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Sarajevo
August 1st - 3:24pm
This used to be the National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina (heretofore abbreviated as BiH). The plaque on the right reads: "On this place Serbian criminals in the night of 25th-26th August 1992 set on fire National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Over 2 millions of books, periodicals and documents vanished in the flame.Do not forget, remember and warn!"
August 1st - 3:24pm
This used to be the National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina (heretofore abbreviated as BiH). The plaque on the right reads: "On this place Serbian criminals in the night of 25th-26th August 1992 set on fire National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Over 2 millions of books, periodicals and documents vanished in the flame.Do not forget, remember and warn!"
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Sarajevo
August 1st - 3:25pm
I think this is a bombed out synagogue, but it could also be a bombed out mosque. Or a bombed out Orthodox church. The funds to reconstruct it are slowly accumulating.
August 1st - 3:25pm
I think this is a bombed out synagogue, but it could also be a bombed out mosque. Or a bombed out Orthodox church. The funds to reconstruct it are slowly accumulating.
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Sarajevo
August 1st - 3:28pm
Heading up the street from Sarajevo's old quarter.
August 1st - 3:28pm
Heading up the street from Sarajevo's old quarter.
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Sarajevo
August 1st - 3:29pm
I think this is a Renault and not a Yugo. Something about old, tiny, continental European cars appeals to my aesthetic sensibilities. Over the wall, headstones in one of Sarajevo's numerous new cemeteries.
August 1st - 3:29pm
I think this is a Renault and not a Yugo. Something about old, tiny, continental European cars appeals to my aesthetic sensibilities. Over the wall, headstones in one of Sarajevo's numerous new cemeteries.
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Sarajevo
August 1st - 3:33pm
It is, in fact, the Bosnian military cemetery. Quite pretty, if you can ignore what it represents. A small stream runs through it; the grounds used to be a city park until it was requisitioned around twelve or fifteen years ago. The single line of trees on top of the mountain ridge is puzzling.
August 1st - 3:33pm
It is, in fact, the Bosnian military cemetery. Quite pretty, if you can ignore what it represents. A small stream runs through it; the grounds used to be a city park until it was requisitioned around twelve or fifteen years ago. The single line of trees on top of the mountain ridge is puzzling.
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Sarajevo
August 1st - 3:39pm
I think this is a variety of juniper? Don't hold me to that. The cemetery is in the background.
August 1st - 3:39pm
I think this is a variety of juniper? Don't hold me to that. The cemetery is in the background.
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Sarajevo
August 1st - 3:42pm
Sarajevo is nestled dramatically in a valley between steep ridges. This is looking toward the west: the cemetery and old town center are in the foreground, while the international government buildings, business district and suburbs are in the background. Despite all the brightness in this photo, an intense and long-lasting thunderstorm broke out shortly hereafter, no doubt influenced by the area's severe topography.
August 1st - 3:42pm
Sarajevo is nestled dramatically in a valley between steep ridges. This is looking toward the west: the cemetery and old town center are in the foreground, while the international government buildings, business district and suburbs are in the background. Despite all the brightness in this photo, an intense and long-lasting thunderstorm broke out shortly hereafter, no doubt influenced by the area's severe topography.
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Sarajevo
August 1st - 4:31pm
After the thunderstorm stopped, we surveyed the damage to our tea and coffee, which we had been enjoying in a Turkish-style outdoor parlor. Bosnian coffee is brewed much like Turkish coffee in copper pots like these, an impressive example of which will unexpectedly appear the following day.
August 1st - 4:31pm
After the thunderstorm stopped, we surveyed the damage to our tea and coffee, which we had been enjoying in a Turkish-style outdoor parlor. Bosnian coffee is brewed much like Turkish coffee in copper pots like these, an impressive example of which will unexpectedly appear the following day.
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Sarajevo
August 1st - 5:32pm
I guess the question is, who keeps the pieces at night? Are they stored in that green bin? This is an activity afforded by the twin luxuries of space and time, even when all other resources are absent. It's far less degrading then human chess.
August 1st - 5:32pm
I guess the question is, who keeps the pieces at night? Are they stored in that green bin? This is an activity afforded by the twin luxuries of space and time, even when all other resources are absent. It's far less degrading then human chess.
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Sarajevo
August 1st - 5:32pm
The old men in this photo — along with old men everywhere — are so expressive!
August 1st - 5:32pm
The old men in this photo — along with old men everywhere — are so expressive!
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Sarajevo
August 1st - 5:39pm
The Central Bank of BiH. The building resembles a bank branch in downtown Cleveland, or perhaps a nice post office somewhere. According to Andrew, BiH's constitution mandates that the Bank be headed by a non-Bosnian.
August 1st - 5:39pm
The Central Bank of BiH. The building resembles a bank branch in downtown Cleveland, or perhaps a nice post office somewhere. According to Andrew, BiH's constitution mandates that the Bank be headed by a non-Bosnian.
