Week 35: Tuzla and Mostar, Bosnia & Herzegovina (posted by Megan)

Last Wednesday, we meandered our way through northwestern Serbia and crossed the Drina River into Bosnia & Herzegovina.  Our first stop was outside of Tuzla in the northeastern part of the country.  The views around the small hotel where we were staying immediately reminded us of the Blue Ridge Mountains - crisp air, beautiful views, and the first hints of spring wildflowers poking up.

Our first stop was also very close to the boundary between the two main regions of Bosnia and Herzegovina, created after the country's war in the 1990s: the "Republika Srpska," primarily associated with the Serbian part of the population, and the "Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina", primarily associated with by the Bosniak part of the population.  As we were walking down the dirt roads through the mountains, we saw landmine warning signs in a few spots - a lingering reminder of the Bosnian War in the early 1990s, as Yugoslavia fell apart.

From the mountains, we headed through the stunning countryside roads - eventually going past snow-covered mountains and along incredibly blue glacial rivers - to end up in Mostar, our home for the past week.  We could really feel spring in the air - trees blooming, beautiful blue skies, and lots of time at cafes working on schoolwork.  

The town is working hard to be a testament to post-war recovery.  Many of the streets reminded us of our time in Beirut - a mix of beautifully restored buildings next to war-scarred ruins. As we walked down our street, we noticed that every grave in the cemetery was from 1992 - the start of the war. We had started our time in Mostar with a visit to the Museum of War and Genocide Victims, so the lingering reverberations of those years were on our mind throughout the week. 

Eliza found time to join a local basketball team for three practices, and spent a decent amount of the week trying to recover from shin splints with ice bags and frozen peas covering her legs on the sofa.

While Eliza iced her legs, Wade, Jane, and Annie managed to make it up to the top of Fortica Hill overlooking the city.

Another highlight was another cooking class for Annie, who is studying Balkan cuisine during our time in the region.  Rolling and flipping the dough for burek was a challenge!

We also enjoyed getting a tour of UWC Mostar, one of the sister schools of our school in Tanzania.

We've all agreed that it's easy to imagine spending more time in Mostar, but it's time to head south to Montenegro tomorrow.  Luckily for us, we'll be back in Bosnia & Herzegovina in a few weeks.

Week 34: Niš & Sombor, Serbia (posted by Wade)

We had a basketball-themed week in Serbia!

Our tour of the former Yugoslavian states began in Niš, which is located in southern Serbia, just north of Kosovo and a few hours bus ride from Plovdiv, Bulgaria. It was a fascinating introduction to Serbia for three reasons: first, it was the site of a notorious Nazi concentration camp; second, it was the target of a series of NATO bombing raids in 1999; third, Niš hosts the Serbian championship basketball tournament known as the Korać Cup.

The basketball tournament was the main attraction. We bought some tickets from scalpers on the street to watch the semifinal and finals. We were lucky enough to see the three most famous teams in Serbia: Partizan and Red Star ("Crvena zvezda"), which both date back to 1945 and have the most intense fanbases, plus the upstart Mega Star team, which produced the likes of Nikola Jokic and Ivica Zubac.

The games did not disappoint! The teams were well coached, played tough defense, and had excellent talent. Several Americans started on all of the teams that we watched, although Mega Star emphasizes developing homegrown talent from the Balkans more than the other teams.

Then there were the fans. Oh, my. The Partizan and Red Star fans combined European futbol hooliganism within the confined space of a basketball arena and with a sprinkling of Serbian nationalism. The chants, flag waving, and foot stomping did not relent for the entire game. At one point, the fans chanted "Kosovo" then "Serbia," in a geopolitical call and response. It was kind of like a salty, working man's version of the Cameron Crazies. 

At one point in the fourth quarter of a semifinals match, the Partizan fans started to chant something so lewd that the people sitting around us refused to translate it. Then a Partizan fan threw a fire cracker onto the court. The officials stopped the game and called in the riot police who cleared the bleachers -- it took about 45 minutes to resume the competition.

In between basketball games, we found time to visit a cold, damp Nazi concentration camp on the outskirts of Niš where the Germans processed political prisoners and Serbian Jews on their way to work camps or death camps across Europe. We also visited Bubanj Hill, the site just outside of Niš where Germans executed an estimated 10,000 civilians.

After our two days in Niš, we found a ride to Belgrade where we picked up our giant rental van. From there, we drove a few hours north to our next destination: Sombor.

Sombor rests across the Danube River near the Hungarian border, in the northwest corner of Serbia. It is a flat, open area surrounded by miles and miles of farmland. Why did we go to Sombor? Two words: Nikola Jokic. Why did we love Sombor? For so many reasons. The architecture. The food. The history. The laid back vibes on the main pedestrian square. Plus, the friendly people.

Everyone and everywhere we went, there were signs of the famous Jokic. Eliza played a little bit of pick-up basketball against some 11-year old boys on Jokic's childhood court, next to his elementary school. We went to Jokic's favorite bar. We even ate lunch where Jokic celebrated his daughter's baptism. 

Everyone we spoke to -- literally everyone -- had either met Jokic or was personal friends with Jokic, and everyone loves Jokic. We heard over and over again the same thing, that Jokic is a down-to-earth, regular guy.

Needless to say, we love Serbia, first and foremost, because Serbia loves basketball.

Week 33: Plovdiv, Bulgaria (posted by Eliza)

On Sunday February 15, we rode on the bus from Istanbul to Plovdiv, Bulgaria. We were met with the cold and rain. Despite having quite miserable weather, Plovdiv is spectacular. On our first full day in town, we walked up to a Soviet statue at the top of a hill and there was an amazing view. 

Later that day, I went to a basketball tryout to play with other kids my age -- Dad found the little league on facebook and they let me play for a few days. Over two days of basketball practice, I can see why the Balkans have such good players. 

The next day, we walked to an ancient Roman amphitheater and a hippodrome. I really enjoy looking at ancient stuff, but I'm starting to have a fatigue about Roman ruins.

Our whole family got a cold and runny noses this week, but we still managed to get out and walk around. Jane and I walked around this big park on our own, playing basketball and reading our books. 

On our last night in Plovdiv, Annie had a cooking class at a restaurant called Farm Bites. We all went to it and ate Annie's delicious meals.

Overall, Plovdiv is in the top three of my favorite places on the year abroad. Tokyo, Foca, and Plovdiv are my favorite stops so far.