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 Never Again by Jasen71
It is best to have both eyes looking forward rather both eyes looking at the past, as it will make you blind to the future Leave a Comment
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 AND such excellent
coffee! by craic
I am happy to report that I found a vigorous vein of robust humour that I could really relate to. (Among the many English speakers of course. I do not claim speaking Bosnian as one of my talents.)
During our wild ride from Sarajevo to Banja Luka I was suffering major panic attacks. But there was only one thing to do - get over myself. I managed - with a little bit of help from my friends - to get over myself, and to lighten the mood I idly asked my translator - "Of course Bosnia has wonderful hospitals and ambulances etc etc?"
Mirza assured me Bosnia had state of the art medical facilities. With a completely deadpan face.
Next day I was chatting to Almira and mentioned how Mirza had lied in his teeth.
"What makes happy ... we will tell!" she riposted.
I know for a fact Mirza was making me happy because just before I left Bosnia on the bus I saw the oldest dirtiest ambulance in the world parked by the side of the road with two cheerful paramedics wearing ancient, shrunken uniforms. They were taking the air, smiling like the fortunate of the world, with a stunning rushing river just behind them and beyond that a hill covered with aboriginal bush.
Then we crossed the border into Croatia and instantly a four lane highway and a state of the art ambulance flashing some unfortunate past us and framed in the window a smartly dressed young woman on a mobile phone.
I think Bosnians must also be very very kind people as a rule - because when I had to stop the van because I couldn't endure it any longer - one of the passengers got out and embraced me so tenderly. Lacking language to help me in any other way. Leave a Comment
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 Tending the earth - Pic by
KristaB by craicLeave a Comment
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 Religious building and
graveyard by craic
Delighted to report that young Muslim men and women in Sarajevo dress pretty much as they please, drink and smoke if they want to, are in fact up to all the sorts of things that young people get up to almost anywhere in the world. But although they party they don't party hard! Good manners and tolerance and moderation seem the order of the day. I was invited back for a nightcap to a student flat - Nick Cave and Blackcurrent vodka - and the only cultural hiccup was that although it was a student flat in every sense of the word, I had to take off my shoes at the door.
I myself was most impressed with how I was treated by the local men. With great respect and interest. I was listened to, shown complete courtesy, and there was that wonderful tinge of admiration for all things female. I really liked that. (The only problems I encountered was from a couple of men from Another Country.) There was no staring or wolf whistling at women in the street. Very relaxing.
And there was hardly any veiling. Just a few young women wearing a hijab. Very few. Fewer than in Sydney, actually, as a percentage of the population. I was told that they were probably tourists. It is not the fashion to veil in Sarajevo. "We are European Muslims," I was told.
Did find it a bit odd to see graveyards without crosses on the graves. Another cultural hiccup for me. Again, I was told, that really and truly a grave should have no marker, but there was no real harm in it. Leave a Comment
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Khava, coffee - is more than just a drink in Bosnia and Hercegovina - it's a way of life! There's no time of day or night that's not the right time for coffee, and if you can share it with someone else - so much the better. And for traditionalists, that means strong, black Bosnian coffee, brought to the table on a tray in the the pot it was brewed in a džezva and drunk from in a handless cup that may be sitting in a copper or brass holder - a fildžan. The holder's to keep the coffee hot, so leave it on the table when you take a sip. There'll be some sugar cubes and probably a square of Turkish Delight as well.
It's not just the pot and the cup that have their own names. People don't just drink "a coffee". There's a name for each and every one. You start the day with a razgalica and when you meet friends later in the morning you go for a razgovoruša. There are lots more.
So there you are, coffee in front of you - what next?
Wait a little while, the coffee needs to brew and the grounds to settle before you pour your first cup. A gentle stir of the top will help the settling, but don't do it too vigorously or go right to the bottom, you'll just stir them up again. When the coffee develops the distinctive crema on the surface, it's ready to drink.
When you pour, do it gently so the grounds stay in the pot. Locals won't stir the sugar in, they dip it in the cup and eat it. And the Turkish Delight's for eating when you're done - not for dipping or for having coffee poured over it!
If you really can't take your coffee strong and black, ask for kahva sa mlijeko - espresso with steamed milk, not really a capuccino but as near as you'll get probably.
English-style tea drinkers aren't so well served - unless you ask specifically for Chai crna (black tea -pronounced chy chorna) you'll be given whatever comes to hand - herbal tea, fruit tea, mint tea - it's all the same to a coffee drinker. Leave a Comment
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 All sorts of burek by FRONA
Burek is very similar to the Greek spinach and cheese pie called Spanokopita. In this case, however, the pie is prepared in a casserole with layers of phyllo pastry. Don't be intimidated by the phyllo pastry. It is actually quite flexible and forgiving. You can find it in the frozen pastry section at most supermarkets. If you don't like the spinach, just leave it out, and you have Cheese Burek.
INGREDIENTS:
1 bunch of spinach, stemmed, washed, dried thoroughly and chopped
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup of crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup light sour cream
2 cups 1% cottage cheese
4 full sheets of phyllo pastry, cut in half to make 8 rectangles
olive oil
Preheat oven to 400 oF. Grease a 9x13x2 inch casserole with olive oil or non-stick spray. In a large bowl, combine the spinach, eggs, feta cheese, sour cream and cottage cheese. Place 1 sheet of phyllo in the casserole and brush with olive oil. Top with another sheet and brush with olive oil.
Spoon half of the spinach-cheese mixture on top of the phyllo and spread to make a smooth surface. Place two more layers of phyllo on top, brushing each with olive oil, and spread the remainder of the spinach-cheese mixture on top. Finish the casserole by adding the remaining three layers of phyllo, brushing each one in turn with more olive oil.
Place in the oven and bake for approximately 25 to 30 minutes, until the eggs have set and the phyllo on top is golden brown. Let cool for a few minutes, then cut into squares and serve warm.
Makes a great appetizer!
. Leave a Comment
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 Picture worth a thousand
calories by KristaBLeave a Comment
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 Kahvana by Nykaenen
Serbian: kafa
Bosnian: kahva
I told Przemek about "kahva" so he was eager to try it, but the first day all we saw were "kafanas". On the second day, when Michal and Magda joined us, we ran into "kahvana". It was the most typical kahvana that you can imagine, only local men there. But the owner was very pleased to have us, he even did not mind me asking for milk :-))
Check "dzezva" and "fildzani" that coffe is served in! Leave a Comment
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 Fünf Mark! by sabsi
Don't be surprised to pay in Mark and get Euros as change by the way. One time we were supposed to get 20 KM back. What we got was 10 KM and 5 EUR. They treat both currencies as if they were official, here. Same when you have to pay e.g. 20 KM. You can in most places pay with a 5 EUR note mixed with a 10 KM note... Nobody cares!
There are two different versions of banknotes by the way: Those which are used in the Federation and those which are used in Republika Srpska. Both are valid thoughout the country.
1 KM = 100 Feninga by the way. Sounds strangely familiar....
There's a spelling mistake on the Srpska 5KM note by the way: The designer spelt the word pet (five) as PET in Cyrillic. This transliterates as ‘ret’. Leave a Comment
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 Open Air Market by mtncorg
The market was also the site for one of the more heinous episodes of the Siege of Sarajevo when Serb artillery locked in here killing scores of people. Leave a Comment
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