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Sarajevo
August 1st - 5:41pm
I will never tire of hats (or wear them).
August 1st - 5:41pm
I will never tire of hats (or wear them).
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Sarajevo
August 1st - 8:00pm
On our way to eat steak covered in peanut sauce and chat with a Defense Attache Officer (neither premeditated), I spotted these two Segway ladies advertising Opresa, an unfortunately named publication distribution firm. Other Segway sightings included a trio of vacationing Gulf state boys riding around the old quarter of Vienna on minis, which I didn't even know existed.
August 1st - 8:00pm
On our way to eat steak covered in peanut sauce and chat with a Defense Attache Officer (neither premeditated), I spotted these two Segway ladies advertising Opresa, an unfortunately named publication distribution firm. Other Segway sightings included a trio of vacationing Gulf state boys riding around the old quarter of Vienna on minis, which I didn't even know existed.
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Sarajevo
August 2nd - 10:47am
This building shell is located across the street from the hotel/business complex where we picked up our rental car. It's been pointed out to me that the billboard on the left is advertising for a German window company! A tad insensitive, I think, but effective.
August 2nd - 10:47am
This building shell is located across the street from the hotel/business complex where we picked up our rental car. It's been pointed out to me that the billboard on the left is advertising for a German window company! A tad insensitive, I think, but effective.
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Visoko
August 2nd - 1:14pm
In the town of Visoko, there are supposedly two giant paleolithic earthen pyramids. This turns out not to be true, but it's a nonetheless amusing and creative tourist draw. This is Andrew and Sam standing on one of them, pondering humanity's unknowable history.
August 2nd - 1:14pm
In the town of Visoko, there are supposedly two giant paleolithic earthen pyramids. This turns out not to be true, but it's a nonetheless amusing and creative tourist draw. This is Andrew and Sam standing on one of them, pondering humanity's unknowable history.
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Visoko
August 2nd - 1:15pm
Kind of a cute town, perhaps 20 miles outside of Sarajevo. It was market day, whose activities filled the diagonal street and bridge in the right half of the picture.
August 2nd - 1:15pm
Kind of a cute town, perhaps 20 miles outside of Sarajevo. It was market day, whose activities filled the diagonal street and bridge in the right half of the picture.
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Visoko
August 2nd - 1:53pm
I promised an impressive coffee pot, didn't I?
August 2nd - 1:53pm
I promised an impressive coffee pot, didn't I?
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Visoko
August 2nd - 1:52pm
But who could have expected certification! You'd kind of expect the world's largest coffee pot to be...bigger.
August 2nd - 1:52pm
But who could have expected certification! You'd kind of expect the world's largest coffee pot to be...bigger.
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Visoko
August 2nd - 2:00pm
These lambs ain't no lie. At least you know what you're getting!
August 2nd - 2:00pm
These lambs ain't no lie. At least you know what you're getting!
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Visoko
August 2nd - 2:02pm
While it sort of looks like this lamb has gold fillings in its teeth, it's safe to say that's simply an effect of the enamel being stripped away by the heat. The eyeballs have amazing staying power.
August 2nd - 2:02pm
While it sort of looks like this lamb has gold fillings in its teeth, it's safe to say that's simply an effect of the enamel being stripped away by the heat. The eyeballs have amazing staying power.
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Visoko
August 2nd - 2:05pm
Andrew insisted on this meal, which consisted of half a rack of salted ribs (with no other flavoring agents of any kind) and a loaf of bread for the somewhat hefty price of $20 equivalent. When I expressed surprise at this figure, Andrew reminded me that raising an animal the old-fashioned way is not a cheap enterprise. This lamb was organic by default.
August 2nd - 2:05pm
Andrew insisted on this meal, which consisted of half a rack of salted ribs (with no other flavoring agents of any kind) and a loaf of bread for the somewhat hefty price of $20 equivalent. When I expressed surprise at this figure, Andrew reminded me that raising an animal the old-fashioned way is not a cheap enterprise. This lamb was organic by default.
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Visoko
August 2nd - 2:06pm
The meat, when one could get at it, was quite good, although it would have certainly benefited from some barbecue sauce. The bread was unexpectedly fabulous.
August 2nd - 2:06pm
The meat, when one could get at it, was quite good, although it would have certainly benefited from some barbecue sauce. The bread was unexpectedly fabulous.
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Bobovac
August 2nd - 6:05pm
A (Croatian) Catholic monastery near the ancient fortress of Bobovac. The monastery's museum contains the oldest books in BiH (15th century), for safe keeping.
August 2nd - 6:05pm
A (Croatian) Catholic monastery near the ancient fortress of Bobovac. The monastery's museum contains the oldest books in BiH (15th century), for safe keeping.
