Coffee and Cigarettes

The culture of Bosnia is intricately linked with coffee and cigarettes. Coffee came to Bosnia via the Ottomans over 500 years ago. Bosnians has a distinct way of making and serving coffee and many rituals surrounding it. It is served in traditional copper coffee making and serving dishes. There is a cultural idea of cejf which involves taking pleasure and time in your coffee. Bosnians appear to live true to this concept as they sit with their coffee for a long time. Cafes have a lot of seating as it would be unthinkable to hurry up a customer. It is normal to socialize with others while drinking their coffee. Rarely did I see anyone looking at a cell phone while at a cafe. It is a rare thing in todays world to have people spend so much time just sitting enjoying each others company or just sitting on their own enjoying the quiet and flavour. 

Hand in hand with drinking coffee is smoking cigarettes. No cup of coffee is complete without cigarettes to accompany. Actually, people smoke even when not having coffee. They seem to smoke all the time. Rules made to ban smoking indoors have been largely unsuccessful as they are ignored. The cafe in the Mostar mall would lose a lot of business if they disallowed smoking - so they don't. The dentist smelled like cigarette smoke, the grocer smelled like cigarette smoke, the blood testing centre smelled like cigarette smoke, the airport smelled like cigarette smoke. We went to get Tova a haircut - the hair dresser and her partner were sitting outside having coffee and cigarettes. They looked longingly at their cups of coffee and cigarettes before finally caving and agreeing to cut her hair. Bosnia has one of the highest smoking rates in the world. We have been to other countries with a high prevalence of smoking but Bosnia is a level up in commitment. I really am not that indulgent of smokers. Still, in Bosnia I felt it made sense. During the siege of Sarajevo there was a shortage of food. Cigarettes were manufactured in the city and they managed to keep up production throughout the four year siege. Cigarettes became currency and many people were paid in cigarettes. With little food and water and a daily risk of being shot cigarettes were the ideal available solution to calm nerves and suppress appetites. Maybe I also would have taken up smoking? 

Bosnia has been a lot of fun. The people are kind and low stress. It is a country with a difficult past and a strenuous political system but manages to put on a smile and enjoy life anyways. I wont take up coffee and cigarettes but hopefully some of the culture of cejf will wear off on us. We can all learn to sit a little longer with life's people and pleasures.

Doing our best to enjoy cafe life. Really is a shame that I don't like coffee.

In a museum courtyard - a statement or just negligence?

She was excited for her first dentist appointment. Cheapest check up ever too as all general check-up were free

Looking good Sarajevo!

A Sarajevo rose with the sunlight aptly illuminating. These are mortar spots where someone lost their life.

From city to peak and back again in a day by foot 

Mountain views

Old bobsled track from 1984 Olympics

If you zoom in you can see the flag is torn in half. Kids were more interested in blackberries

Sarajevo Haggadah. I probably won the competition of most questions asked of attendant. 

Tova's body language when we finally left the Haggadah room

Tova picking blackberries at old Jewish cemetery - literally the most neglected and abused cemetery I have ever seen.

Sarajevo film festival

We happened to arrive in Sarajaevo during the well known film festival. The festival started in the  90's when Sarajevo was still under siege as an act of defiance and noralacy. From there it grew in size and prestige. We don't go to many movies. In fact, I've only been to the movie theatre with my children a few times. But it seemed like a good chance to be a part of a cultural event and the festival has a few films meant specifically for children. So, we found ourselves heading to our first film hoping that Levana's attention would be captivated enough to sit still for an hour and a half. The experience of going to the youth theatre was an enjoyable activity. Sponsors had games set up and doled out prizes. Each viewer was given a juice. Half the theatre was made up of the youth jury which was interesting to observe. Actually the whole theatre had very few adults and gave us a glimpse into the lives of Sarajevan children. The king of all wanderers was a Dutch film about a girl whose father comes back after five years away. The girl's mother bans her from spending time with her father but is evasive on the reasons. It becomes obvious to the watcher and slowly to the child that her father, while an enthusiastic parent, is homeless and has schizophrenia. After the film the creator came in to answer questions of which the youth jury had many. We were all mesmerised by the way such heavy themes were discussed through a child's perspective. Levana sat through the whole film. Bolstered by the fun experience we decided to go all in. 

I scoured the program for any films that would be appropriate to my entire family. Most of the films had very serious or dark themes making them inappropriate for children. The evening before Aurora flew back to Norway four of us (Sophia graciously stayed home with Levana) walked along the river to a bigger theatre to watch Bear with Me. The viewing included a short film about the gossip surrounding a bear sighting in a small Croatian town in asparagus season. It was a lighthearted short film that dealt with the negative effect of social media on small populations. The maker of the film came in for questions. Bear with Me was a documentary in Bulgarian about a former circus animal trainer, Maxy, who lives with a bear (Natasha) behind a zoo in the Netherlands after being forced to give her animals away due to changes in public opinions on animals in circuses. They are allowed to live in this way until Natasha's death (which turned out to be much longer than anyone expected). The creator did a great job of presenting the animal rights activists point of view, a history of Maxy's amazing life and the current reality for Maxy and Natasha. The team of creators as well as the good friends of Maxy came in to speak at the end of the film as it was the international premiere of the film. Tova is still talking about how Maxy's best friend was bawling as she walked in front of the audience. 

Splish Splash Summer was another film from the children's program. By now the kids were into the whole film festival vibe and eagerly took their bag of plazma and juice into the line to enter. At less than four dollars a person (including snack and drinks) going to the film festival was honestly the most affordable activity we did in Sarajevo. The topic was lighthearted, involving a small town in Germany that is forced to close its swimming pool and a young girls quest to save the pool. Because it had lighter themes the theatre was packed full of children (mostly under the age of 10). They were an enthusiastic audience and the few responsible adults in the room were forced to walk around the whole time shushing everyone. There seemed to be a lot of running in the aisles during the film. Guess that is what happens when you give children juice and cookies and expect them to sit still. It was a fun film but the kids all felt it was a little on the dramatic side. Still, it did a good job of showing how kids can change a government decision. 

