><br>
After the Bosnian war, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stari_Most">Stari Most</a> was rebuilt using 16th century building techniques and stone from the original quarry. The shirtless mad standing up on the edge of the bridge is going to jump. Before he jumps, he will collect as much money as he can from the large group of tourists that have gathered to watch him. It’s not the height that makes this stunt dangerous but the icy temperature of the river; it hovers around 8C for most of the year. Surprisingly, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mostar">Mostar</a> accepts Euros, and the old town is much more touristy that anything in Sarajevo. Almost everyone speaks English and will announce prices in euros, which required me to do a little math but luckily the Bosnian mark is fixed at half a euro.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/ol3cmfaug30qa.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/ol3cmfaug30qa_small.jpg" alt="Picture 097.jpg"></a><br>
I took some panoramic pictures of the area around the bridge.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/oozvj6qxtbmhbw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/oozvj6qxtbmhbw_small.jpg" alt="Picture 102.jpg"></a><br>
I stopped for lunch at a small restaurant near the <a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/activities/347/">Kriva Ćuprija (Crooked Bridge)</a>.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/imzgxqi73st3jg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/imzgxqi73st3jg_small.jpg" alt="Picture 104.jpg"></a><br>
This bridge is built similarly to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stari_Most">Stari Most</a> and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/4nxmnpkdpz5wa.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/4nxmnpkdpz5wa_small.jpg" alt="Picture 107.jpg"></a><br>
After eating, I visited the mosque that sat on top of the restaurant, the view of the old town was fantastic. The architecture differs from that of the Stari Grad in Sarajevo because Mostar experiences stronger winds but less snow.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/g8tcnmsnu2uiug.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/g8tcnmsnu2uiug_small.jpg" alt="Picture 109.jpg"></a><br>
I then crossed over the Kriva Ćuprija and headed up an intriguing alley back onto the main street.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/0gvwnc3dzmagoq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/0gvwnc3dzmagoq_small.jpg" alt="Picture 110.jpg"></a><br>
On my way back to the train station, I peeked over one of the bridges and was surprised to see a pair of large footprints painted on the rocks below.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/6iefugh56vmr4q.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/6iefugh56vmr4q_small.jpg" alt="Picture 113.jpg"></a><br>
The train station and bus station are connected, which is very convenient for regional and international travelers.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/1ooegs5nd64dq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/1ooegs5nd64dq_small.jpg" alt="Picture 115.jpg"></a><br>
After learning that the next train wouldn’t leave until 7pm, I bought a bus ticket for the 3pm bus and settled down in the shade to wait. There were backpackers and local travelers on all of the buses that pulled in and out of the station. Some of the bus drivers also delivered suspicious packages. After all of the passengers exited the bus, a few people would approach it holding wads of cash. They’d hand over the money and the bus driver would give them their packages. Most were specific goods that could not be found in the small city, like toner cartridges. Amer had warned me at lunch one day that Bosnians don’t respect lines. This message was reinforced when the bus opened its doors and all of the old ladies behind me rushed in! I managed to insert myself into the flow and got a window seat near the back. </p>
<p>Luckily, no one sat next to me so I could spread out. The bus route was different than the train route so there were new things to see. We passed through many small towns and even drove by a large barbecue happening on top of one of the hills. They had what looked like a whole lamb roasting on a spit. The spit was being turned at a slow constant speed by a miniature stream. The ticket collector collected as many fines as he did tickets, which I found surprising. We took a ten minute break outside of a small market in order to give everyone a chance to grab a snack and smoke a cigarette. The passengers got a little too comfortable and we almost left two women behind! We eventually rolled into Sarajevo, stopping at random city bus stops to let passengers off. I stayed on until we made it back to the main bus station, which is in the same location as the main train station. When I walked into the apartment it was obvious that my roommates had been inside all day and I wondered if they even noticed I had been gone.</p>
<p>While I was making a quick dinner, I talked to Jalaj about my day, telling him about the transportation I used and the travel time. I spent the rest of the evening relaxing after my long day.</p>
<p><em>Sunday, July 6</em></p>
<p>On Sunday, I woke up early to the sounds of my roommates preparing to leave for their belated trip to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mostar">Mostar</a>. Having only gotten five hours of sleep Friday night, I took advantage of the quiet after they left and relaxed. After eating breakfast I caught <em>Too Cute!</em> on Animal Planet and settled in for some puppy antics. I made the last of my chicken and couscous for lunch and set out to the grocery store to restock. Besides buying a box of pasta and a jar of pesto for dinner, I picked up some snacks for the festival including pistachios, pumpkin seeds (which are very popular here), and some canned corn. I watched a subtitled version of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0096463/?ref_=nm_flmg_act_33"><em>Working Girl</em></a> then it was time for my scheduled skype calls.</p>
<p><em>Monday, July 7</em></p>
<p>Amer borrowed his sister’s car on Monday so that he could help me buy my bus tickets to Serbia for the <a href="http://www.exitfest.org/en">Exit Festival</a>. We left after work and drove a short distance past the airport into <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isto%C4%8Dno_Sarajevo">East Sarajevo</a>, where the Republika Srpska bus station was. image <a href="http://sarajevo.travel/en/text/east-sarajevo-bus-station/6">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/ddcl6okebvpioa.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/ddcl6okebvpioa_small.jpg" alt="east-sarajevo-bus-station-1397407446.jpg"></a> <br>
After talking to the man at the information desk and confirming the times with me, Amer led me into the station and I bought a round trip ticket to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novi_Sad">Novi Sad</a>. Organizing the ticket would have almost been impossible on my own. The trolleybus station was a few blocks away, it would not cross into the Republika Srpska part of the city. He drove me home along the trolley line, pointing out interesting buildings along the way. In the evening, I took a walk around the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ba%C5%A1%C4%8Dar%C5%A1ija">Baščaršija</a>.</p>
<p><em>Tuesday, July 8</em></p>
<p><strong>Day in the Life</strong></p>
<p>My alarm went off at 7am. I hit snooze and rolled over, thinking of what to wear for the day. I grabbed my soy milk from the fridge and poured my Honey Nut Cheerios into the lavender mug that I have commandeered from the kitchen. After eating, I got ready for the day. As I was brushing my teeth I could hear my roommates stirring in the other room. When 7:40 rolled around, Paras was not ready, so I headed to the tram stop on my own. The traffic situation at the bottom of my street is a mess. They finished paving one half, so they started paving the other half. Crossing the street is like a game of Frogger even though it only has one lane in each direction.</p>
<p>I have not seen anyone who gets their newspaper delivered to their house. Instead there are people that stand at red lights and busy corners, selling papers to commuters. I listened to my music while I waited for the tram. When the #3 lumbered up, I was disappointed to see that it was not empty. I squeezed into the car near the back but within a few stops enough people got off for seats to open up. The trip from my apartment to the office takes half an hour.</p>
<p>I hopped off at my tram stop and headed down the side street that gives access to the former business park.<br><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/km74npnpddfqqq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/km74npnpddfqqq_small.jpg" alt="Picture 003.jpg"></a><br>
As I was passing the <a href="http://www.bhmac.org/en/stream.daenet?kat=19">Mine Action Center</a>, I removed my headphones, putting away my phone and pulling out my visitor’s pass. I greeted the secretary with “Dobro jutro” then beeped into the inner door. I stopped at the refreshment window. The woman that makes the drinks was out delivering morning coffee, so I waited for her to return. She made me a quick kafa and I headed up the stairs to my office. When I walked in, I was delighted to hear “Today we have a task for you, I will send you the file,” from Amer. The file was an Autocad drawing of the piping for one part of the Terminals. My task was to insert the instrumentation details, which were also provided, into the drawings. While Amer was out smoking, Zoran came in and decided that we should split the drawing into two parts so that there would be enough room to fit everything. The two almost finished drawings are on the left, and the instrumentation details I used are on the right.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/nhepdpyxdmaxxq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/nhepdpyxdmaxxq_small.jpg" alt="day in the life autocad.JPG"></a><br>
I worked in 2D Autocad for the rest of the morning, copying, pasting, and moving parts around to make accurate, readable drawings. For lunch, we walked to the small grocery store underneath Fenix. The clouds were dark and ominous. I ordered 3 pitas from the bakery counter, two burek and one sirnica. The bread served with ćevapčići and some other meals is what I would call pita bread in the United States. But in Bosnian, pita translates to pie. Individual pitas look a little like cinnamon rolls, they are one long strip rolled into a small meal. The pitas are available with different fillings: burek (beef), sirnica (cheese), pileća (chicken), krompir (potato), and špinat (spinach). There are also dessert pitas. These pitas are filled with cottage cheese. image <a href="http://www.pitavisnjik.ba/en/pita.html">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/mcb7qdctaamaww.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/mcb7qdctaamaww_small.jpg" alt="pita.JPG"></a><br>
While we were in the grocery store, it had begun to rain but luckily not very hard. When I walked back into the office, I was surprised to see Zoran sitting at my desk checking the drawings. I grabbed the chair in the corner and ate at the hallway table with Drina and Dinka.</p>
<p>In the afternoon, I continued to work on the P&IDs. We printed it out to check all of the small details and caught a few mistakes. I left work early and rode the tram home, arriving at the apartment before either of my roommates. I spent the evening looking up tourist attractions in Novi Sad. For dinner, I made pasta with pesto sauce. I was determined to read some of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy this summer and brought the first two books with me. I finished <em>The Fellowship of the Ring</em> Tuesday night before bed and packed the next book in my bag for the long bus rides to and from Serbia.</p>