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Travnik
August 2nd - 5:19pm
The lead car in a Bosniak wedding celebration (you can tell by the flags). A caravan of cars circled town for hours (possible because there are exactly two through roads in Travnik), honking like mad with car alarms blaring where available. The worst part is that a Croat wedding party was doing the exact same thing, half a lap behind.
August 2nd - 5:19pm
The lead car in a Bosniak wedding celebration (you can tell by the flags). A caravan of cars circled town for hours (possible because there are exactly two through roads in Travnik), honking like mad with car alarms blaring where available. The worst part is that a Croat wedding party was doing the exact same thing, half a lap behind.
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Travnik
August 2nd - 3:15pm
The town, from the parking lot of the (Western-style) supermarket. Travnik is in a steep valley, much like Sarajevo.
August 2nd - 3:15pm
The town, from the parking lot of the (Western-style) supermarket. Travnik is in a steep valley, much like Sarajevo.
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Travnik
August 2nd - 6:22pm
A pretty waterfall as seen from the bridge leading to Travnik's fortress. The fortress was part of the city's defense system dating back to the time when Travnik was the capital of Bosnia, say, six hundred years ago.
August 2nd - 6:22pm
A pretty waterfall as seen from the bridge leading to Travnik's fortress. The fortress was part of the city's defense system dating back to the time when Travnik was the capital of Bosnia, say, six hundred years ago.
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Travnik
August 2nd - 6:22pm
A fly in the ointment. Litter is a problem all over BiH, but not its worst problem.
August 2nd - 6:22pm
A fly in the ointment. Litter is a problem all over BiH, but not its worst problem.
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Travnik
August 2nd - 6:30pm
The fortress's...lawn? Where the rave took place.
August 2nd - 6:30pm
The fortress's...lawn? Where the rave took place.
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Travnik
August 2nd - 6:32pm
The view from the fortress. I count five mosques; you?
August 2nd - 6:32pm
The view from the fortress. I count five mosques; you?
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Travnik
August 2nd - 6:52pm
Flier for the rave, as posted on the doors of the fortress. Most of the musicians were from BiH, and note that the festival organizers take care to detail the wattage of the sound and light systems. No tepid shuffleboard party, this!
August 2nd - 6:52pm
Flier for the rave, as posted on the doors of the fortress. Most of the musicians were from BiH, and note that the festival organizers take care to detail the wattage of the sound and light systems. No tepid shuffleboard party, this!
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Travnik
August 2nd - 7:33pm
Two ladies in their late middle age in front of an apartment building in its late middle age, across the street from our hotel (an exhausted Tito-era concrete bunker).
August 2nd - 7:33pm
Two ladies in their late middle age in front of an apartment building in its late middle age, across the street from our hotel (an exhausted Tito-era concrete bunker).
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Travnik
August 3rd - 2:09am
At the rave. We stayed almost four hours, somehow! Locals befriended us, as there were very few people at the rave not from Travnik, which gets the event around once a year. They even brought in a fire girl from big city Sarajevo!
August 3rd - 2:09am
At the rave. We stayed almost four hours, somehow! Locals befriended us, as there were very few people at the rave not from Travnik, which gets the event around once a year. They even brought in a fire girl from big city Sarajevo!
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Travnik
August 3rd - 3:08am
I'd like to title this one, "After The Rave." We encountered these gravestones on the way back to the hotel — a ghoulish form of advertising, but we've encountered worse so far in BiH.
August 3rd - 3:08am
I'd like to title this one, "After The Rave." We encountered these gravestones on the way back to the hotel — a ghoulish form of advertising, but we've encountered worse so far in BiH.
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Banja Luka
August 3rd - 5:47pm
After a late start and long drive (owing to my poor selection of roads and to towns with inconsistent nomenclature; beautiful scenery along the way, at least) to Banja Luka, the capital of the Republika Srbska entity, we settled down to a fantastic lunch in an old castle along the Vrbas river that involved chopped snails and pig neck. Here, some punters.
August 3rd - 5:47pm
After a late start and long drive (owing to my poor selection of roads and to towns with inconsistent nomenclature; beautiful scenery along the way, at least) to Banja Luka, the capital of the Republika Srbska entity, we settled down to a fantastic lunch in an old castle along the Vrbas river that involved chopped snails and pig neck. Here, some punters.
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Banja Luka
August 3rd - 6:07pm
The graffiti on this wall reads as: "Radovan Karadžić, Serbian Hero."Serbian hero, perhaps, but Bosniak supervillain. He'd been arrested only a few weeks before in Belgrade, much to the delight of half of BiH and horror of the other half. No love lost there.
August 3rd - 6:07pm
The graffiti on this wall reads as: "Radovan Karadžić, Serbian Hero."Serbian hero, perhaps, but Bosniak supervillain. He'd been arrested only a few weeks before in Belgrade, much to the delight of half of BiH and horror of the other half. No love lost there.
