Wilson's Walk

 Last weekend, we took advantage of "Wilson's Walk"--a stretch of shaded road next to the Miljacka River (mil-YAHK-uh).  Each weekend and evening after 5 p.m., this road is closed to vehicles and dedicated to the pedestrians and bikers of the city.  It is really quite nice.  Liam had plenty of room to run to his heart's content, and we even made a quick stop by the local outdoor market to get supplies for dinner.  Here are some photos from our morning.

 The (slightly smelly) river

 Looking at the ducks

 And he's off!

Found a feather... 

 and a bench!

Lazy, ingenious non-waterfowl city birds

 Still present war wounds--evidence of shelling (top left of building above) and bullet holes (below)

Sarajevo Film Festival

Geoff and I got to attend both the opening film and the closing film of the Sarajevo Film Festival.  Both evenings were a ton of fun.  We shared a babysitter with our new friends, Matt Blevins and Christina Smith, so that Liam could play with their son Isiah (who will be 5 in September) before heading out to dinner both nights.

Our first night, we hit up a local pizza joint.  We let Matt do most of the ordering for us since 1) he'd been there lots before and 2) he's pretty fluent in Bosnian.  We had Bosnia's version of antipasti, as well as some salads and delicious pizzas.  After dinner, we started our trek to the venue.  Well, that was an adventure.  We pretty much knew where we needed to go, but we could not find it!  There were no signs to direct anyone, and when we stumbled upon a different film venue, even the workers didn't know how to direct us to where we needed to be.  Luckily, we finally ran into one guy who knew where to go, and we made it JUST in time to find seats in the back and watch Children of Sarajevo, a movie about a reformed Islamic sister trying to raise her brother after both were orphaned during the war.  The movie write-ups sounded great!  The actual film left a lot to be desired.  There were too many subplots, not enough detail about seemingly important events, and zero resolution to ANY of the plot lines!!!  Oh well, they tried.  They brought out the director and cast afterward, and the star of the movie was awarded Best Actress of the festival, and I can see why.  I just wish the writing/storyline had been stronger.

For the closing film, Matt and Christina took us to the only sushi joint in Sarajevo (probably even Bosnia).  The chef/owner, Darko, left Sarajevo during the war and ended up in San Francisco, studying sushi making.  He brought his skills back here, and we are grateful he did!  Matt suggested we not order and just let Darko serve us.  It was divine--scallop roe, tuna belly, salmon, shrimp...oh my goodness!!!  Matt told us the Japanese Embassy often books Darko to cater events, and we know why.  We will definitely be back!  After dinner, we found our way back to the same, hidden film venue to watch The Angels' Share, an utterly charming Scottish film about a troubled young man, Robbie, who is now a new father and wants to turn his life around.

But before the movie began, the festival director brought Jeremy Irons on stage so he could award two Syrian filmmakers for their efforts.  The speech was moving, drawing many parallels between Sarajevo 20 years ago and Syria today.  Then the filmmakers spoke.  Again, it was very touching, and they ended positively, stating that Sarajevo inspires Syrians, and that Syrians hope for a similar recovery as that of Sarajevo.

After speeches, the movie began.  Though the Scottish brogue was very thick in spots (enough to warrant our reading of the English subtitles), it was a wonderful movie.  We all loved it!  Funny, poignant, heart-warming!  After the film, a couple of the actors came on stage (them men who played Robbie and Albert--my faves!)

Although we only made it to two films, we loved our experience at the Sarajevo Film Festival and will definitely attend again next year.  If you've never been to a film festival, might I suggest you give one a try?  And might I strongly suggest the Sidewalk Film Festival in Birmingham, AL?  My good friend, Chloe Collins, is the director of this festival, and it just gets bigger and better every year!  It's in August, so you have time to make your plans to go!  You'll thank me!

Our first visitor--Uncle Jim!

Uncle Jim stopped by Sarajevo for a few days while on his way back home from Nairobi.  This earned him the much coveted title of First Guest!  It was a great opportunity for us to play tour guide and practice our navigation skills.  Uncle Jim got to help walk Liam to school, see the fresh, outdoor market I frequent, see Stari Grad and have a true Ottoman style coffee, visit the Embassy, and stand in the spot where Archduke Ferdinand and his wife Sofia were assassinated, thus catapulting the world into World War I.  The four days flew by, but we enjoyed our visit with Uncle Jim very much and look forward to his potential return this fall!

 Uncle Jim in front of the ruins of one of the oldest inns in Europe.

 Enjoying Bosnian kafe

 The Latin Bridge/ Princip Most

Liam's Walk to School

Liam and I walk to school every morning.  We also sometimes walk home, depending on the weather.  When we began walking to school, Liam started off needing to take 2-3 breaks (with Mama carrying him during those breaks so we could make it on time).  Now, he is a champ, walking the entire KM without any breaks!  Here are a few shots of what we encounter on our daily walks.

 Our view of the city from the bottom of our driveway

 An interesting roadside plant

 Another city view

The building on the left is the Parliament building (lots of famous photos of this one from the siege).

The yellow, smaller building peeking out from the Parliament building is the Holiday Inn, 

where the U.S. first set up its Embassy back in the war days, and where the press stayed while documenting the conflict.

The building in the middle is the Twist Tower.  Rumor is the owner practiced in war profiteering, 

so the building is actually pretty empty.  No decent Bosnian wants any part of it.

 Urban art

This one is in memory of the massacre of Srebenica.

It says, "Zeljini Maniacs will not forgive!"

 A lovely, old Jewish cemetery, dating back to 1630

It was used during the siege to launch mortar attacks on the city,

and when the troops left, they landmined the heck out of it.  Read about it here.

They are STILL working on rebuilding it.  Notice the scaffold on the gate to the left.

 Houses with AWESOME grapevine covered verandas

 Bosnian attempts at safety rails.  This is a good 50 foot drop to the road below.

 Evidence of the war--those are bullet holes

 Cute, Bosnian houses

The front of Liam's school

It is a bit "Communist Concrete" on the outside, 

but the inside and the back garden/playground is simply spectacular!

I'll ask to take some photos when I can.

Road Trippin', part 2--Mostar

I have a TON of pictures to share about our day trip to Mostar.  It was a great trip, despite carsickness, and we took plenty of pictures to show off this amazing, unique city.

 Geoff pulled over on the way to get a shot of the amazing scenery.

Liam getting a kiss from Mama at a waterside cafe.  This was our halfway stop, after Liam's first carsickness episode of the day.

 He bounced back fast, huh?  Here are my smiling, happy men!

 This lovely view was taken at carsick stop number 2.

 We made it!  Mama and Liam with the "Stari Most" (the "Old Bridge") in the background.
Click on the link to read about it!

 An amazing shot of Mostar, named after this "most", originally built by the Ottomans.

 People jump off the bridge for money.  Here he goes...

And SPLASH!

 After safely making his jump, the guy swam over to this side of the bridge.

 Mama and Liam strolling through the market.

 Liam's trying to tell Dada to go, "Dis way."

 Ice cream break

 Cruise ship vacationers have the option of taking a day trip into Mostar.  We found some people who looked more "touristy" than us.

Bye-bye Mostar!

Bosnia's version of Durbin Farms (linked for the non-Alabama folks)

The peaches were DELICIOUS!!