<p><em>Wednesday, July 9</em></p>
<p>As soon as I got on the tram Wednesday morning, it started to rain. It continued to rain for a few hours, varying in intensity. I printed out maps of Novi Sad and the camping ground I will be staying at, as well as the WiFi information and important phone numbers listed on the Exit Festival](<a href="http://www.exitfest.org/en">http://www.exitfest.org/en</a>) website. I had purchased the Serbia chapter of Lonely Planet’s Southeastern Europe Guide but I was underwhelmed by the two pages it contained on Novi Sad and it did not even have a map of the area. When I got home from work, I turned right around and headed back out to ride the trolleybus and see how long it would take to get to the bus station. The ride took about 25 minutes plus a five minute walk across the FBiH/RS border. With the trolley starting at 6am and my bus leaving at 6:40, I was not comfortable cutting it that close because I did not know how long it would take for the first trolley to get to my stop in the morning. If I missed my bus, I would have to wait until nearly midnght for the next one. When I got back home I made one last skype call, finished packing, made dinner, showered, set my alarm and went to bed. <em>Serbia, here I come!</em></p>
tag:sarajevo.svbtle.com,2014:Post/week-5-june-26july-22014-07-06T13:28:41-07:002014-07-06T13:28:41-07:00Week 5: June 26-July 2<p><em>Thursday, June 26</em></p>
<p>During our afternoon coffee break, Drina told me about different summer events in the Balkans. After helping me research a few of them, we found out that I will be here during the <a href="http://www.exitfest.org/en">Exit Festival</a>. The <a href="http://www.exitfest.org/en">Exit Festival</a> takes place in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Novi_Sad">Novi Sad, Serbia</a> from Thursday to Sunday, July 10-13. The <a href="http://www.exitfest.org/en">Exit Festival</a> is held in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petrovaradin_Fortress">Petrovaradin Fortress</a> on the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danube_river">Danube River</a>. The Bosnian website said that ticket packages including camping reservations and bus tickets could be bought for 200km at a hipster cafe called <a href="http://www.kriterion.ba/stranica/exit">The Kriterion</a> down in the Stari Grad.<br><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/uje8xlmelsfw.jpeg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/uje8xlmelsfw_small.jpeg" alt="kriterion-620x330.jpeg"></a><br>
image<a href="http://kvinnatillkvinna.se/en/2014/02/07/hate-attacks-against-lgbt-activists-in-bosnia-herzegovina/">source</a><br>
After work I headed down to buy a ticket and after a little wandering I found the place. When I asked them about the tickets, they informed me that I had to be a Bosnian citizen to buy the ticket there and would have to get one online. Unfortunately, the online tickets did not come in the same package deal and were twice as expensive for my region. I was surprised that it was legal to sell tickets for different prices depending on the country of citizenship. I went ahead and bought a ticket and a camping reservation, reminding myself that this was still cheaper than the San Francisco summer festival <a href="http://www.sfoutsidelands.com/">Outside Lands</a>. </p>
<p><em>Friday, June 27</em></p>
<p>After telling my coworkers about my failed expedition to <a href="http://www.kriterion.ba/stranica/exit">The Kriterion</a>, Amer offered to help me buy the bus tickets to and from Serbia. Zoran gave me permission to take the Thursday and Friday off that I would miss to go to the Festival.</p>
<p>On my tram ride home on Friday, I encountered my first GRAS officer. Although I did not understand what he said, I was able to infer from his uniform and papers that he wanted to see my tram pass. The trams in Sarajevo are run mostly on an honor system. I have only seen one gate at the end of the line in Ilidža. Before I had the monthly pass, I would buy a 1.8km ticket from the driver every time I got on the tram. Then I would validate my ticket in the device that would stamp the time and date the ticket was used. Multiple tickets can be bought at once at the GRAS offices. Once I had my monthly pass, I would just hop on the tram and grab a seat. There were signs in the trams threatening a heavy 26km fine for any passengers without valid tickets or passes. I showed him my pass, and after glancing at it he continued on his way.</p>
<p><em>Saturday, June 28</em></p>
<p>Saturday was the 100 year anniversary of the assassination of Franz Ferdinand, as well as the first day of Ramadan. A poll conducted on klix.ba shows that a majority of Bosnians consider Princip to be a terrorist, but there are a fair amount that think of him as a hero or neutral.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/bpp72e5evatzpa.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/bpp72e5evatzpa_small.jpg" alt="klix princip poll translated.JPG"></a></p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/gnjo1wbrhdbzwg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/gnjo1wbrhdbzwg_small.jpg" alt="Picture 004.jpg"></a><br>
It was a beautiful day with clear blue skies and a warm breeze.</p>
<p>I started my day with a kafa at <a href="http://www.caffetito.ba/">Caffe Tito</a>, conveniently located behind the <a href="http://www.muzej.ba/index.php?lang=en&sel=2">Historical Museum of BiH</a>.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/qyglnv4odpu9g.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/qyglnv4odpu9g_small.jpg" alt="Picture 007.jpg"></a><br>
<a href="http://www.caffetito.ba/">Caffe Tito</a> has custom labeled sugar packets.</p>
<p>I then went around to the front of the building.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/5j1trxebtkzlmq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/5j1trxebtkzlmq_small.jpg" alt="Picture 026.jpg"></a><br>
Even though the front of the <a href="http://www.muzej.ba/index.php?lang=en&sel=2">museum</a> is missing some tiles, it is still open.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.muzej.ba/index.php?lang=en&sel=2">Museum</a> admission cost 5km and the exhibit was upstairs.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/larj3yq6xntpfg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/larj3yq6xntpfg_small.jpg" alt="Picture 025.jpg"></a><br>
The room was relatively small but it was packed with WW1 quotes, letters, pictures and even diary excerpts.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/zq45myw3e9ozg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/zq45myw3e9ozg_small.jpg" alt="Picture 023.jpg"></a><br>
Europe was ready for war, all it needed was a spark to ignite the conflict.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/hfkj6xuvsn6bw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/hfkj6xuvsn6bw_small.jpg" alt="Picture 021.jpg"></a><br>
About one quarter of the room was dedicated to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Archduke_Franz_Ferdinand_of_Austria">assassination</a>, committed by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gavrilo_Princip">Princip</a> and his conspirators.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/z7slbccoy7we9a.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/z7slbccoy7we9a_small.jpg" alt="Picture 020.jpg"></a><br>
Although it is often referred to as “the shot”, it was actually one bomb and two shots.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/fng8htrniz6opg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/fng8htrniz6opg_small.jpg" alt="Picture 016.jpg"></a><br>
The rest of the room was dedicated to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I">Great War</a>. It was interesting to see information on the eastern front because in the United States we focus primarily on the western front.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/dcy8yqfic65d2a.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/dcy8yqfic65d2a_small.jpg" alt="Picture 013.jpg"></a><br>
The three soldiers in the lower picture are Russian female fighters.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/3xewbqbpzsil6w.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/3xewbqbpzsil6w_small.jpg" alt="Picture 018.jpg"></a><br>
These are hand-illustrated letters sent by a Private William Britton.</p>
<p>Most of the stories highlighted the suffering of the war, but some showcased the humanity that remained even in the most morbid situations.</p>
<blockquote>
<p>A letter from the Russian front:</p>
<p>Lying in ditches, our home-fighters felt a strong craving for baked potatoes. The field between our trenches and the Russian ones was full of undug potatoes; a wealth of potatoes was lying under the ground on that field. Then we heard a non-commissioned officer saying to his team “Guys, how nice it would be to have some baked potatoes tonight!” As soon as he finished saying that, another soldier said: “Sir, would a bag of potatoes be enough?” And, in short, when night fell, two home-fighters crawled into the field to dig up some potatoes. But soon they were followed by three others, then five, and finally ten soldiers. Armed only with infantry – shovels, they crawled on all fours while their comrades in trenches breathlessly watched what was going to happen. They all stood ready for the onslaught – if need be – against enemy attack, to rescue their comrades in the potato field. Then, after some time, some of us noticed that a dozen people with shovels were crawling towards the field from the Russian side as well. What was going to happen now? The Russians were scrambling over towards potatoes in the ground, cautiously, carefully, quietly! So our home-fighters started digging for potatoes on one side of the field, and the Russians on the other. It can be imagined with what tension we awaited what would happen next. Our folks and the Russians were slowly approaching each other. Then we saw them politely greeting each other, and finally both our soldiers and the Russians quietly returned, with their potatoes, to their positions.</p>
<p>Less than half an hour later, a severe fire exchange started between the two positions.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Most of the text was written both in Bosnian and English.</p>
<p>I left the museum and headed towards the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_Bridge">Latin Bridge</a>, where the assassination had occurred. I took some pictures along the way<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/jslqlvibhjia.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/jslqlvibhjia_small.jpg" alt="Picture 028.jpg"></a><br>
Here is the Holiday Inn that was built for the 1984 Winter Olympics. <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-24730400">“Designed by the celebrated Bosnian architect Ivan Straus, and built in 1982-83, it remains Sarajevo’s most aesthetically interesting building, though arguably not its most aesthetically pleasing.”</a> During the Bosnian War, many reporters stayed at this hotel.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/lu8degjxpzwivq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/lu8degjxpzwivq_small.jpg" alt="Picture 029.jpg"></a><br>
I also passed the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Museum_of_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina">National Museum</a>, established in 1888. Unfortunately the museum is closed because the city could no longer afford to keep it open. I was quite disappointed because I had been looking forward to seeing the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarajevo_Haggadah">Sarajevo Haggadah</a>, which was created around 1350 in Barcelona. During the Nazi invasion, the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarajevo_Haggadah">Haggadah</a> was smuggled out of the city and hidden in a mosque in a small Muslim town nearby, and an <a href="http://geraldinebrooks.com/wp-content/uploads/0207/12/Korkut_near-final-pages.pdf">article in the New Yorker</a> was written about it. During the Bosnian War it was secured in an underground bank vault.</p>