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Banja Luka
August 3rd - 6:08pm
Graffiti seems to be a major pastime for teenage Banja Lukers. This is an under-construction building (although possibly over the period of many years; it didn't look like an active site) near the center of town. Bored- but harmless-looking youth loitered in front next to a Modernist fountain.
August 3rd - 6:08pm
Graffiti seems to be a major pastime for teenage Banja Lukers. This is an under-construction building (although possibly over the period of many years; it didn't look like an active site) near the center of town. Bored- but harmless-looking youth loitered in front next to a Modernist fountain.
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Between BL and Jajce
August 3rd - 6:53pm
The drive from Banka Luka to Travnik was marked as "scenic" on our map, and boy was it! The narrow, windy road had areas to park and descend to the river, but we were satisfied to simply gawk. Are those rafting markers? Probably.
August 3rd - 6:53pm
The drive from Banka Luka to Travnik was marked as "scenic" on our map, and boy was it! The narrow, windy road had areas to park and descend to the river, but we were satisfied to simply gawk. Are those rafting markers? Probably.
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Between BL and Jajce
August 3rd - 6:52pm
Epic, right?
August 3rd - 6:52pm
Epic, right?
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Jajce
August 4th - 2:11pm
We spent the morning in Jajce — a town on the UNESCO World Heritage shortlist for its waterfall and, you guessed it, fortress — at the police station. Why? Well, it's difficult to start a manual transmission car parked on a hill without smashing it into a wall. Which apparently is a semi-criminal act in Jajce, because we had to pay a fine in addition to a fee to get our police report. Very opaque. Afterward, we were looking forward to kayaking on Pliva Lake, but only a crappy rowboat was forthcoming.
August 4th - 2:11pm
We spent the morning in Jajce — a town on the UNESCO World Heritage shortlist for its waterfall and, you guessed it, fortress — at the police station. Why? Well, it's difficult to start a manual transmission car parked on a hill without smashing it into a wall. Which apparently is a semi-criminal act in Jajce, because we had to pay a fine in addition to a fee to get our police report. Very opaque. Afterward, we were looking forward to kayaking on Pliva Lake, but only a crappy rowboat was forthcoming.
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Jajce
August 4th, 2:15pm
Still, there were very few other people on the lake, and it was certainly scenic. For $4/hour rental for the rowboat, we were sufficiently satisfied.
August 4th, 2:15pm
Still, there were very few other people on the lake, and it was certainly scenic. For $4/hour rental for the rowboat, we were sufficiently satisfied.
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Jajce
August 4th - 2:21pm
The difficulty of rowing and the searing pain from sweat mixing with sunscreen made the whole process a frolicky exercise in exquisite suffering. Fun, too!
August 4th - 2:21pm
The difficulty of rowing and the searing pain from sweat mixing with sunscreen made the whole process a frolicky exercise in exquisite suffering. Fun, too!
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Jajce
August 4th - 2:28pm
One of the better pictures of me in existence, skewed up by the setting.
August 4th - 2:28pm
One of the better pictures of me in existence, skewed up by the setting.
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Jajce
August 4th - 2:58pm
Lunch after rowing. The food was almost as good as the review, if typically salty. Most notable was a spot-on bean and cheese soup that would have made any Midwestern chili aficionado proud.
August 4th - 2:58pm
Lunch after rowing. The food was almost as good as the review, if typically salty. Most notable was a spot-on bean and cheese soup that would have made any Midwestern chili aficionado proud.
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Jajce
August 4th - 5:42pm
Remember I said Jajce had a fortress? Actually, it seems like there were multiple fortresses, and a walled city. I guess you need to have a whole bunch of important stuff for UNESCO to pay attention.
August 4th - 5:42pm
Remember I said Jajce had a fortress? Actually, it seems like there were multiple fortresses, and a walled city. I guess you need to have a whole bunch of important stuff for UNESCO to pay attention.
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Jajce
August 4th - 5:47pm
An evocative 90s-era ruin near the fortress.
August 4th - 5:47pm
An evocative 90s-era ruin near the fortress.
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Jajce
August 4th - 6:03pm
The results of mortar fire. In Sarajevo these are often filled in with red wax and are known as "Sarajevo Roses," but obviously not here.
August 4th - 6:03pm
The results of mortar fire. In Sarajevo these are often filled in with red wax and are known as "Sarajevo Roses," but obviously not here.
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Jajce
August 4th - 6:06pm
Remember what I was saying about a waterfall? Well, sure enough...
August 4th - 6:06pm
Remember what I was saying about a waterfall? Well, sure enough...
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Jajce
August 4th - 6:13pm
This sign was witnessed on the overgrown path that ostensibly led down to the bottom of the waterfall, but ultimately didn't. Not knowing Bosnian (which, by the way, is virtually indistinguishable from Croatian and Serbian), it was hard to believe this wasn't a warning about land mines. But it probably wasn't; there was enough trash strewn along the trail to indicate heavy human activity of the sort that would have long since activated leftover mines.
