Week 43: Belgrade (posted by Eliza)

This past week, we were in Belgrade with Hampo and Tatta!

To get there, we had to drive from the Serbian mountain town of Mokra Gora. Instead of parking, we said goodbye to our giant van that we had been driving for over a month. From now on, we were going to be taking buses and trains to get around.

On the first day we basically just went to a museum called the palace of science, where we learned about all types of stuff.  For instance, science, science, and science!

We also went to a really cool place for lunch that was Tito/Yugoslavia themed and had all types of old cool thingamabobs, like old telephones and maps.

Later, dad and I also went to the place in the medieval fortress where the two main basketball clubs, Partizan and Red Star, were founded. The fortress is big and made out of stone. It had a lot of a museum of medieval torture devices -- which we did not go to -- and lots of modern artillery. The fortress also has an amazing view that looks over the Danube and Sava Rivers.

After dinner, we went to a board game cafe where we played Settlers of Catan. Hampo and Tatta joined us but it was too late to join the game, which we think that they were fine with.

The next day, we had a 10 am walking tour with a guide named Guilaco Ritim that lasted for two hours. I wasn't really paying attention, so I can't recall what he said.

After lunch, Hampo met us at the Serbian National Museum where we all got postcards of Serbian art. Tatta was taking a nap.

The next day, we went to see Tito's grave, which also included a museum. It was not as propaganda-y -- or biased -- as we thought it would be. We learned a new thing that day: Hampo loves Tito.

In the afternoon, we went on a Danube River cruise to see the city from a different perspective. I had one of the best naps of my life because the lapping waves against the boat and the sound of the motor put right to sleep.

On our last full day in Belgrade, we went to a modern art museum. If someone ever asks me what I find frustrating, I'll tell them that it's modern art. I used this time to find a quiet chair to read my manga book. On the way back from the museum, Jane found a store that sold crocheting yarn, which made her excited.

We also went to the park where Gavrilo Princip learned how to shoot the gun that killed the Archduke Franz Ferdinand. There was a basketball court there and dad and I practicing shooting a basketball -- not a gun.

Overall, Belgrade might be one of my top five places on the year abroad. So, it was really fantastic!

Week 42: Sarajevo and Mokra Gora (posted by Annie)

This past week we stayed in Sarajevo and the mountains of Serbia with Hampo and Tatta. Overall, we had lots of fun learning about history and hiking.

We arrived in Sarajevo on Monday, April 13. We stayed in a hotel that used to be an old Ottoman hamam, which is a public bathouse. Our hotel was just a block away from where Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, which started World War I. On our first full day Jane, Dad, and I went on a walking tour of the old part of Sarajevo. I learned about the Siege of Sarajevo in the 1990s and the old Ottoman buildings in the bazaar. 

Hampo and Tatta met us at the hotel on the Tuesday afternoon and we showed them around the old part of Sarajevo. We went on a history walking tour about the Siege of Sarajevo. First, we went on the hilltop above the city where our guide explained to us where the Bosnian Serbs surrounded the city and how they launched mortar shells. He then took us to the famous tunnel that connected Sarajevo to the outside world. Dad even got to talk to a veteran Bosniak soldier who came through the tunnel during the war. Our final stop on the tour was to a war museum made by an old veteran. We got to have a Q&A with him after we looked at his collection of war memorabilia. One of the interesting things that he told was that he was friends with Bosnian Serbs before and after the war. 

The next day we visited the city hall, where the archduke gave his last speech before he was assassinated. It had a beautiful stain-glass ceiling. I got some special alone time with Tatta walking around the Austrian part of the city and we shared some candy. For lunch we went to a burger restaurant that was run by Bosnian-Americans. They were very kind and talked about their experiences during the war, their time in the United States, and how hard it is to come back to Sarajevo and start a business.

On our drive from Sarajevo to Mokra Gora we stopped at the famous old bridge of Visegrad. Mokra Gora is a small town in the mountains of Serbia that's main industry used to be a railway station. Now it is a tourist attraction. We stayed at a resort that had a great indoor basketball gym, a pool, and scenic views. The day after we arrived we walked down from the town, ate some convenience store ice cream, and played ping pong. Eliza beat Hampo 11 to 3. There weather was crystal clear skies and the next day we had a longer hike to an orthodox church nestled in the valley.

But most importantly, though, we had a lot of fun spending time with grandparents.