<p>As I was approaching the <a href="http://www.alu.unsa.ba/en">Art Institute</a>, I noticed a crowd gathered outside.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/vlaix0m59qxyhg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/vlaix0m59qxyhg_small.jpg" alt="Picture 042.jpg"></a><br>
The group was gathered for the opening of the <a href="http://makingpeace.org/en/">Making Peace</a> event.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/iuj2okw8dl5xka.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/iuj2okw8dl5xka_small.jpg" alt="Picture 052.jpg"></a><br>
There was a ceremony in front of the building recognizing the different groups that helped organize the event.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/og71esdqscexzw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/og71esdqscexzw_small.jpg" alt="Picture 049.jpg"></a><br>
Along the river were large posters with pictures and quotes from numerous peace-making efforts.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/zrpbzh8olsdtza.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/zrpbzh8olsdtza_small.jpg" alt="Picture 050.jpg"></a><br>
The posters covered human rights issues, economic issues, and environmental protection. Each poster was in Bosnian, Serbian, and English.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/lpbizzhretjn6g.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/lpbizzhretjn6g_small.jpg" alt="Picture 051.jpg"></a><br>
Across the river there were some impressive buildings. This one is the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarajevo_Law_School">Sarajevo Law School</a> which is part of the University of Sarajevo.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/pxd9k9pskvmaa.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/pxd9k9pskvmaa_small.jpg" alt="Picture 055.jpg"></a><br>
This is the main post office in the Stari Grad. The inside of the building is even more impressive than the outside.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/wmthuvp3n2t3yg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/wmthuvp3n2t3yg_small.jpg" alt="post office.JPG"></a><br>
image <a href="http://unhooknow.blogspot.com/2011/05/sarajevo-bosnia-herzegovina.html">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/o2ry1ny8xtcqq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/o2ry1ny8xtcqq_small.jpg" alt="Picture 065.jpg"></a><br>
Further down the river is a bright, modern apartment building flanking a smaller building that is much older.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/ulauomxbntq6w.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/ulauomxbntq6w_small.jpg" alt="Picture 068.jpg"></a><br>
Hidden on top of another apartment building is a large statue.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/u6gqyxxcozqgmw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/u6gqyxxcozqgmw_small.jpg" alt="Picture 071.jpg"></a><br>
Here is the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Latin_Bridge">Latinski Most</a>, where the assassination occurred. It is covered in fencing for some event that is planned for later that night.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/xdkkvrf606fatg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/xdkkvrf606fatg_small.jpg" alt="Picture 072.jpg"></a><br>
Tourists flocked from all ends of the earth to see “The street corner that started the 20th century.” The man on the right side of the building is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archduke_Franz_Ferdinand_of_Austria">Franz Ferdinand</a> and the man on the left side is <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gavrilo_Princip">Gavrilo Princip</a>. I even overheard a man telling the museum curator that he was from Montreal.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/wsth4ozldxu6q.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/wsth4ozldxu6q_small.jpg" alt="Picture 073.jpg"></a><br>
In front of the <a href="http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/museum-of-assassination-of-franz-ferdinand">museum</a> there was a replica of the car that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archduke_Franz_Ferdinand_of_Austria">Franz Ferdinand</a> and his wife had been riding in when they were shot.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/iy8wotwxbk3xjg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/iy8wotwxbk3xjg_small.jpg" alt="Picture 074.jpg"></a><br>
There was a man in an official looking uniform who I can only assume was an impersonator.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/zhjropkevvwgdg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/zhjropkevvwgdg_small.jpg" alt="Picture 075.jpg"></a><br>
The ticket for the <a href="http://www.atlasobscura.com/places/museum-of-assassination-of-franz-ferdinand">museum</a> was 4km. Inside there was clothing, newspaper clippings, and even full sized models of the Archduke and his wife.</p>
<p>After walking around all morning, I was beginning to get pretty hungry, so I stopped by <a href="http://www.mrkva.ba/bs">Mrkva</a> for some piping hot ćevapčići. When I sat down they brought me the tourist menu, which was in English. I ordered what I always get, but I was amused to see that the tourist menu only had the larger portions. I though this was clever and not unfair because the customers were still getting a good deal.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/f0xyzph4gbeqa.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/f0xyzph4gbeqa_small.jpg" alt="Picture 077.jpg"></a><br>
The ćevapčići is cooked on a large, traditional grill. Behind the woman cooking is a long row of pita bread waiting to be filled with freshly cooked sausages. I like to eat at Mrkva because they enforce the no smoking law so there are always seats inside.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/vctxc7py1t91rq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/vctxc7py1t91rq_small.jpg" alt="Picture 078.jpg"></a><br>
On my way back from the Stari Grad I stopped at the open air market. It is hectic and loud but the produce is very fresh. The last time I went here I got the strawberries. Completely by chance, I ended up at the same stand as the first time and the two women winked at me with recognition.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/hmg8vxjmbfljq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/hmg8vxjmbfljq_small.jpg" alt="Picture 082.jpg"></a><br>
This time I got the cherries and they were oh-so-ripe. They were grown in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mostar">Mostar</a>, which is in the southern part of the country and about 3-4 hours away by car. They were delicious.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/jpl7dvpuv28lw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/jpl7dvpuv28lw_small.jpg" alt="Picture 081.jpg"></a><br>
In front of the park there is a small protest that has been going on for a few weeks. I was told that the protest is for better social programs and less corruption and bureaucracy in the government.</p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/90g1sphlrv8naq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/90g1sphlrv8naq_small.jpg" alt="Picture 054.jpg"></a><br>
While I was reading the posters at the Peace Event, I saw a flyer for a concert later that night. <a href="http://www.radiosarajevo.ba/novost/90946/poslusajte-prvi-singl-funk-benda-cincile#">Činčila</a>, an experimental funk band, was opening for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nemanja_Koji%C4%87_(musician)">Hornsman Coyote</a>, a Serbian reggae artist. <br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/z5hpr1illoihpg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/z5hpr1illoihpg_small.jpg" alt="Hornsman+Coyote+12.jpg"></a><br>
Hornsman plays the trombone quite well. image <a href="http://www.last.fm/music/Hornsman+Coyote/+images/15212617">source</a></p>
<p>The concert was held in the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skenderija">Skenderija</a>, which was just down the street from my apartment. The only information I could find on the event was a facebook page run by the booking agency. The posters and event page said that the show started at 8pm. After asking a group of young people for directions, I bought my ticket for 15km. They told me the show wouldn’t start for at least another 40 minutes. I took the time to walk along the water. On the other side of the Art Institute from the posters was a <a href="http://www.cartooningforpeace.org/?lang=en">Cartooning for Peace</a> display.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/wbfu732gufqdw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/wbfu732gufqdw_small.jpg" alt="Logo-Cartooning-for-Peace.jpg"></a><br>
The cartoons were mostly political satire, pointing out the hypocrisy behind most of the conflicts today. image <a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Logo-Cartooning-for-Peace.jpg">source</a></p>
<p>I made it back to the concert venue around 9pm but it was still relatively empty. After waiting a little longer, I could hear the bands doing their soundchecks and I headed into the building. The concert room was adorable, it was smaller than most of my lecture halls. There were about eight rows of cement amphitheater seating curled around a small dance area in front of the stage. The venue has a capacity of about 250 people. The young audience slowly trickled in. The crowd was an interesting mix of people and I saw my very first <a href="https://www.google.ba/search?q=dreadlock+mullet&safe=off&rlz=1C1OPRB_enBA591BA591&espv=2&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=McezU_vQGuKc0AXN8IGIAg&ved=0CBsQsAQ&biw=1155&bih=810">dreadlock mullet</a>. While we waited for the bands they played reggae music over the speakers. I found it quite ironic that they were blasting “Don’t let the white man keep us down” to a room full of white people. At about 10:15pm the opening band started playing. Činčila was not a bad band but their music did not fit the reggae vibe that I was expecting. They were funky, but had too much energy for the chill atmosphere. The guitar player was wearing a tan shapeless dress and both him and the bassist had mardi gras bird masks on. The lead singer was wearing sweatpants and a lavender bathrobe along with a large handmade eagle mask.</p>
<p>People continued to wander in until it was time for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nemanja_Koji%C4%87_(musician)">Hornsman Coyote</a> to play. In total, there were about 100 people present but the room didn’t look empty. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nemanja_Koji%C4%87_(musician)">Hornsman Coyote</a> played the trombone and sang while his DJ played the background beats. He even brought his Croatian backup singer on stage who looked just as reggae as he did. The music was on point and the small crowd was up and dancing the whole time. When he was done playing I headed out, beating the crowd but missing the encore. I got home around 2am and went straight to bed.</p>
<p><em>Sunday, June 29</em></p>
<p>I was starting to get sick on Sunday from interacting with so many new people over the past month, so I spent most of the day sleeping.</p>
<p><em>Monday, June 30</em></p>
<p>After work on Monday, I was relaxing in my room when I heard a knock on my door through my headphones. Paras had brought a friend home. Caglar was a Turkish student that had come to Sarajevo to visit one of the Bosnian [IAESTE](<a href="http://www.iaeste.org/">www.iaeste.org/</a>) members after interning with her abroad. He brought a bottle of liquor with him and we sat in Paras and Jalaj’s room drinking and talking. The three of us residents had work in the morning so we did not drink too much. At about 10pm we headed down to the MacDonalds in the Stari Grad for a late night meal. After eating we dropped Caglar off at his hostel and headed home.</p>