August 4th - 6:13pm
This sign was witnessed on the overgrown path that ostensibly led down to the bottom of the waterfall, but ultimately didn't. Not knowing Bosnian (which, by the way, is virtually indistinguishable from Croatian and Serbian), it was hard to believe this wasn't a warning about land mines. But it probably wasn't; there was enough trash strewn along the trail to indicate heavy human activity of the sort that would have long since activated leftover mines.
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Jajce
August 4th - 6:38pm
I think Nixon would have approved. This pool was right before the large drop in the previous photo, and the water was clean, chilly, and fast-moving. The photo was taken shortly after some local boys who had been diving into the pool "playfully" threw a wine bottle at me from shore. I tossed it back onto the bank in a vain struggle against Bosnia's epidemic littering problem. Small victories!
August 4th - 6:38pm
I think Nixon would have approved. This pool was right before the large drop in the previous photo, and the water was clean, chilly, and fast-moving. The photo was taken shortly after some local boys who had been diving into the pool "playfully" threw a wine bottle at me from shore. I tossed it back onto the bank in a vain struggle against Bosnia's epidemic littering problem. Small victories!
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Jajce
August 4th - 8:21pm
This mosque was being constructed across the street from our hotel. The muezzins of Jajce have their acts together, and the calls to prayer were melodious and in tune — which they had better be at five in the morning.
August 4th - 8:21pm
This mosque was being constructed across the street from our hotel. The muezzins of Jajce have their acts together, and the calls to prayer were melodious and in tune — which they had better be at five in the morning.
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Between Jajce and Šćit
August 5th - 11:06am
I must indulge in a string of landscape shots. The drive from Jajce to Šćit, a monastery town on a peninsula in Lake Rama, was ridiculously scenic. The focus of interest in this photo, the rising smoke (steam?) just right of center will reappear shortly.
August 5th - 11:06am
I must indulge in a string of landscape shots. The drive from Jajce to Šćit, a monastery town on a peninsula in Lake Rama, was ridiculously scenic. The focus of interest in this photo, the rising smoke (steam?) just right of center will reappear shortly.
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Between Jajce and Šćit
August 5th - 11:07am
Any time there was a sculpture/monument like this in the middle of nowhere (or in a town, for that matter), it means lots of people were killed nearby during my early adolescence.
August 5th - 11:07am
Any time there was a sculpture/monument like this in the middle of nowhere (or in a town, for that matter), it means lots of people were killed nearby during my early adolescence.
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Between Jajce and Šćit
August 5th - 11:07am
Upon zooming in on the smoke (steam?), no further details were revealed. Still, there's nice symmetry.
August 5th - 11:07am
Upon zooming in on the smoke (steam?), no further details were revealed. Still, there's nice symmetry.
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Between Jajce and Šćit
August 5th - 11:13am
What pretty countryside! I think that the patches of agriculture are actually tree farms. BiH has a lot of old-growth timber that's under threat from wood poachers, so it's nice to see sustainable industry out here.
August 5th - 11:13am
What pretty countryside! I think that the patches of agriculture are actually tree farms. BiH has a lot of old-growth timber that's under threat from wood poachers, so it's nice to see sustainable industry out here.
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Šćit
August 5th - 11:57am
We got to the monastery on Lake Rama in Šćit, pronounced something like sh'CHEET, and the landscapes were stunning. The monastery itself had clearly just run into some money, because it hosted two brand-new museums, one of modern (religious) art and the other an ethnology museum about the area. Three solid floors of dioramas! Andrew and I were the only people on the grounds for the better part of an hour. Here, cattle graze lazily (is there any other way?)
August 5th - 11:57am
We got to the monastery on Lake Rama in Šćit, pronounced something like sh'CHEET, and the landscapes were stunning. The monastery itself had clearly just run into some money, because it hosted two brand-new museums, one of modern (religious) art and the other an ethnology museum about the area. Three solid floors of dioramas! Andrew and I were the only people on the grounds for the better part of an hour. Here, cattle graze lazily (is there any other way?)
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Šćit
August 5th - 11:57am
Lake Rama was created in its current form in the 60s by a damming project. Other large projects in the area apparently include mining. Is the entire mountain made of salt? Basalt? Calling all geologists!
August 5th - 11:57am
Lake Rama was created in its current form in the 60s by a damming project. Other large projects in the area apparently include mining. Is the entire mountain made of salt? Basalt? Calling all geologists!
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Šćit
August 5th - 12:16pm
After a picnic of leftover pizza, we wandered around behind the monastery to see if we could reach the end of the peninsula in a timely fashion. Answer: no. However, we were afforded some lovely views. One almost gets the feeling that there's a nuclear reactor buried under the lake that no one talks about or even remembers anymore.
