Sarajevo and Mostar Photos

5 Cevapi in Bread at Zeljo Cevabdzinica - Sarajevo, Bosnia

A full plate of cevapi with kajmak and onions at “Zeljo” Cevabdzinica in Sarajevo, Bosnia. SOO good.

Rolling hills, bending rivers. This is the Bosnian countryside, from the train en route Zagreb to Sarajevo. All aboard the Balkan Express! via Instagram http://ift.tt/1zm6Jrd

The streets of Old Town Sarajevo, where the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian Empires meet. There's a code to this city I'm trying to break. I think I might find it in my glass of rakija (the local grappa-moonshine). This is Bosnia. via Instagram http://ift.tt/1xIROmF

Jevreskeho Groblje, Sarajevo. The 2nd largest Jewish cemetery in Europe, behind the one in Prague. Sarajevo city skyline west in the background. via Instagram http://ift.tt/1G65NsK

Sarajevo, at the bend of the Miljacka River. A city that has known so many lives in its history including more recently the spark of WWI, the '84 Winter Olympics and The Siege. This, a view from the Yellow Fortress atop Kovači. via Instagram http://ift.tt/1o2e5Mp

Carving the mountains by morning train: Sarajevo to Mostar. Crossing the invisible border from Bosnia to Hercegovina. Late autumn Balkans, leaves still turning. via Instagram http://ift.tt/1zZcQ68

Old Town Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Dates from the 16th century. Photo taken from the town's namesake great stone bridge. The town is beautiful, but unsurprisingly dominated by conversation and reminders of the 18-month siege and the Bosnian War (1992-95). via Instagram http://ift.tt/1wVp1ib

Stari Most, the Old Bridge of Mostar, at sunset.

Stari Most, the Old Bridge of Mostar, at sunset. Image is au natural, #nofilter, snapped with an iPhone 4s while enjoying a Bosnian coffee. The bridge, a bit of an engineering marvel, took the Ottomans 6 months to build in 1566, the Croat armed forces 1 day to blow it up in 1993 and the international community 2 years to rebuild for its re-opening in 2004. Bosnia has reinforced to me that we humans make a business of blowing things up only to rebuild them. via Instagram http://ift.tt/1s88alm

Of course, there be castles in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This one: the Citadel of Počitelj. If you are having trouble wrapping your tongue around how to pronounce that, consider that it was built in 1383 by King Tvrtko, whose dying words were purported to be, "Can I buy a vowel?" via Instagram http://ift.tt/1uqDPoA

Late afternoon autumn light, hiking the cobbles of the medieval town of Počitelj, Bosnia and Herzegovina. One of those places that begs you to stand still and listen to the wind, as you ease into meditating on life just a little bit. via Instagram http://ift.tt/1uwIt3O