<p><em>Tuesday, July 1</em></p>
<p>I left work after lunch on Tuesday and headed down to the Stari Grad to buy a new tram pass for the month of July. The June pass is valid for the first week of July to give all of the riders a chance to get the new ones.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/g17aqoe1dqvg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/g17aqoe1dqvg_small.jpg" alt="Picture.jpg"></a><br>
The decorations, colors, and series letter change each month to deter counterfeiters. One interesting thing that I have seen many times on the trams is that sometimes, when a two seat row is empty, passengers will sit on the aisle seat, even if the tram is almost full. The window seat will either remain empty as the tram continues to fill, or another passenger will have to squeeze by the seated person. Whenever I have ridden public transportation in the United States and Canada, it is expected that the window seat be taken first to avoid any unnecessary human interaction.</p>
<p>One of my favorite tram traditions is what I like to call The Changing of the Guards, but in reality, its just when the drivers switch. Every time I experience it, I find it quite amusing. There is one GRAS office on the tracks along my commute, Sometimes, the tram will stop there, the driver will open the door, grab his or her things and run out, leaving a tram full of people sitting in the middle of the tracks, alone. The riders that are getting off at the stop across the street, take this opportunity to leave, but the rest of us wait patiently for another driver to come running out of the building, hop on the tram and continue on our way. Sometimes, they fake us out and the driver only stops to drop off the collected money before returning to finish the shift. Other times, the driver will get off at certain stations to buy a bundle of tickets, and while he or she is there, maybe a newspaper and a pack of cigarettes.</p>
<p><em>Wednesday, July 2</em></p>
<p>After work on Wednesday, Amer accompanied me to the main bus station in Sarajevo behind the US Embassy and University of Sarajevo. There were lines to buy tickets, but luckily the information desk was open. After asking the woman a series of questions, Amer explained to me what he had learned. To travel to Serbia, I would need to leave from the other bus station in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isto%C4%8Dno_Sarajevo">East Sarajevo</a> that specialized in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republika_Srpska">Republika Srpska</a> and Serbia travel. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isto%C4%8Dno_Sarajevo">Istočno Sarajevo (East Sarajevo)</a> is the capital city of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republika_Srpska">Republika Srpska</a> and is just south of the Novi Grad. Unfortunately, this bus station is not on the tram line so I would have to find another way to get there, like the trolley bus. The other tickets I was hoping to buy, for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mostar">Mostar</a>, had to be purchased the day of because buses left hourly for that destination. I made it home in time for my planned skype call.</p>
tag:sarajevo.svbtle.com,2014:Post/for-more-information2014-07-02T01:12:58-07:002014-07-02T01:12:58-07:00For more information<p>It has been brought to my attention that most of my readers are unaware of the links that I put in my blog posts. I make the names of places, events, and important people into links that will direct the reader to a web page with more information about the topic. When the mouse cursor is on top of a link, the words become underlined.<br>
Also, to navigate back to the “dashboard” from a post, click on my name at the top or bottom of the post.</p>
tag:sarajevo.svbtle.com,2014:Post/world-cup-2014-part22014-06-28T09:23:44-07:002014-06-28T09:23:44-07:00Week 4: June 19-25<p><strong>World Cup 2014 part 2</strong></p>
<p><em>Thursday, June 19</em></p>
<p>For lunch on Thursday we went to Panera again and this time I tried the meatballs and mashed potatoes. They were very satisfying. After work, I had a few Skype calls scheduled.</p>
<p><em>Friday, June 20</em></p>
<p>On Friday, the internet was not down again at work. We ordered lunch from a restaurant called <a href="http://www.mrkva.ba/bs">Mrkva</a>. I have visited it a few times in the Stari Grad for their delicious ćevapčići but this time we ordered burek. I ordered the sirnica, which is filled with cottage cheese instead of meat. At 1pm, I was dismissed early. It had finally stopped raining and the sun had come out. Once I got home, I decided to use my extra time to fix the toilet. It wasn’t broken but it had been running constantly for the past couple of days. I had planned to check out some live music at the [Underground](<a href="http://www.facebook.com/undergroundclubsarajevo">www.facebook.com/undergroundclubsarajevo</a>) but by the time 9pm came around, I was tired from my long week and stayed in.</p>
<p><em>Saturday, June 21</em></p>
<p>|Bosnia and Herzegovina was scheduled to play their second World Cup game against Nigeria at midnight local time on Saturday. This time, I made sure to take a nap during the afternoon so that I could stay awake during the game. An hour before the game, I turned on my TV and was pleasantly surprised to find <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry_Potter_and_the_Order_of_the_Phoenix"><em>Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix</em></a> with Bosnian subtitles. The movie made me feel at home and I forgot that I was halfway around the world, 6-9 hours ahead of all of my friends. After the movie was over, I switched to the sports channel and settled in, ready to support my temporary home country.</p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/xmajtqfvdc35jg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/xmajtqfvdc35jg_small.jpg" alt="nigeria-bosnia.jpg"></a><br>
After losing their first game to Argentina, BiH had a lot resting on the outcome of their Nigeria match. image <a href="http://worldsoccertalk.com/2014/06/21/nigeria-vs-bosnia-herzegovina-starting-lineups-and-world-cup-open-thread/">source</a></p>
<p>After twenty minutes of back and forth action, the Dragons had a wonderful play. They fed the ball to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edin_D%C5%BEeko">Džeko</a> who blew past the defenders and chipped it over the Nigerian goalie. <br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/9hh6ag8knslhww.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/9hh6ag8knslhww_small.jpg" alt="chip.JPG"></a><br>
Unfortunately, the referee incorrectly called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edin_D%C5%BEeko">Džeko</a> offsides, nullifying the goal. In a sport where referee error can strongly affect the outcome, it is surprising that instant replay has not yet been adopted. image <a href="http://www.thenational.ae/sport/world-cup-2014/in-pictures-odemwingie-nets-enyeama-denies-dzeko-as-nigeria-narrowly-win">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/whtlgxolveycea.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/whtlgxolveycea_small.jpg" alt="Blown_offsides.JPG"></a><br>
Less than ten minutes later, the Nigerians struck back. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Odemwingie">Odemwingie</a> was waiting in the Bosnian box and received a great ball from his teammate. He easily finished and put the Nigerians ahead 1-0. image <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2014/6/21/5830856/world-cup-2014-nigeria-bosnia-live-updates-score-result">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/fce4rj7ia9nmhw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/fce4rj7ia9nmhw_small.jpg" alt="nigeria goal.jpg"></a><br>
Throughout the rest of the game, the players continued to hammer both goalies. BiH had a particularly close call on a corner that was headed just over the goal. image <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/fifa-world-cup-2014/world-cup-match-report/world-cup-2014-nigeria-win-knocks-out-bosnia-20140622-zshqx.html">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/uafoecnv5c1aa.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/uafoecnv5c1aa_small.jpg" alt="header.jpg"></a><br>
As the second half wore on, the players were getting exhausted and the frequency of fouls increased. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Obi_Mikel">Mikel</a> received a yellow card for essentially “booty-bumping” <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miralem_Pjani%C4%87">Pjanić</a> off course during a promising Bosnian counter-attack. image <a href="http://miami.cbslocal.com/2014/06/21/nigeria-beats-bosnia-herzegovina-1-0-at-world-cup/">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/kvbynzkb0uvcpq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/kvbynzkb0uvcpq_small.jpg" alt="yellow card.jpg"></a><br>
Without any more goals, the game ended 1-0 Nigeria and the Bosnian players and fans were devastated. After two losses, they would not be able to advance to the next round of the tournament. image <a href="http://o.canada.com/sports/soccer/world-cup/world-cup-gallery-nigeria-vs-bosnia-herzegovina">source</a></p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/smuwbwshmi7hdw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/smuwbwshmi7hdw_small.jpg" alt="ref.jpg"></a><br>
There was backlash from the Bosnian team and fans after seeing a picture released from Getty Images showing the New Zealand referee celebrating the win with the Nigerian team. The Bosnian fans have created a petition with 23,000 signatures to remove the referee from the World Cup. <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/soccer-dirty-tackle/after-bosnia-herzegovina-exit--photo-of-opponent-with-referee-stirs-anger--protest-163505310.html">Bosnian striker Edin Dzeko, who scored the goal that was called back, said, “We are going home and we are sad because of that but this referee should be going home too. He changed the result and he changed the game. “</a> Whether the ref is just excited to be a part of this international tournament or if he had bias towards the Nigerians remains to be seen.<br>
image <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/soccer-dirty-tackle/after-bosnia-herzegovina-exit--photo-of-opponent-with-referee-stirs-anger--protest-163505310.html">source</a></p>
<p><em>Sunday, June 22</em></p>
<p>I had planned to go grocery shopping on Sunday because I was running low on Honey Nut Cheerios, which I eat for breakfast every morning. I had completely forgotten that the <a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-27964978">Sarajevo Grand Prix</a> was happening that day. The finish line was right across the river from my apartment and my walk to the store followed part of the route.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/hzzmdkw25ts0a.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/hzzmdkw25ts0a_small.jpg" alt="grand prix ad.jpg"></a><br>
The Sarajevo Grand Prix is the first event that commemorates the 100 year anniversary of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Archduke_Franz_Ferdinand_of_Austria">assassination of Franz Ferdinand</a>, which took place in Sarajevo on June 28, 1914. The rest of the month will be full of museum exhibits, community events, and historical celebrations for the shot the started <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I">World War One</a>. ”[The] race is the only event marking the start of the ‘Great War’ to be jointly organised by Bosnia’s two ethnic-based regions.“ (from <a href="http://uk.reuters.com/article/2014/06/22/us-ww1-anniversary-sarajevo-idUKKBN0EX0H620140622">Rueters</a>) image <a href="http://kameleon.ba/video-claudia-i-dino-vas-pozivaju-na-sarajevo-grand-prix/">source</a></p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/q4boiap3i4ahmq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/q4boiap3i4ahmq_small.jpg" alt="sarajevo_grand_prix_2014_route.jpg"></a><br>