August 5th - 12:16pm
After a picnic of leftover pizza, we wandered around behind the monastery to see if we could reach the end of the peninsula in a timely fashion. Answer: no. However, we were afforded some lovely views. One almost gets the feeling that there's a nuclear reactor buried under the lake that no one talks about or even remembers anymore.
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Šćit
August 5th - 12:17pm
If you look closely, you can see a short fence in the foreground, preventing wayward cattle from accessing the caches of fissible material out there.
August 5th - 12:17pm
If you look closely, you can see a short fence in the foreground, preventing wayward cattle from accessing the caches of fissible material out there.
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Šćit
August 5th - 12:22pm
The monastery had a fantastic garden with peppers and gorgeous tomatoes that I really wanted to steal and only barely didn't. Because, you know, there are Franciscans everywhere.
August 5th - 12:22pm
The monastery had a fantastic garden with peppers and gorgeous tomatoes that I really wanted to steal and only barely didn't. Because, you know, there are Franciscans everywhere.
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Šćit
August 5th - 12:24pm
The monastery's (Croatian) abbot and vicar were killed by Bosniak gunmen in November of 1993. The history of the monastery, written up in a plaque outside the main building, skipped the 90s in their entirety. I can't imagine that was a bilateral decision.
August 5th - 12:24pm
The monastery's (Croatian) abbot and vicar were killed by Bosniak gunmen in November of 1993. The history of the monastery, written up in a plaque outside the main building, skipped the 90s in their entirety. I can't imagine that was a bilateral decision.
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Sarajevo
August 5th - 4:19pm
After a long drive back to Sarajevo and the dispiritingly expensive car rental return process, we happened upon this mosque fountain. All the mosques have public water dispensers for purification purposes.
August 5th - 4:19pm
After a long drive back to Sarajevo and the dispiritingly expensive car rental return process, we happened upon this mosque fountain. All the mosques have public water dispensers for purification purposes.
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Sarajevo
August 5th - 4:19pm
Perfectly potable, too.
August 5th - 4:19pm
Perfectly potable, too.
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Sarajevo
August 5th - 5:31pm
After a delightful late lunch at the best Italian restaurant in Sarajevo (there may not be much competition, but it was good anyway; especially the grilled squid), these streetcar power line support cables provided a nice frame for the minaret of the mosque that hosted the fountain in the previous photos.
August 5th - 5:31pm
After a delightful late lunch at the best Italian restaurant in Sarajevo (there may not be much competition, but it was good anyway; especially the grilled squid), these streetcar power line support cables provided a nice frame for the minaret of the mosque that hosted the fountain in the previous photos.
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Sarajevo
August 5th - 5:50pm
The mailboxes in the lobby of Andrew's apartment building along Marsala Tita, i.e. Main Street, i.e. Tito Street.
August 5th - 5:50pm
The mailboxes in the lobby of Andrew's apartment building along Marsala Tita, i.e. Main Street, i.e. Tito Street.
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Sarajevo
August 5th - 5:57pm
A major innovation of Yugoslavian material culture: magnetic soap! One of the most bizarre but effective bathroom technologies I've encountered.The apartment had two bathroom halves — one for the toilet, and the other for the shower and washing machine. No European bathroom is complete without a washing machine, but drying almost invariably takes place on a rack or rope. Electricity is expensive!
August 5th - 5:57pm
A major innovation of Yugoslavian material culture: magnetic soap! One of the most bizarre but effective bathroom technologies I've encountered.The apartment had two bathroom halves — one for the toilet, and the other for the shower and washing machine. No European bathroom is complete without a washing machine, but drying almost invariably takes place on a rack or rope. Electricity is expensive!
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Sarajevo
August 5th - 6:09pm
I was kind enough to ask the proprietor for permission to take a photo of this...attraction. Aim low, I guess! It's not like there aren't trolleys running all over the city, but there's no accounting for children and their enjoyments. The conductor looked like he hasn't enjoyed anything for years, possibly decades.
August 5th - 6:09pm
I was kind enough to ask the proprietor for permission to take a photo of this...attraction. Aim low, I guess! It's not like there aren't trolleys running all over the city, but there's no accounting for children and their enjoyments. The conductor looked like he hasn't enjoyed anything for years, possibly decades.
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Sarajevo
August 5th - 6:12pm
Never forget Srebrenica (the massacre of 8,000 Bosniaks that Radovan Karadžić directed). Fine, but does the anarchy 'A' really add? You might as well make the 'S' a dollar sign. Anyway, the war is alive, if not well, in BiH.
August 5th - 6:12pm
Never forget Srebrenica (the massacre of 8,000 Bosniaks that Radovan Karadžić directed). Fine, but does the anarchy 'A' really add? You might as well make the 'S' a dollar sign. Anyway, the war is alive, if not well, in BiH.
