Bosnia

Boz

Lots of stuff i've been seeing lately was once a more whole version of its present self. There is plenty of evidence of what a modern bomb will do to a building here and back in Belgrade. The reasons and wherefor's are pretty complicated and layered over abstract ideas like religion, nationalism, politics, and not so abstract, revenge. I'm just getting a handle on what's been happening here over the last 15 years and the last 500. The bridge where a Bosnian-Serb assassinated Archduke Ferdinand back in 19??. is just a few hundred meters from where I sit right now.
If he had missed Bosnia would still be part of theAstro-Hungarian empire and who knows what else. But basically from here I can walk down to the spot where Austria attacked Serbia in retaliation for the Ferdinand shooting bringing in Germany to ally with the Austrians. Then came Russia, who was in alliance with Serbia. Next it was
England, France and the US to help the Russians. That is like a pin-hole version of the big picture here which with the help ofWikipedia I'm getting my mind wrapped around it.

But where I am, Sarajevo, is an amazing city. It was once ruled for about 400 years by the Turks who showed up around 1450 so there's an incredible amount of Muslim culture and architecture here. In around 1850 the Turks were pushed out by the Austro -Hungarian Empire leaving their distinctive European Cathedrals and a Brewery. Walking through the Bazaar area of the old town is an especially different experience than anywhere I've been so far. People sip Turkish coffee (just fine grounds stirred into hot water no filter) which is served in little embossed silver crucibles. The ornate little silver and copper pots have a delicate little handle that sticks straight out like a sauce pan. It comes on little metal trays with a thimble sized porcelain cup, a few sugar cubes, and a glass of water to wash this paste down with. Its good and strong and leaves a layer of mud at the bottom to make the Mississippi jealous. From the cafes, the rocket-likeminarets of the Mosques are visible from across the street where four times a day people are called to prayer. There's little cubbie holes for your shoes outside the pointed arch vaults of the mosque entrances. Complementary shoe horns are strewn about the sea of oriental rugs covering the portico of the entrance.

Walking down some of the streets in the old town you can hear the metal workers "tink tink tink" working on embossing and shaping these little coffee pots and coffee sets. Looking into their shops you can see one or two men in the back wearing a Fez leaning over a work in progress squinting the smoke out of their eyes as a cigarette hangs out of their mouth. They will decorate anything metal including turning empty artillery casings, turning them into vases and old bullet shells into some kinda onament.

People greet one another with "Salam a lakim" but speak in Bosnian. The legendary Muslim hospitality is no legend either. The gentleman who runs my little hotel (I went upscale after Belgrade...yeah 30 bucks a night. Large livin') makes tea for me and plays Bosnian songs on his guitar. He and his girlfriend are younger than me. They're both open to answer all my history questions and have an easy going kindness that'simmediately likable.

The food here is again rich and delicious. There's this kind of pie called Burek,
Pita for all the varieties. Its a pizza sized pie of filo dough coils with meat or cheese stuffed inside. Its buttery and each wedge is enough do satisfy the pastry ure for weeks. I had one that the woman told me wasSpinach, but there was about as much spinach in this thing as in a sack of Chips A'Hoy! Chevapi is another big fave here. Little hamburger bites stuffed inside a pita with a pile of chopped onion. Delicious! I also have beenhittin' the Halvah pretty hard.

There's a well in the center of town that spouts water form a beautiful little kiosk carved with Islamic details and flourishes. The thing about it is if you drink from it you'll come back toSarajevo. Not an unpleasant fate. Even if it is hooked up to someones garden hose.