After completing the majority of the 150km race, the competitors would return to Sarajevo to do five final laps around the city. There were police officers lining the course, making sure cars stayed off of the streets that were part of the race. image <a href="http://sarajevo-heart-of-europe.org/sarajevo-grand-prix-2014/">source</a></p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/hvbiehwzxlfiwg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/hvbiehwzxlfiwg_small.jpg" alt="fancy drafting.jpg"></a><br>
Every couple of minutes, a police vehicle would speed by with sirens blaring, followed by a line of cyclists. After these were the follow cars which included the press and the team cars carrying spare bikes and wheels. image <a href="http://www.bhrt.ba/bht1-najavljujemo/sarajevo-grand-prix-22-06-2014/">source</a></p>
<p>In between the groups of cyclists were recreational bikers. The citizens of Sarajevo had come out in great numbers to participate in the last leg of the race. They wore yellow event shirts and rode along happily. This public participation was encouraged and the event organizers were glad to see the amount of young children and people that attended. They had achieved their goal of unifying Bosnians in an event that was above ethnicity, religion, and background.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/mghuqzv3bbutda.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/mghuqzv3bbutda_small.jpg" alt="local cyclists.JPG"></a><br>
image <a href="http://news.yahoo.com/photos/recreational-cyclists-ride-sarajevo-during-sarajevo-grand-prix-photo-104652296.html">source</a></p>
<p>The finish line was lined with spectators eager to see the outcome of the race.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/ngdgpnahigiheq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/ngdgpnahigiheq_small.jpg" alt="winner.jpg"></a><br>
On my way back from the grocery store I passed the awards ceremony, which was being held in front of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parliamentary_Assembly_of_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina">Parlamentarna skupština Bosne i Hercegovine</a> (Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina). It was a hot day and my bag was full of perishibles so I went home and watched the ceremony on my TV. image <a href="http://www.radiosarajevo.ba/novost/156044/foto-austrijanac-matej-marin-pobjednik-sarajevo-grand-prix-a">source</a><br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/0pzlabicdcm6kq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/0pzlabicdcm6kq_small.jpg" alt="awards.jpg"></a><br>
<a href="http://www.procyclingstats.com/rider/Matej_Marin">Matej Marin</a> won first place with <a href="http://www.procyclingstats.com/rider/Cristian_Delle_Stelle">Christian Delle Stelle</a> winning second and <a href="http://www.procyclingstats.com/rider.php?id=130880">Andrea Vacher</a> in third. Fastest sprint was awarded to <a href="http://www.procyclingstats.com/rider.php?id=133241">Mujo Kurtovic</a>. image <a href="http://www.nezavisne.com/sport/ostali_sportovi/Sarajevo-Grand-Prix-Slovenac-Marin-prvi-do-cilja-250368.html">source</a></p>
<p><em>Wednesday, June 25</em></p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/akf2vvbnvje0pg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/akf2vvbnvje0pg_small.jpg" alt="intro iran.jpg"></a><br>
image <a href="http://www.mlssoccer.com/worldcup/2014/news/article/2014/06/24/bosnia-and-herzegovina-vs-iran-2014-fifa-world-cup-group-f-preview">source</a></p>
<p>Bosnia and Herzegovina was scheduled to play their third World Cup game on Wednesday against Iran. Although their two loses guaranteed they would not be advancing, that did not affect the Bosnian team’s spirit. Before the game <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edin_D%C5%BEeko">Džeko</a> was quoted saying <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/world-cup/10921131/Bosnia-Herzegovina-vs-Iran-World-Cup-2014-live.html">"We know that we are not going into the next round, but we will try to do our best in the next game.”</a></p>
<p>Iran still had a chance to advance. If Argentina beat Nigeria and Iran beat BiH, then both Iran and Nigeria would have the same points and it would come down to a goal difference. Bosnia starts the game fiercely with a shot on goal by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edin_D%C5%BEeko">Džeko</a> within the first five minutes. Iran has a solid defense, a reason for their low goal tally in the tournament, but the Dragons continue to press the Lions.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/muurzl5ecltp5q.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/muurzl5ecltp5q_small.jpg" alt="iran first goal.jpg"></a><br>
As the defenders are closing in on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edin_D%C5%BEeko">Džeko</a>, he fires a low powerful shot, narrowly threading the Iranians, bouncing off the inside of the post and putting the Bosnians in the lead for the first time in the World Cup.<br>
image <a href="http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/soccer-dirty-tackle/edin-dzeko-gets-first-world-cup-goal-against-iran--no-offsides-called-164828480.html">source</a></p>
<p>The goal does not phase the Iranians and they pick up the pace, adding a striker and making the Bosnians a little nervous. The first half ends without any more goals but not for lack of effort. Iran has much more at stake than BiH but both teams are playing hard.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/cok4utqr4vw4g.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/cok4utqr4vw4g_small.jpg" alt="iran second goal.jpg"></a><br>
Only fifteen minutes after the second half starts, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miralem_Pjani%C4%87">Pjanić</a> makes a perfectly timed run into the Iranian box and recieves a great ball from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tino-Sven_Su%C5%A1i%C4%87">Sušić</a> to score one more for the Dragons.<br>
image <a href="http://o.canada.com/sports/soccer/world-cup/fifa-world-cup-gallery-bosnia-and-herzegovina-vs-iran">source</a></p>
<p>At 80 minutes, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reza_Ghoochannejhad">Ghoochannejhad (Gucci)</a> gets a promising shot deflected for a corner.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/uth5xxs21yzigq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/uth5xxs21yzigq_small.jpg" alt="iran third goal.jpg"></a><br>
When the corner fails to be properly cleared, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reza_Ghoochannejhad">Gucci</a> is ready and waiting, tapping it in to put Iran on the scoreboard.<br>
image <a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2014/06/25/sport/football/world-cup-argentina-nigeria-iran-bosnia-football/">source</a></p>
<p>This only wakes up the Dragons and they return, less than five minutes later, with another goal.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/qkaqkp4sykfsq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/qkaqkp4sykfsq_small.jpg" alt="iran 4th goal.jpg"></a><br>
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avdija_Vr%C5%A1ajevi%C4%87">Vršajević</a> places a low hard shot in the corner, just out of the goalkeepers reach to restore Bosnia’s two-point lead.<br>
image <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/fifa-world-cup-2014/world-cup-match-report/world-cup-2014-bosnia-win-knocks-out-iran-20140626-zsly6.html">source</a></p>
<p>With their first win in the World Cup, the Bosnians can return home knowing they did not disappoint their fans. There will always be a “what if” surrounding the officiating in the Nigeria game but the win solidifies their place in World Cup history.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/uudrspdfz06ysq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/uudrspdfz06ysq_small.jpg" alt="iran end.jpg"></a><br>
The teams respected each other and the outcome of the game. Iranian coach <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carlos_Queiroz">Queiroz</a> said, <a href="http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/jun/25/bosnia-herzegovina-iran-world-cup-group-f-match-report">“As a team, Bosnia were the best we came up against. They were on another level to us.”</a> image <a href="http://www.cbssports.com/world-cup/eye-on-world-cup/24596104/fifa-world-cup-iran-vs-bosnia-herzegovina-game-blog">source</a></p>
<p><em>In summary</em></p>
<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramadan">Ramadan</a> will begin this Saturday, June 28, which coincides with the 100 year anniversay of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assassination_of_Archduke_Franz_Ferdinand_of_Austria">assasination of Franz Ferdinand</a> in Sarajevo. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramadan">Ramadan</a> is a muslim holiday, the ninth month in the Islamic calander. For the entire month, muslims abstain from eating, drinking, and smoking from sunrise to sunset while attending Although I have heard of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramadan">Ramadan</a>, I have never experienced it in a city with a high muslim population. According to <em>[The Balkan Chronicle]</em>(<a href="http://balkanchronicle.com/index.php/arts-a-culture/arts/culture/2388-ramadan-in-sarajevo-bosnia-of-east-and-west">http://balkanchronicle.com/index.php/arts-a-culture/arts/culture/2388-ramadan-in-sarajevo-bosnia-of-east-and-west</a>) “Bosnia is the best place to "be” muslim in Europe, at least during <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramadan">Ramadan</a>, because when you are on bosnian streets or in café you will have feeling that you are in some European and Middle East city at the same time.“ While this may be true, I feel that Sarajevo always has this mix of East and West.</p>
tag:sarajevo.svbtle.com,2014:Post/world-cup-20142014-06-23T05:42:17-07:002014-06-23T05:42:17-07:00Week 3: June 12-18<p><strong>World Cup 2014</strong></p>
<p><em>Thursday, June 12</em></p>
<p>On Thursday, the internet at work was not cooperating for the majority of the day. My coworkers worked around this by using USB drives to transfer files back and forth. In the afternoon, IT came by and installed the printer drivers on my computer so I would have the ability to print. Instead of taking the tram home, Dinka gave Amer and me a ride because we both live on her way home. She dropped me off in front of the main post office in the Stari Grad. It is across the river from the <a href="http://www.alu.unsa.ba/en">Art Institute</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/ozazvb1sw4p0ba.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/ozazvb1sw4p0ba_small.jpg" alt="art institue.jpg"></a><br>
The <a href="http://www.alu.unsa.ba/en">art institute</a> is in a magnificent building with a fun, looping bridge. image <a href="http://africanuhambo.co.uk/2013/08/06/day-11-jajce-to-sarajevo/">source</a></p>
<p>I mailed my postcards to my friends in the United States and was surprised to find that postage costs more than the postcards themselves, but they had a long journey ahead of them.</p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/03qgi97ogmwohg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/03qgi97ogmwohg_small.jpg" alt="brazil_croatia1.jpg"></a><br>
image <a href="http://www.footballtarget.com/2014/06/brazil-vs-croatia-preview-live-streams-world-cup-2014/">source</a></p>
