MORE BOSNIA & HERZEGOVINA
I’m feeling like that rabbit on a race horse... there is so much to see as I ride along in my van and I am always eager for the next thing! Fortunately, everything unfolds in a easy peazy manner and I remind myself to make down time for sending these newsletters.
The waterfall pictured in the photo below is Bliha’s Jump. It is a designated natural monument with a drop of 184 feet. I discover there are a lot of steps to descend on the path to the waterfall's base. There is also a storm is rolling in so I climb back up, wait it out, and go back down to get this photo after the storm passes. It’s so peaceful here, I just spend the night in the parking lot.
The next day I visit a church in Sanski Most, and take a canyon road that runs along the Pliva River. It is a drive filled with blind curves, rock outcroppings and small tunnels which leads to the town of Jajce.
The charming town of Jajce has its own waterfall. On this day, a fishing tournament is going on and the contestants are wearing sports shirts with the name of their country. The tournament is a catch and release event and the fishermen get a token for each fish they release. As I am watching all the activity, I spot a duck standing right on the edge of the top of the waterfall. I am amazed at how calm the water must be before it falls... It reminds me of that sweet point in life where one can skate along easily on the edge of chaos, yet not be drawn into it.
At the campground I have time to do laundry, make a cabbage dish with olives and pesto, and meet a group of motorcyclists from the Czech Republic. They offer me a schnapps first thing in the morning! It is an delightful start to the day and I head to town, check out the markets, and pick up a spinach burek.
I continue south through the town of Travnik, and then onto a rural road which goes over a mountain. At the top, there is a picnic area. Since its Sunday, there are families enjoying the outdoors and I pull in. The mountain is covered with conifers and the air is great. I take a walk along a logging road and when I get back, I see cows moving along the road. There is a bicyclist who stops to watch them pass and even big trucks give the cows the right-of-way.
The bicyclist is Sasa - a national champion cyclist. Last year his team won and he is training for the next championship race in June. Yesterday he cycled 50 kilometers, today 150 kilometers - including going over this mountain, and tomorrow he will do a relaxing 25 km. Sasa gives me an elegant discourse on stretching one's mitochondria to prepare for competition, also know as Zone 2 Training. 80% of this training lays the foundation for the 20% of fast twitch muscle development that allows athletes to push for a win. A curious young boy on a bike, from one of the picnicking families, comes over and we hail him as the next champion cyclist.
The day is topped off by sharing my nut mix with the cow herder, and finding a secluded dirt road off the main route where I can spend a quiet night.
Next up... Sarajevo. On the way, I stop at a local spring and fill up my water bottles with delicious cold mountain water. I run into a maze-like road detour that sends me though the narrow streets of Old Town Sarajevo. The end of the maze drops me out at the beautiful city hall and I immediately look for a place to park. The van doesn’t fit into most European parking spaces, as they are sized for small cars, so parking in a city can be challenging. I find a spot under a tree, next to the Miljacka River and across from Old Town where the many shops, restaurants and churches are. It’s not a legal parking spot, but not posted as No Parking either, so I take my chances and spend the night here.
As I’m settling in, I hear a knock at the back of the van. I go out to check, thinking I’m in trouble. Instead, an elderly gentleman introduces himself saying he has always wanted a van my size to travel in. I give him a tour. He lives in an apartment building across the street, where he operates an AirBnB rental. He invites me up to his rooftop garden for Bosnian coffee and I am treated to a great view of the town.
The gentleman, Mr. Music, is a retired architect and over coffee he explains the Bosnian war - the dynamics with the Eastern Orthodox Serbs, the Catholic Croats and the Muslim Bosniaks, and how they have learned to co-exist. I appreciate his explanation of how they respect each others’ cultural differences and choose to embrace their combined humanity.
I learned a lot and the next day, I’m up and out by 6am to enjoy a refreshing 5 mile hike in Trebevic National Park. The park is above Sarajevo, which hosted the winter Olympics in 1984. My route, the Bobsled Trail, was built for the Olympics.
More adventures up ahead!