We each travel with a big suitcase and a small roller board carry on, plus a small bag.
I wasn’t sure exactly how we would deal with the luggage on a bus in addition to crossing international borders.
But, even though it was MY first rodeo traveling by bus and crossing a border, it was not THEIR first rodeo.
They handled it like seasoned pros, so it made it easy for us to handle it like seasoned travelers.
It is organized by a group of local young activists and its aim is to bring new artists and art to the streets of the post-war city.
Like other street artists around the world, they also want to redefine the city's public
spaces and revitalize abandoned buildings.
It was part of the Ottoman Empire for 400 years and grew significantly during the 15th and 16th centuries.
In the 19th and 20th centuries it was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
The name Mostar comes from the word "most", which means "bridge", and it can be translated as “the bridge keeper”.
This bridge is an iconic symbol of Mostar.
In 1930 her family emigrated to Canada.
She said many times how grateful she was that her father’s footsteps took her family to Canada, in reference to both WWII and the Baltic War in the 1990’s.
I decided to do some exploring while I was in Bosnia and my footsteps took us to NE Bosnia and a small village called Franzjosefsfeld.
It is easy to see why.
The water is crystal clear and abundant running through beautiful forests, rolling hills, mountains and cities.
The Una River is a major river in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a total length of 212 km (132 miles).
In some places it forms a natural border between Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia.
Bosnia's traditional dish, cevapi, consists of small rolls of grilled seasoned ground meat, typically a mixture of beef and lamb.
Cevapi is often served as a set of eight to ten pieces with raw onions, sour cream and usually served in a bread pocket. It is eaten anytime during the day.
Our first breakfast in Sarajevo we had a bit of a communication challenge with the restaurant server.
We ended up having cevapi for breakfast.
The population in the metro area of Sarajevo in 2024 is 347,000 people.
Outside of the historical Ottoman old town, the Austrian area and the war scarred buildings there are a few modern buildings marking a new post-war era.
Every morning before it was too hot we would walk along the Milijaka River where we found these stand-out buildings.
One is in 1984 when Sarajevo hosted the world at the Winter Olympics.
It was the first Winter Olympic Games held in a Slavic language-speaking country, as well as the first Winter Olympics held in a communist country.
The 1984 Winter Games mascot was a wolf, an animal typically found in the forests of the Dinaric Alps region of Yugoslavia.
The 1984 Winter Olympics was considered a success. It made it possible to further modernize Sarajevo and develop winter sports in Yugoslavia.
After the Ottoman Empire’s decline Sarajevo was annexed by the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1878.
Under the Austrians new buildings were constructed with western architecture.
Quite literally, there is a distinct line of different architecture where “east meets west” between the Ottoman and the Austro-Hungarian areas.
They now have a marker in the pavement to make sure the tourists notice.
It has been influenced by Ottoman, then Austro-Hungarian, and then Yugoslav rule.
This gives it a unique blend of cultures with a mixture of both Eastern and Western influences.
The Old Town Sarajevo dates back to the beginning of the 15th century under the Ottoman Empire when they occupied parts of eastern Europe.