<p>Thursday evening was the beginning of the World Cup. Brazil was set to play Hrvatska (Croatia) at 10pm local time. Since I had no cable I went to the Stari Grad to watch the game. Flags from all of the participating countries were strung across the wide pedestrian avenues. Every cafe and bar had the game playing. Most of them had an extra TV that they brought out so that the people sitting outside could also watch. The one cafe that did not have a TV was empty. There were also sponsored screens set up in larger areas. Hyundai sponsored a large screen in front of <a href="http://www.bbicentar.ba/eng/">BBI Centar</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/sty8owsv8zotw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/sty8owsv8zotw_small.jpg" alt="0612142154.jpg"></a><br>
Before game time there was live music and there were performances at halftime as well.</p>
<p>After buying a drink at the shopping center, I found space to stand just as the opening ceremony was beginning. There were numerous security officers swimming through the crowd to ensure that the event went smoothly. Some of the spectators were rooting for Croatia (our neighbor to the west) while others were rooting against them. After only ten minutes, Croatia had scored off of an own goal by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcelo_Vieira">Marcelo</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/bfbmpsilj9680q.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/bfbmpsilj9680q_small.jpg" alt="Marcelo_own goal.jpg"></a><br>
image <a href="http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/worldcup/brazil-v-croatia-marcelo-scores-the-first-goal-of-the-2014-world-cupfor-croatia-9533473.html">source</a></p>
<p>The Brazilians were not phased and fired back with a goal of their own 20 minutes later.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/7tufnwlu4mfb9w.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/7tufnwlu4mfb9w_small.jpg" alt="naymar first goal.jpg"></a><br>
It was a perfectly placed shot by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neymar">Neymar</a> and bounced off the inside of the left goal post. There was nothing the Croatian goalie could have done to stop it.<br>
image <a href="http://o.canada.com/sports/soccer/world-cup/world-cup-gallery-brazil-vs-croatia">source</a></p>
<p>There was much back and forth for the rest of the half but no more goals. Multiple players were elbowed in the face while going up for headers, on both sides, but none of the fouls were mean-spirited even though <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcelo_Vieira">Marcelo</a>was often rolling on the ground. One thing that surprised me, and the rest of the crowd gathered at <a href="http://www.bbicentar.ba/eng/">BBI Centar</a>, was that the ref had a small spray can. He would spray the 10 yard line for free kicks so that the players could not move when his back was turned. At half time the crowd dispersed to sit down and throw out their snack wrappers. I was tired of standing and made my way back towards my apartment. When I passed the <a href="http://www.sarajevocitycenter.com/bs">SCC</a>, the game was playing on their screens as well, and the second half was just starting. </p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/cy986sgckyqzzw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/cy986sgckyqzzw_small.jpg" alt="0612142304.jpg"></a></p>
<p>I sat down on one of the cement cubes meant to keep cars from parking on the open area in front of the shopping center. On the right of this picture is the beautiful, full moon. Although this screen had lower definition than the previous one, I was glad to have a seat. After twenty minutes without a goal, I was beginning to get cold. I called it a night and headed home to prepare for work the next morning. When I walked into the apartment I was surprised to hear my roommate watching the game in his room.</p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/adsxnfijcczocg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/adsxnfijcczocg_small.jpg" alt="neymar penalty.jpg"></a><br>
Late in the second half, Brazil was rewarded a penalty for a <a href="http://metro.co.uk/2014/06/12/world-cup-2014-brazil-take-the-lead-over-croatia-through-controversial-penalty-4759860/">blatant dive</a> from <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_(footballer)">Fred</a>. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neymar">Neymar</a> took the penalty and scored, putting Brazil in the lead and a bitter taste in the Croatians mouths. image <a href="http://www.sakalavaka.com/?cat=18">source</a></p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/csi9jl8wu6brw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/csi9jl8wu6brw_small.jpg" alt="Brazil-v-Croatia-Oscar-celeb_3157124.jpg"></a><br>
During the added time at the end of the game, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oscar_(footballer,_born_1991)">Oscar</a> managed to score one more goal for Brazil, validating their win and advancing them to the top of their group. image <a href="http://www1.skysports.com/transfer/news/15116/9347202/oscar-stars-in-brazils-3-1-victory-over-croatia-but-the-hosts-failed-to-convince-in-the-world-cup-opener">source</a></p>
<p><em>Friday, June 13</em></p>
<p>For lunch on Friday we ordered from <a href="http://cevabdzinica-zmaj.ba/english/">Zmaj</a>, a grill near our office. In Bosnian, zmaj means dragon. There is a restaurant that we pass on the tram and that has a dragon sculpture in the front. On Thursday they had a Bosnian flag wrapped around the dragon and fire was coming out of its mouth. As the afternoon was advancing, a thunderstorm rolled in and it got very dark. The forecast predicted rain for the next week! The tram drivers were on strike during the day so Mirela gave Amer and me a ride halfway home. Luckily, they tram drivers ended their strike in time to pick up the workers so I caught the tram home for the rest of the trip.</p>
<p>After work I received a text from Jalaj asking if I wanted to go to a movie with him. Seeing as it was still raining, I happily accepted the invitation. When it was time to head over we walked to <a href="http://www.bbicentar.ba/eng/">BBI Centar</a>.. One of Jalaj’s coworkers had told him about the movie theater next door. We bought our 5km tickets at the counter for <em>Bad Neighbours</em> (<a href="http://youtu.be/4zEUuzj3a2g">Trailer</a>). When buying the tickets we were asked to choose our seats. When we walked into the theater, I was surprised to see the rows and seats labeled. The movie was in English with Bosnian subtitles, and it was moderately entertaining.</p>
<p><em>Saturday, June 14</em></p>
<p>On Saturday morning I went to the cafe inside of the <a href="http://www.alta.ba/">Alta</a> shopping center. After checking my email, I bought some groceries and headed home. Unfortunately, when I had left the cafe, I forgot my umbrella under the table. By the time I returned, it was gone. When I got back to the apartment, Jalaj told me that the internet provider was going to come by and install the WiFi before noon, then he left to buy his own groceries. While he was out, the technician and the landlord came by. The technician was very skilled and worked quickly, stripping wires and testing connections. Neither of them spoke much English, so I sat silently and watched. The technician wrote down the network name and password for me after verifying the connection. The landlord paid for the installation, router, and modem, then they both left. I’m assuming the WiFi fee and modem rental will be added to our rent. I made myself a cheeseburger for lunch and when Jalaj returned I shared the network information with him. Then I headed out into the steady rain.</p>
<p>I had planned to visit the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vrelo_Bosne">Vrelo Bosna</a> on Saturday afternoon, but made the mistake of relying on signage to find my way. I took a wrong turn leaving the tram station in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilid%C5%BEa">Ilidža</a> and ended up taking a nice walk through the small suburb of <a href="http://bs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hrasnica">Hrasnica</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/wdoqd8whggw8fw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/wdoqd8whggw8fw_small.jpg" alt="hrasnica.JPG"></a><br>
<a href="http://bs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hrasnica">Hrasnica</a> is a quiet town nestled at the foot of the mountains east of Sarajevo.</p>
<p>On my way back from <a href="http://bs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hrasnica">Hrasnica</a>, the rain ceased and I was able to take some pictures.</p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/29wksd7oigy3wa.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/29wksd7oigy3wa_small.jpg" alt="Picture 002.jpg"></a><br>
Wildflowers lined the street on my way to <a href="http://bs.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hrasnica">Hrasnica</a>. In front of the small house sits a pile of damp hay.</p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/7fabjkgms4xjyq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/7fabjkgms4xjyq_small.jpg" alt="Picture 012.jpg"></a><br>
Along the way I crossed the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%BDeljeznica_(Bosnia_and_Herzegovina)">Željeznica River</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/jdij6i2nf6d7a.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/jdij6i2nf6d7a_small.jpg" alt="Picture 015.jpg"></a><br>
Next to the river is the <a href="http://www.ibu.edu.ba/">International Burch University</a>. Across from the [IBU]((<a href="http://www.ibu.edu.ba/)">http://www.ibu.edu.ba/)</a>) is the <a href="http://www.ius.edu.ba/">International University of Sarajevo</a>.</p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/wceepwowqx4xrw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/wceepwowqx4xrw_small.jpg" alt="Picture 018.jpg"></a><br>
The heavy clouds sat low in the mountains.</p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/dok6owmjtkz0a.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/dok6owmjtkz0a_small.jpg" alt="Picture 019.jpg"></a><br>
The ever-present houses covering the lower hills.</p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/0bxbrlrvcvmlaq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/0bxbrlrvcvmlaq_small.jpg" alt="Picture 021.jpg"></a><br>
Old next to new, a common occurrence around Sarajevo.</p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/x78biu8y1q2pw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/x78biu8y1q2pw_small.jpg" alt="Picture 024.jpg"></a><br>
The pyramid building is a swimming pool that services all of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilid%C5%BEa">Ilidža</a> while the colorful buildings on the right make up a large shopping center.</p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/emkrfd0v3hbwlg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/emkrfd0v3hbwlg_small.jpg" alt="Picture 029.jpg"></a><br>
This memorial in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilid%C5%BEa">Ilidža</a> is for all of the fallen soldiers and civilian victims from the area. “On 24 stone pillars are carved the names of 722 soldiers and 221 civilian war victims. It was difficult to gather this information, since many of our citizens have left the country or entire families perished. With help from the media, the list is finally complete and the names engraved on the monument.” (paraphrased from) Mirsad Sinanovic, Assistant Chief of Veterans’ Affairs. <a href="http://www.sa-c.net/index.php/news-archive/item/1632-privodi-se-kraju-izgradnja-spomen-obiljezja-na-ilidzi.html">source</a></p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/a8dy0lav4wqbg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/a8dy0lav4wqbg_small.jpg" alt="Picture 038.jpg"></a><br>
