I bet you weren’t expecting this to pop up in my travel blog. Honestly, I wasn’t either. Bosnia has never made my short list of places to visit. But when a neighbor asked if I’d like to go with her to visit a friend, I said, “What the hell? Let’s go.”
I went with no knowledge and no expectations. I was just tagging along, which is kind of a nice way to travel because I didn’t have to plan anything. I just had to show up.
But that turned out to be harder than expected. An hour into my flight to Frankfurt, where I was meeting up with my neighbor, I heard a loud bang and felt the plane rumble. Then, I heard the flight attendant phones start ringing.
We had lost an engine and were turning around.
Did I mention that I was sitting in first class? Do you know how unusual it is to get a first class seat flying standby on an international flight during the highest season? Or ever?
I swung from “This is my lucky day!” to “Oh no, I’m going to miss my connection on my non-refundable flight.” (I actually purchased a ticket from Frankfurt to Sarajevo because I didn’t want to risk flying standby.) But luck is a fickle lady.
After a 6-hour delay and a missed connection, I met up with my neighbor in Frankfurt. We would have to get a hotel room and wait until the next day to continue onto Sarajevo. No problem, we’re flexible. But you know what else we were? Lucky!
Guess who got upgraded to the Presidential Suite?
With access to the Executive Lounge.
Since we seemed to be the only executives around, we filled up our hands and pockets with treats and headed back to the suite to hold a meeting in our boardroom
and soak in our jacuzzi.
That was fun. But onto Sarajevo we went. Only, I didn’t have a seat assignment on my rebooked lowest-tier ticket. So I notified the gate agent, and he said, “Madame, this is your lucky day. You’ve been upgraded to first class.”
Lufthansa serves a lovely breakfast.
Finally, we made it to Sarajevo, and Salko was there to pick us up from the airport -as he always is. Salko is our taxi driver in our hometown of New Orleans. That’s how we met. But he’s become a dear friend, and he invited us to visit his home in Bosnia.
A home he built with his two hands.
Salko returned to his hometown and rebuilt the house he lost during the war. He, along with his family, friends, and entire community, lost everything. When the communist nation of Yugoslavia broke up, it set off a war between the three ethnic groups: the Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims), Croats, and Serbs. The war lasted from 1992-1995, and it involved mass expulsions, concentration camps, and genocide. Salko has a tragic and very sad story, but it’s not mine to tell. What I can tell you is that he is resilience personified. He exemplifies courage, grace, and strength. And so do the friends he introduced us to. They have all known one another since childhood, and they fought together in a war. They share unbreakable bonds. In fact, they share everything. They know the value of life and friendship and simple pleasures like picking wild strawberries,
floating on a lake,
and singing. They love singing! And although I couldn’t understand a word, I got the impression their songs are soap-opera dramatic.
They also love meat. Roasting meat, smoking meat, eating meat. Every day, every meal, we ate meat: lamb, venison (deer), veal, even bear. When we pulled up to Salko’s house, we were greeted by his friend, Asif, who was busily roasting an entire lamb for our arrival.
I politely declined the spinal cord and the eyeball, but was surprised that my favorite cut was some joint?
Lamb and venison are their favorites. My favorite preparation was in the form of pie.
However, by day four, I was sick. My normal diet consists of very little meat, so after days of unpasteurized dairy and unfamiliar meats, my gastro system revolted -and at a very inconvenient time.
Yep, I went from happily swimming in the middle of a lake to “I need a bathroom right now.” So the captain (Asif) steered the boat up to an abandoned structure with an outhouse out back. As if that wasn’t horrible enough, the outhouse was Eastern style (hole in the ground) and had no door. I said this isn’t going to work. So they sloooowly returned me to Asif’s lake house as I prayed the entire way for God to spare me from total humiliation. Mercifully, he answered my prayers, and I made it back to a western toilet as my friends continued on their merry, singing way.
I know you don’t read a travel blog to hear such indelicate details, but I feel it should be documented. And let’s face it. Travel often involves constipation and diarrhea. So be prepared. I was not.
Anyway, that was the rough part; onto the sweet parts, and why you may want to add Bosnia to your short list.
1. The natural beauty
Bosnia is a country of mountains, waterways, and wildflowers.
2. Ottoman Empire sites
The Ottoman Empire ruled here for over 400 years (1463-1878), so Bosnia is full of Turkish influence and Islamic architecture like mosques and stone bridges. You’ll find wonderful examples of both in the beautiful town of Mostar.
Climb the steep and slippery bridge at your own peril to shop in the bazaar and watch the locals jump into the river below.
3. Medjugorje -a village famous for visions of the Virgin Mary.
It’s a pilgrimage site where Catholics come to pray and seek spiritual healing.
4. The pyramids of Bosnia
This is another place where people visit to meditate and seek healing, including tennis great Novak Djokovic. Djokovic spent time here following an injury and has subsequently become a fervent promoter of the site and its claims of healing energy.
The origins of the pyramids themselves are, likewise, controversial. Some, like Salko, believe they are ancient man-made structures older than the pyramids of Egypt. Others, including prominent geologists and archeologists, call the pyramids a natural formation. You can don a hard hat, descend, and decide for yourself.
4. (Really #1) The people.
Warm. Welcoming. Generous. And Hardy. There’s nothing these people can’t do, including fight off a bear with an ax.
Luckily, we didn’t come across one to test that out.
My trip to Bosnia is hard to sum up. It was fun and very memorable, but at times, not that comfortable. It reminded me of traveling in my youth when the world felt bigger. When everyone didn’t speak English, and you had to communicate with gestures and facial expressions. When everyone didn’t use credit cards, and you had to carry local currency. When you had to share the bed with friends and the road with livestock. And you had to go without hot water, showers, and sometimes plumbing. But I also remember, as a youth, how the world felt so foreign and exciting and adventurous. And how the bonds I made with the people I met and traveled with went deeper.
Asif gave my neighbor and me jewelry from his neck and wrist. He said to remember him by. I said that won’t be necessary. I won’t forget.