This morning, I "slept in" until 7:30, and had a really long night of sleep. It was needed. I mentioned on Facebook that I was starting to feel physically and mentally exhausted. Compared to the U.S., Bosnia-Herzegovina is a poor country. What seems "cheap" or inexpensive to us isn't the case for most of the people who live here. Over 50,000 people died in the Siege not that long ago. And even now, younger people are fleeing the country for other opportunities in Europe. 

That's why I think it's important to travel to these places. To not only provide some economical support, but to remember how lucky we are to live in a country where we have a lot. I know there are poor people and people who are homeless in the U.S. But overall, we still have a lot. The good thing is that tourism is growing here every year by 20%. I can see why. It's a beautiful country, and fascinating and diverse. So, the sleep and rest for me was needed.

First, I have another video of highlights on my Facebook page. I'm really enjoying creating iMovie videos on this trip. I love combining still photos, video and text. Anyway, I decided to go into City Hall, Vijecnica, and wow, was that beautiful!  It was constructed when the Austro-Hungarians ruled in the late 1800s, and that place is stunning. I then walked up what felt like 500 million steps (Sarajevo sits in a valley) to Alifakovac, one of Sarajevo's oldest and finest Muslim cemeteries. I know cemetery sounds gruesome, but this one wasn't. It was lovely. And the snow made it even lovelier.  I did a bit more walking around, and bought some coffee at a shop. You can see how it is ground using the big stone machine. The woman there told me most of the beans are bought from India, the US, and Brazil. In Bosnia, the beans are roasted, then crushed, sifted, and crushed again. The stone crushers (or manual ones, done by people), are better than the machine ones, because the machine creates heat, and the stone stays cool. It was so interesting!

I had more cevapi for lunch, at a place called Specijal, recommended by Senad at my hotel. He said cevapi is wayyyy better here than in Mostar, and I have to agree. Not that I am a cevapi expert, but it did taste pretty darn good. And, the pita bread was warm. The sour cream served with it is something I have never tasted. 

I decided to walk on the "west" side of town, the Austro-Hungarian side, and you can see a difference. It's amazing how, within a short distance, there is an Orthodox church, a Catholic Cathedral, and a Mosque. I bought some souvenirs and decided to have dinner at a cute place called Dveri, which smelled heavenly inside. It was nice to have a big plate of tomato salad and some pork with vegetables. I needed to get some veggies into my system. 

I am really enjoying Sarajevo, and the rain has stopped. Yay!  We will see what the next day brings.

Thanks for reading,

Jamie