DATELINE: sarajevo bosnia and herzegovina    

Author: Sam      

And then there was one... Natalie should by now be on her train to Belgrade. I'm just sitting around waiting to get my taxi to the airport in a couple of hours. I think I might be at a bit of a loss for words right now. It was an incredible, unforgettable trip. I learned more about the habits and neuroses of my traveling companions that I probably should know, but I'm SURE the same could be said about my, um, quirks, by them. Ive swam in the Adriatic, so that's something. And I found out that the former Yugoslavia is completely different than what I had anticipated. When most Americans think about former communist countries, I think we imagine lots of drab, gray concrete housing blocks and wide boulevards designed for the efficient marching of soldiers and missiles for the amusement of Party members. Admittedly, we found that in spades in Albania, but the former Yugoslavia is among the most beautiful places I have ever seen. The mountains are breathtaking. The coastline is magnificent. The architecture, well, the old stuff is quite beautiful and I was taken completely unaware of the massive Turkish/Muslim influence in the whole of the society. The newer stuff is a bit too much poured concrete and wide boulevards for my taste. The food was by and large underwhelming, but I have a new obsession with pinjur, a roasted pepper and eggplant salad we ate in Ohrid, Macedonia. And to be fair, while I was pretty unimpressed with food preparations, the quality was exceptional. (I will also start a prompt search for Bosnian bakeries in NYC. THEY are amazing.)Lastly, for a people who have been so utterly beaten down by war and life in general, the Kosovars and especially the Bosnians were incredibly warm and gracious and those few with whom we were lucky enough to talk seemed to be more or less at peace with the atrocities of the 1990s, while still maintaining an overt desire to educate and make aware anyone who will listen about their former plight. Thanks to Andy for organizing this trip, for convincing us to come along, and for being flexible enough to stray from the blueprint for the benefit of our collective sanity. And thanks to Nick and Natalie for providing such excellent conversation, friendship, and needed balance to our group. I am extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to spend so much time and see the world with both of you.