One tram stop past my office is the back of the Sarajevo International Airport.</p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/btwsxm9iaomsfq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/btwsxm9iaomsfq_small.jpg" alt="Picture 048.jpg"></a><br>
The <a href="http://www.petrolinvest.ba/">Petrolinvest</a> office is closed on weekends. The building is shaped like an H with the lobby and front desk in the middle. On the left side of the H is the <a href="http://www.petrolinvest.ba/">Petrolinvest</a> offices. The right side of the building has offices for a different company.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/ui4drs5dcssbkg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/ui4drs5dcssbkg_small.jpg" alt="Picture 049.jpg"></a></p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/63rtbgpi2ykgbq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/63rtbgpi2ykgbq_small.jpg" alt="Picture 051.jpg"></a><br>
Every so often I come across pitted areas in the sidewalk. These are the marks left by the mortar shells that were fired at Sarajevo for four years, the longest siege on a city in modern history. In some areas, an artist has filled these with red resin to symbolize the blood lost. These red scars are known as the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarajevo_Rose">Sarajevo Roses</a>.</p>
<p><em>Sunday, June 15</em></p>
<p>On Sunday, I set off for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vrelo_Bosne">Vrelo Bosna</a> again, this time with pictures of the map on my phone. I was determined to visit the source of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosna_(river)">Bosna River</a> and I was not going to let a little rain stop me. By the time I got off the tram in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilid%C5%BEa">Ilidža</a>, it was no longer raining. I was glad to have the map because the route I followed was not intuitive.</p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/mywwfrcrpsllew.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/mywwfrcrpsllew_small.jpg" alt="Picture 058.jpg"></a><br>
Roses thrive in Sarajevo so they are planted in many places.</p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/jttremhsk9co5q.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/jttremhsk9co5q_small.jpg" alt="Picture 061.jpg"></a><br>
In order to avoid walking down the freeway, I took a small side street.</p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/ac4mwovgh0zyw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/ac4mwovgh0zyw_small.jpg" alt="Picture 068.jpg"></a><br>
The side street led me over the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_bridge_on_Ilid%C5%BEa">Roman Bridge</a>. “The Roman Bridge (Rimski Most) in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilid%C5%BEa">Ilidža</a> spans the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosna_(river)">Bosna River</a> and was built by Ottoman architects in the first half of the 16th century using the stones from the remains of the Roman settlement <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarajevo_in_ancient_times">Aquae Sulphurae</a>.” <a href="http://www.bhtourism.ba/eng/romanmost.wbsp">source</a></p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/df1mmthoq1shzw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/df1mmthoq1shzw_small.jpg" alt="Picture 070.jpg"></a><br>
View from the Roman Bridge. The river is calm here and slips by unnoticed.</p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/xeybxiwvrub7w.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/xeybxiwvrub7w_small.jpg" alt="Picture 072.jpg"></a><br>
I happened to pass the <a href="http://kons.gov.ba/main.php?id_struct=50&lang=4&action=view&id=2557">Serbian Orthodox Church of St Sava in Blažuj</a> (built 1896) which became a national monument in 2005.</p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/jhswrh0d8wsnq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/jhswrh0d8wsnq_small.jpg" alt="Picture 074.jpg"></a><br>
I had finally reached the street that led to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vrelo_Bosne">Vrelo Bosna</a>! On the right are beautiful roses poking up out of a private garden. Stray and pet cats were plenty along this street, dumpster diving and sleeping in windows.</p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/gemoelsk7sijxg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/gemoelsk7sijxg_small.jpg" alt="Picture 083.jpg"></a><br>
As I walked along I passed two grazing cows. They were not there on my way back so they must have just been there to <em>moooow</em> the grass.</p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/0zt0thtexalzya.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/0zt0thtexalzya_small.jpg" alt="Picture 088.jpg"></a><br>
<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vrelo_Bosne">Vrelo Bosna</a>! The entrance fee to the park was 2km. Here is the spring that is the source of the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosna_(river)">Bosna River</a>. The entire country is named after this river.</p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/qacod0nme9vgba.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/qacod0nme9vgba_small.jpg" alt="Picture 097.jpg"></a><br>
The calmer areas had ducks and swans.</p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/jyuiawoznrkzdw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/jyuiawoznrkzdw_small.jpg" alt="Picture 101.jpg"></a><br>
The park was beautiful with numerous streams and bridges.</p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/msjebb8dph4g.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/msjebb8dph4g_small.jpg" alt="Picture 105.jpg"></a><br>
Here I am enjoying the lovely park. With rain in the forecast the park attendance was low, but even so, there was a man with an accordion leading a lively dance near the small restaurant.</p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/shzjqor5oxjzg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/shzjqor5oxjzg_small.jpg" alt="Picture 109.jpg"></a><br>
Intriguing paths led off in every direction.</p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/zxiba71uncrnlg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/zxiba71uncrnlg_small.jpg" alt="Picture 114.jpg"></a><br>
Wooden bridges allowed access to even the smallest islands where there were damp benches.</p>
<p>After thoroughly enjoying the quiet park, I headed back out. It would take me at least an hour and a half to get back to the apartment.</p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/3hr4oy2arw5dw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/3hr4oy2arw5dw_small.jpg" alt="Picture 128.jpg"></a><br>
On my way back I spotted more sheep resting in the green fields.</p>
<p>I had just crossed back over the Roman Bridge when I received a text message from Haris informing me that my second roommate was going to arrive within the next hour. This was great news, except that I was still an hour away from the apartment. I picked up my pace and hustled back to the tram stop in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilid%C5%BEa">Ilidža</a>.</p>
<p>When I finally made it back to the apartment I was surprised to find my new roommate Paras, who was sitting by himself in our stairwell with his suitcase. I let him into the apartment, gave him the WiFi information, and let him borrow my phone charger. After he had some time to settle in, Jalaj returned and showed him where to buy a Bosnian sim card for his phone. I spent the evening relishing in our new WiFi access, catching up on all of my YouTube subscriptions.</p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/6vlchtzrutgxq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/6vlchtzrutgxq_small.jpg" alt="Argentina-vs-Bosnia-And-Herzegovina-2014-World-Cup-Group-F-Match-Wallpaper-3200x2400.jpg"></a><br>
image <a href="http://topsportstips.wordpress.com/tag/betting/">source</a></p>
<p>Bosnia and Herzegovina was scheduled for their first World Cup game on Sunday night against Argentina. The excitement had been building all week. During the day almost everyone was wearing BiH gear. Flags adorned many of the cars. Pubs were full with spectators preparing for the game even though it would not start until midnight local time. I had originally planned to watch the game in the Stari Grad so that I could fully experience the support of the Bosnian crowd. As game time approached I heard a few gunshots from over-enthusiastic fans so I decided to stay in and watch the game on my TV. Living next to a government building has its advantages because there was a police car parked in front of the British Council for most of the night. I tried to stay up for the game but kept dozing off as I had made the mistake of watching from my bed.</p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/f0dtolowhyjqfq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/f0dtolowhyjqfq_small.jpg" alt="bosnia-own-goal.jpg"></a><br>
The BiH-Argentina game started much like the Croatia-Brazil game, with an own goal by <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sead_Kola%C5%A1inac">Kolašinac</a>, giving Argentina an early lead. image <a href="http://sports.ndtv.com/fifa-world-cup-2014/news/225604-fifa-world-cup-2014-live-blog-argentina-vs-bosnia-and-herzegovina">source</a></p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/ayjaogspbavha.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/ayjaogspbavha_small.jpg" alt="messi goal off post.jpg"></a><br>
Despite many worthy attempts, no more goals were scored in the first half. At 65 minutes, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lionel_Messi">Messi</a> shot the ball off the inside of the post to put Argentina ahead by 2. image <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/worldcup2014/article-2658638/Argentina-2-1-Bosnia-Herzegovina-Lionel-Messi-makes-mark-seal-victory.html">source</a></p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/nc1kh6jajtbxqw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/nc1kh6jajtbxqw_small.jpg" alt="bih goal.jpg"></a><br>
With only five minutes left in the game, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vedad_Ibi%C5%A1evi%C4%87">Ibišević</a> nutmegged the Argentinian goalie to put BiH on the scoreboard. Unfortunately, this was the last goal of the game and Argentina won 2-1. BiH will play Nigeria on June 21st and Iran on June 25th. image <a href="http://www.smh.com.au/photogallery/fifa-world-cup-2014/world-cup-news-2014/world-cup-2014-argentina-v-bosnia-match-highlights-20140616-3a6i2.html?aggregate=">source</a></p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/ag9yftoriebdw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/ag9yftoriebdw_small.jpg" alt="brazil protest.jpg"></a><br>
image <a href="http://worldcupzones.com/world-cup-2014/brazilians-protest-against-new-star-in-the-world-cup-in-sao-paulo-2014.html">source</a></p>
<p>It is worth noting that the World Cup has sparked huge protests in Brazil. Many of the citizens are outraged that their country would spend more than $11 billion on this event (the most expensive World Cup) before stabilizing education and healthcare. Along with increased public transit fares, many of the poor residents were moved from their housing and await “improved housing” or payment because they lived where the new stadium was to be built.</p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/vy4jjze95ciea.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/vy4jjze95ciea_small.jpg" alt="BrazilProtest3.jpg"></a><br>
“Cup for whom?”<br>
image <a href="http://thinkprogress.org/sports/2013/07/02/2236331/brazil-world-cup-olympics-economic-nightmare/">source</a></p>
<p>Most Brazilians cannot even afford to attend the World Cup. They are angry at their government, but do not blame the players. In protest, the former residents of São Paulo, who were evicted or can no longer afford the rent, have organized a People’s Cup. This event is similar to one held in South Africa during the 2010 World Cup.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/z7ciluhh9bumng.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/z7ciluhh9bumng_small.jpg" alt="Peoples-Cup_01-1024x682.jpg"></a><br>
