Thursday, May 27, 2010

Snapshots of the last 2 months

Okay, okay. I know I've been a blogging slacker! (Not having internet at my house for 3 weeks definitely didn't help me in my procrastination!) In order to make up for some lost time, this post includes a few pictures that I've taken over the last 2 months in Bosnia.

And just as an addition to that-I'm starting to see more and more that one of my roles here is to show people just how beautiful this place really is. There are many, many reasons why Lonely Planet listed Sarajevo as one of its top 10 cities to visit in 2010, and I hope I can somehow spread the word with them! Below you will find pictures of a a few places surrounding downtown Sarajevo, and all are in Bosnia.

So, without further ado.....

SPRING SNAPSHOTS FROM BOSNIA! 

The first few pictures are from Vrelo Bosne. This is a park that is located on the outskirts of Sarajevo. To get here, Liz and I took a tram for about 25 minutes from the center of Sarajevo and walked 4 kilometers. If you aren't the walking type, you could travel in style like this couple... 


As you can see, the park is well worth the walk! 

And yes, the water tastes just as clean as it looks! 

While we were there, there was a choir from a local Islamic school taking pictures for their upcoming concerts. I've actually seen a few of these pictures posted lately around town and hope to get to go to the concert! 


I know, I know. Liz and I just blend right in... 


The park even has a playground for you to get in touch with your child-like side. (Or maybe in my case, childish side?) Still working on that patience thing... 

On the walk back, we stopped to chat with these gentlemen. They were kind enough to let me take their picture, but looked less than enthusiastic when I actually did it... 


Still haven't decided if I like the black and white version better... 


The next few shots are taken from Prvi Maj (the first of May). It is a BIG holiday here, and I went on a hike with a few Bosnian buddies- the PERFECT way to spend a beautiful day!

Okay, so funny language moment- we organized these plans the night before at a cafe, and the conversation was all in Bosnian. I was a bit proud of myself for understanding enough that we would be going to the mountain, but for some reason I had it in my mind that it would be a little bit of hiking and a lot of relaxing and frisbee throwing! Well... yeah... we ended up hiking pretty much the entire day! That was COMPLETELY fine with me, but my guests and I probably would have dressed a bit differently!

P.S. the bosnian word for hiking is pješačiti and all day is cijeli dan, in case you were wondering... 
At least we hiked in style (and a little in the snow, I might add). 


Have I mentioned yet that this stunning hiking trail is located just 30-40 minutes outside of Sarajevo by car?!?

This is our last group shot before getting to the very top! (the soon to be conquered mountain is behind us!)

Celebrating at the top, deciding to go for a little walk to get a little fresh air... 

You gotta love how beautiful it is here! 

The last few pictures are from an excursion we took with our ESL classes to Travnik and Jajce- both are older cities in Bosnia, complete with historic forts and mosques. 

 It rained for the majority of the day, so I wasn't able to take too many pictures. 
First, we stopped to have coffee in Travnik. I ordered Bosnian coffee, and this is everything that was included. Look closely to see why I felt so compelled to take a picture.... 


During our time in Travnik, a couple of the ESL students decided to show me how they really felt about my English teaching abilities.

A view of some of the beautiful waterfalls in Jajce. 


Maybe I'll start looking for a job with a Bosnian tourist agency?


And one last one group shot from Jajce! I think this really could be on a travel guide somewhere! 

Till next time-
Kat