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Sarajevo
August 5th - 8:01pm
More ruins, near the Turkish Cultural Center where Andrew had scored us an invite to a party.
August 5th - 8:01pm
More ruins, near the Turkish Cultural Center where Andrew had scored us an invite to a party.
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Sarajevo
August 6th - 12:59am
The afterparty. One of the guests of honor, an exciting exiting Turkish diplomat, is to my left. I'm doing my best Owen Wilson.The party itself was crawling with internationals and had the most aggressive open bar I've ever encountered. As soon as my wine glass was 3/4 full, a waiter would appear from the wings to top it off. No one has ever, EVER said the Turks don't know how to get down.
August 6th - 12:59am
The afterparty. One of the guests of honor, an exciting exiting Turkish diplomat, is to my left. I'm doing my best Owen Wilson.The party itself was crawling with internationals and had the most aggressive open bar I've ever encountered. As soon as my wine glass was 3/4 full, a waiter would appear from the wings to top it off. No one has ever, EVER said the Turks don't know how to get down.
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Mostar
August 6th - 3:45pm
The next day, I took a bus down to Mostar, the spiritual center of Herzegovina. The city has a mountainous Mediterranean climate (hot and dry, cool at night), and was the site of much fighting between the Bosniaks and the Croats during the war. This cemetery vastly predates the recent conflicts.
August 6th - 3:45pm
The next day, I took a bus down to Mostar, the spiritual center of Herzegovina. The city has a mountainous Mediterranean climate (hot and dry, cool at night), and was the site of much fighting between the Bosniaks and the Croats during the war. This cemetery vastly predates the recent conflicts.
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Mostar
August 6th - 3:59pm
And a bridge! They have a UNESCO'd bridge from the Ottoman days. Not that that stopped the Croatians from knocking it down in 1992, but it was back up and running by 2004. The city is awash in tourists, presumably escapees from Croatian coastal madness.
August 6th - 3:59pm
And a bridge! They have a UNESCO'd bridge from the Ottoman days. Not that that stopped the Croatians from knocking it down in 1992, but it was back up and running by 2004. The city is awash in tourists, presumably escapees from Croatian coastal madness.
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Mostar
August 6th - 4:38pm
That little bridge isn't the important bridge; you can tell because there's only one tourist on it. The climate and topography reminded me a lot of New Mexico, with a few more trees. Can you imagine a possible world where the Ottomans made it all the way to Albuquerque?
August 6th - 4:38pm
That little bridge isn't the important bridge; you can tell because there's only one tourist on it. The climate and topography reminded me a lot of New Mexico, with a few more trees. Can you imagine a possible world where the Ottomans made it all the way to Albuquerque?
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Mostar
August 6th - 4:42pm
Some ruins down by the river under the bridge.
August 6th - 4:42pm
Some ruins down by the river under the bridge.
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Mostar
August 6th - 4:43pm
The bridge from the river bank. Mostar has a tradition of young men diving into the river from the bridge's apex. I watched as one dude rocked back and forth for 20 minutes as his bedredded compatriot trolled the bridge for change; when enough lucre had been gathered, the guy took the plunge and of course I missed the money shot, so I'm not even going to bother putting up the splash photo.
August 6th - 4:43pm
The bridge from the river bank. Mostar has a tradition of young men diving into the river from the bridge's apex. I watched as one dude rocked back and forth for 20 minutes as his bedredded compatriot trolled the bridge for change; when enough lucre had been gathered, the guy took the plunge and of course I missed the money shot, so I'm not even going to bother putting up the splash photo.
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Mostar
August 6th - 5:08pm
The current was very strong, so inner tube rafters used a rope to stay in place.
August 6th - 5:08pm
The current was very strong, so inner tube rafters used a rope to stay in place.
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Mostar
August 6th - 5:42pm
This one is almost certainly a Yugo, painted a fine Hapsburgian yellow. It's aged better than the wall.
August 6th - 5:42pm
This one is almost certainly a Yugo, painted a fine Hapsburgian yellow. It's aged better than the wall.
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Mostar
August 6th - 6:09pm
DivX was invented in 1998, so whatever destroyed this stand did so after the war.
August 6th - 6:09pm
DivX was invented in 1998, so whatever destroyed this stand did so after the war.
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Mostar
August 6th - 6:11pm
This was the totally unmarked entrance to a very weird monument that may be to Patriots of some sort but I can't confirm that on Google. It looked abandoned, but for the plastic bottles everywhere. A pair of Italian tourists I saw there looked as bewildered as I was.
August 6th - 6:11pm
This was the totally unmarked entrance to a very weird monument that may be to Patriots of some sort but I can't confirm that on Google. It looked abandoned, but for the plastic bottles everywhere. A pair of Italian tourists I saw there looked as bewildered as I was.