image <a href="http://www.vocativ.com/gallery/culture/photos/better-world-cup-peoples-cup/?post_item=89498&gallery_attachment_id=89476">source</a></p>
<p><em>Monday, June 16</em></p>
<p>Monday was business as usual. The rain held out for most of my commute and only sprinkled on me during my short walk home from the tram after work. For lunch we ordered delivery from a new restaurant and I tried the krompir (potato) burek. It was good, and the 2km serving was large so I was able to take some home as leftovers. That evening, Haris dropped by and we were able to ask him questions about our salary and rent. I spent the rest of the night relaxing and staying dry.</p>
<p><em>Tuesday, June 17</em></p>
<p>Paras was scheduled to start at Petrolinvest on Tuesday. Although he was working in the same building as I was, he would be in the civil department. He wanted to get to the office early, so we left at 7am, which is 40 minutes before I usually leave. The commute was wet, but smooth and he quickly got his door pass from the woman at the front desk. After stopping to grab a kafa, I introduced him to the civil department on the third floor and headed down to my own office. There were only a few people there when I arrived, but the rest slowly trickled in as the morning progressed. For lunch we ordered ćevapčići from Zmaj again and it was just as delicious as the first time. The food came early so we happily ate lunch around 10:45.</p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/epfebvl0e5ifzg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/epfebvl0e5ifzg_small.jpg" alt="Picture 045.jpg"></a></p>
<p>During our lunch break, Amer, Mirela, and I went on a short walk through the area behind the office. Before the war, that area had been home to the main factories of the industrial powerhouse <a href="http://www.energoinvest.ba/index.php">Energoinvest</a> which had employed over 50,000 Bosnians. Being such a large industrial company it was inevitably targeted and all of the buildings were burned. Now mostly cement shells remain although a few of the buildings have been rebuilt. Some of the empty buildings are used for storage, but the majority stand silent, covered in graffiti, slowly being swallowed by the bushes and weeds.</p>
<p><a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/asdebsgpzcktkw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/asdebsgpzcktkw_small.jpg" alt="Picture 050.jpg"></a></p>
<p>That afternoon the office was quite busy because we had a contract due for a new blending unit. Zoran rushed in and out double checking all the details. The final book of engineering specifications and drawings was over 200 pages long, so Amer burned the PDF to CDs to send to the large refinery in <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republika_Srpska">Republika Srpska</a> that had ordered the project. It continued to rain as I showed Paras how to take the tram back home.</p>
<p><em>Wednesday, June 18</em></p>
<p>After work on Wednesday, Mirela dropped Amer and me off in front of a large shopping center named Robot. Amer helped me buy a cheap drying rack. Even though our apartment had a clothesline in the bathroom, it could only fit one round of laundry at a time, which was a bit of a problem with three people. Also, with two male roommates, there wasn’t much privacy.</p>
<p>It had been raining for almost a week and I was starting to feel restless. When the rain paused on Wednesday evening, I jumped at the chance to take a walk. This time, I walked north, passing the bus station, stadiums, and cemeteries. I walked all the way up to the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pionirska_dolina">Pionirska dolina</a> (Pioneer Valley) which is a large park with a zoo.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/rdauykznqd27vq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/rdauykznqd27vq_small.jpg" alt="Pionirska_dolina.jpg"></a><br>
image <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pionirska_dolina">source</a></p>
<p>Not wanting to get lost, I turned around and headed back towards the center of the city. On my way back, I turned onto an overpass that led into the Tunel Ciglane that takes drivers through a hill instead of over it. The street was positioned between two large cemeteries and above a marketplace.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/8pjzuvixefjjdq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/8pjzuvixefjjdq_small.jpg" alt="0618141945a.jpg"></a></p>
<p>Although Sarajevo does not have a traditional city skyline, as the sun is going down, the many apartment buildings light up and look like small skyscapers.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/cc2qjppzrhct2a.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/cc2qjppzrhct2a_small.jpg" alt="0618141946.jpg"></a></p>
<p>This is the view looking back towards the city.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/pkbcsk8zzkczw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/pkbcsk8zzkczw_small.jpg" alt="0618141946a.jpg"></a></p>
<p>The 1984 Olympic tower can be seen from almost everywhere in Sarajevo.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/8d9dlq4onahbsw.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/8d9dlq4onahbsw_small.jpg" alt="0618141946b.jpg"></a></p>
<p>Eventually, I got back to the main street that runs east-west through Sarajevo. Although it had started to rain lightly, I still felt like walking much further. I chose to walk west following the tram route for an easy ride home. After walking for over an hour, I caught the tram back, made dinner, and headed to bed. On my way, I passed a <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarajevo_Rose">Sarajevo Rose</a>.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/xnol4fkedsulbg.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/xnol4fkedsulbg_small.jpg" alt="0618142041.jpg"></a><br>
The trams in Sarajevo do not have a schedule that I know of. The only schedule they follow is frequent, and often. During peak commute hours, they come by frequently, less than five minutes apart. During the middle of the day and at night they come by often. I have never had to wait more than ten minutes for a tram at any stop and I have never seen an empty tram.</p>
<p><em>In summary</em></p>
<p>Qualifying for the World Cup this year was a huge accomplishment for Bosnia and Herzegovina. Although the country rallied together in support of their team, they still remain largely divided. In order to understand the complex divisions within the country, I had to understand the history. When the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dayton_Agreement">Dayton Agreement</a> was signed in 1995 to put an end to the Bosnian War, Bosnia and Herzegovina was divided into two parts: the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federation_of_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina">Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina</a> and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republika_Srpska">Republika Srpska</a>. Both parts make up the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/mavbhavdt4rtoa.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/mavbhavdt4rtoa_small.jpg" alt="dayton agreement map.JPG"></a><br>
image <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dayton_Agreement">source</a></p>
<p>As a clarification, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herzegovina">Herzegovina</a> is a region within the country and is in both the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federation_of_Bosnia_and_Herzegovina">Federation of Bosnia-Herzegovina</a> and the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republika_Srpska">Republika Srpska</a>.<br>
<a href="https://svbtleusercontent.com/3l7nlmkxlysdq.jpg"><img src="https://svbtleusercontent.com/3l7nlmkxlysdq_small.jpg" alt="herzegovina.jpg"></a><br>
image <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Herzegovina">source</a></p>
<p>Although all citizens of BiH are considered Bosnians, their political structure has three constituent nations: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosniaks">Bosniaks</a> (Muslim), <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosnian_Croat">Croats</a> (Roman Catholic), and <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosnian_Serbs">Serbs</a> (Christian Orthodox). These make up roughly 95% of the population. The 17 minority groups include Jews, Gypsies, and children of mixed marriages. In 2006, Jewish official <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jakob_Finci">Jakob Finci</a> and Roma official <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dervo_Sejdi%C4%87">Dervo Sejdic</a> sued the state because under the current structure, any candidate that was not a Bosniak, Croat, or Serb was unable to run for president. The case was won in 2009, but nothing has changed. Even after the <a href="http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/International/2012/Mar-31/168680-bosnian-minorities-push-for-right-to-be-president.ashx#axzz35Sdhmo2x">EU stated that enforcing the verdict is “one of the preconditions for an application for EU membership,”</a> the government has been unable to implement this change because it would require them to update the constitution. It seems that the government has two options: to add a fourth nation for minorities or to consolidate down to one President. For a country that cannot agree on lyrics for its national anthem, resolving this issue will be much harder than it seems.</p>
<p>The Bosnian government, much like the United States, has three branches: Executive, Legislative, and Judicial. The three presidents (Bosniak, Croat, Serb) rotate, each having power for 8 months at a time during their 4 year terms. The Legislative branch is made up of the House of Peoples and the National House of Representatives. The House of Peoples includes 15 delegates (5 Bosniaks, 5 Croats, 5 Serbs) that serve 2 year terms. They in turn select 58 representatives (17 Bosniak, 17 Croat, 17 Serb, 7 others) who serve 4 year terms. The House of Representatives comprises of 42 elected officials (14 Bosniak, 14 Croat, 14 Serb). The Judicial branch is organized similarly, ensuring proportional representation. It is obvious that minorities only have a chance to be represented in the House of the Peoples, which is technically a human rights violation. In order to resolve this issue, the government would need to be reorganized. The <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dayton_Agreement">Dayton Agreement</a> succeeded in ending the war and evenly distributing power among the three main groups, but it forgot about the minorities.</p>
<p>On top of those problems, corruption heavily plagues the small country. <a href="http://www.business-anti-corruption.com/country-profiles/europe-central-asia/bosnia-and-herzegovina/business-corruption-in-bosnia-and-herzegovina.aspx">Corruption is one of the biggest obstacles that BiH faces in its bid for future EU membership. “Corruption is reportedly pervasive in the judiciary, police and other law enforcement agencies, business licensing, customs and public procurement.”</a>. In a 2011 <a href="https://www.unodc.org/documents/data-and-analysis/statistics/corruption/Bosnia_corruption_report_web.pdf">report</a> conducted by the United Nations, corruption was ranked as the fourth most important problem with more than 20% of Bosnians exposed to a bribery experience within the previous year (25.3% in the Federation of Bosnia and <br>
Herzegovina and 10.5% in the Republika Srpska). This corruption, along with complicated licensing procedures, has discouraged many businesses from investing in BiH.</p>