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Mostar
August 6th - 6:14pm
So many bottles! Bosnia needs a recycling program, stat.
August 6th - 6:14pm
So many bottles! Bosnia needs a recycling program, stat.
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Mostar
August 6th - 6:14pm
A casual inspection reveals a comparable number of churches and mosques in town (Hapsburgian yellow!) Note the cross on the ridge line.
August 6th - 6:14pm
A casual inspection reveals a comparable number of churches and mosques in town (Hapsburgian yellow!) Note the cross on the ridge line.
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Mostar
August 6th - 6:19pm
An obituary on a tree seems perfectly sensible.
August 6th - 6:19pm
An obituary on a tree seems perfectly sensible.
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Mostar
August 6th - 6:38pm
I found this wandering through a leafy neighborhood of forested jogging paths and nice houses with little gardens. You'd think there'd be an ASCII symbol for it by now.
August 6th - 6:38pm
I found this wandering through a leafy neighborhood of forested jogging paths and nice houses with little gardens. You'd think there'd be an ASCII symbol for it by now.
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Mostar
August 6th - 6:38pm
Just because it was an affluent neighborhood doesn't mean it was spared the effects of the war.
August 6th - 6:38pm
Just because it was an affluent neighborhood doesn't mean it was spared the effects of the war.
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Mostar
August 6th - 6:50pm
This style of terracotta tiling covers roofs all over the region.
August 6th - 6:50pm
This style of terracotta tiling covers roofs all over the region.
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Mostar
August 6th - 7:15pm
This is the first in a series of destroyed buildings in downtown Mostar. The phrase "destructoporn" popularized on Curbed is grossly inappropriate here.
August 6th - 7:15pm
This is the first in a series of destroyed buildings in downtown Mostar. The phrase "destructoporn" popularized on Curbed is grossly inappropriate here.
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Mostar
August 6th - 7:17pm
Note the "Mostar 2004" bridge reconstruction poster on the left, as if to say, "well, at least we fixed something."
August 6th - 7:17pm
Note the "Mostar 2004" bridge reconstruction poster on the left, as if to say, "well, at least we fixed something."
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Mostar
August 6th - 7:17pm
This is the building from the first photo. It's a really large, centrally-located building to just be sitting there. Then again, how long was the Deutsche Bank Building left in ruins in downtown Manhattan? Oh wait, it's still there! (Until the end of this year, anyway.)
August 6th - 7:17pm
This is the building from the first photo. It's a really large, centrally-located building to just be sitting there. Then again, how long was the Deutsche Bank Building left in ruins in downtown Manhattan? Oh wait, it's still there! (Until the end of this year, anyway.)
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Mostar
August 6th - 7:19pm
Stone and steel get destroyed in totally different ways, it seems. But there are a lot of variables in the agent of destruction: bombs, shelling, fire, and so forth. It was determined today (8/21/08), for example, that fires — not bombs or burning jet fuel — caused the collapse of 7 WTC.
August 6th - 7:19pm
Stone and steel get destroyed in totally different ways, it seems. But there are a lot of variables in the agent of destruction: bombs, shelling, fire, and so forth. It was determined today (8/21/08), for example, that fires — not bombs or burning jet fuel — caused the collapse of 7 WTC.
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Mostar
August 6th - 7:19pm
I like the stonework on this one. I wonder if it was an office building? A residence? Note the obligatory anarchy symbol on the lower right.
August 6th - 7:19pm
I like the stonework on this one. I wonder if it was an office building? A residence? Note the obligatory anarchy symbol on the lower right.
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Mostar
August 6th - 7:22pm
The (extremely proximate) surrounding buildings look as though they were built after the war. The flora bursting out of the ruin makes it look like something out of Angkor Wat.Mostar still has a lot of healing to do.
August 6th - 7:22pm
The (extremely proximate) surrounding buildings look as though they were built after the war. The flora bursting out of the ruin makes it look like something out of Angkor Wat.Mostar still has a lot of healing to do.
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Neum
August 7th - 8:53am
Bosnia has an itty-bitty coastline on the Adriatic in the town of Neum. The bus from Mostar to Dubrovnik entered Croatia, and then promptly reentered Bosnia at Neum for a few kilometers before reexiting to Croatia. The interstitial borders were pretty informal; all I had to do was flash the cover of my passport and smile. It would be pretty easy to sneak into Croatia this way, which will become an issue when it joins the EU in a few years. For now, it's just a curiosity.
August 7th - 8:53am
Bosnia has an itty-bitty coastline on the Adriatic in the town of Neum. The bus from Mostar to Dubrovnik entered Croatia, and then promptly reentered Bosnia at Neum for a few kilometers before reexiting to Croatia. The interstitial borders were pretty informal; all I had to do was flash the cover of my passport and smile. It would be pretty easy to sneak into Croatia this way, which will become an issue when it joins the EU in a few years. For now, it's just a curiosity.