Our final film was in the teen category. The film Girls don't Skateboard was a North Macedonian film about two poor teen Roma sisters who like to skateboard and are grappling with an impending arranged marriage. I kind of thought there would be lots of footage of skateboarding that the kids would enjoy, but, there was little skateboarding. It was a great film but definitely not meant for young children. Levana diligently ate her snack of juice and biscuits and then was eager to leave. Luckily she then just fell asleep. After the film the creator and main actress came up to answer questions. The cast were all Roma actors and we learned a lot about Roma challenges. Once we left the kids had lots of questions and I had to give them a crash course on the intricacies of teen marriage, virginity, and the use of blood on sheets to confirm a successful marriage. Definitely an unexpected learning moment. 

We didn't come to Sarajevo for the film festival but we were all glad to get to take part. Four films, from four locations, four very different themes, over five days. The children learned about mental health issues, animal rights issues, local advocacy issues, and Roma and teen marriage issues. 

Questions after a film

We also did things that weren't films

Cafe with a view

Poster child of the film festival

Stone jumping at the source of a river

View above old town

There she is ready with her bag of plazma cookies

Film festivals can be tiring

Diving into Mostar

 When we stepped off the bus in Mostar we were greeted by our airbnb hostess. She took our bags, she gave us hugs, she welcomed us and then she managed to fit in all six of us and our luggage into her small five seater that already had a partially full trunk. We were squeezed in tight with bags on top of ourselves but still I was incredibly flattered. What is more flattering than someone bending the law a touch to show you they care? When we parked in front of the apartment the hostess said in her same enthusiastic voice there is the apartment and there is the prison. I thought she was joking at first but sure enough we were right across from the prison. A surprisingly cheery looking place. When our hostess left us in her apartment she blew me about five kisses. This was the perfect airbnb hostess and the perfect introduction to Mostar. Living across from a prison was kind of exciting. The prisoner neighbours were quiet we got a kick out of people sitting on our wall hollering up to their family or buddy behind bards, and we all liked to imagine their stories. 

Mostar is a small city surrounded by mountains with a vibrant and sometimes turbulent past. Once one of the most intercultural cities of the country, the conflict of the 90's has left the town recovering. So much of the city was destroyed that even after thirty years of recovery visible conflict damage is still everywhere. But it is the invisible that residents are recovering from the most as the city is left with an east west divide of loyalties. Once a city that boasted the highest number of intergroup marriages and harmony now each side has its own infrastructure and loyalties. A young honest guide at a museum told us that the invisible divide is a big challenge and she has only been to the west half of the city a handful of times in her life. 

Mostar was a hot city. The internet claims it to be the second hottest city in Europe and, being there in an August heat wave, that seemed an undeniable claim.  By nine am it was over thirty degrees and much of the day the sun beat down at 40. The heat weighed down on us so we quickly reoriented our schedule to hide indoors and do schoolwork in the hottest part of the day. The river is cold and offers a reprieve from the hot weather but the locals all advise not to enter the river as it is very polluted. We did anyhow but we quickly learned you need to rinse off thoroughly or you are left feeling the after effects of whatever they are dumping into the river. 

Diving is very important in Mostar and is an integral part of the culture. A lot of tourism involves coming to Mostar to jump off the 25 meter Stari bridge. The history of jumping the bridge goes back a long way and was a rite of passage for boys. The first recorded bridge jump was in the 1600's and local lore dictated that a young man could not get a job or girlfriend if he did not jump off the bridge. After the war in the 90s with the bridge destroyed part of recovery was immediately setting up a makeshift platform so locals could once again jump into the river. Once a year there is a diving competition from the bridge and diving platforms of lower heights 8m and 12m (higher in the Summer) have been set up near the river for the towns and tourists entertainment. Tova jumped both and was very entertained. This diving culture was also very prevalent at the swimming pool. Most pools have a no jumping rule but the Mostar pool seems to have little rules and encouraged diving by adding in extra platforms all around the pool. The centre of the pool seems to be of little interest to most people as local children and adults seem to spend much of their time diving off the edges or sitting around the perimeter drinking and smoking. This was the perfect situation for Tova and the girls spend multiple afternoons diving over and over and over again into the pool. Levana mostly waddled around the kiddy pool while I marvelled at the multitude of drinking smoking parents surrounding us. Within arms reach was definitely not a thing in Mostar. In fact the pool didn't seem to have a lifeguard at all. 

Seems I have a lot to say about Mostar and took a lot of photos. It was a hot but fun spot to hang out. Tova got to jump from higher than she has ever jumped before. I got to turn 42 for the first time in my life there. We got to have prisoners and bombed out buildings as neighbours for the first time ever. It was a small feeling town filled with very nice people despite its turbulent recent past. 

Mostar

                                         

The old library

Sketching paintings at a private museum that was wildly entertaining as its fancy vibe and lights off approach felt more London than Mostar. Also we got to be in a room alone with Degas little dancer. Actually we got the whole museum to ourselves (no guards even!). 

Birthday breakfast - a rare treat where we went to a place that has white tablecloths

Birthday run

Mostar waking up

The mosaic in this rebuilt church was amazing and the motifs of burning and renewal apt

Had to wake up quite early to manage mountain hikes without the side effect of sun stroke

The cross, the motorcycle, the way they sat in age order...

View from the sniper building. It is closed to entry with a large fence but they conveniently leave the gate open so that people can enter anyways. 

Ottoman vibes

I really liked this work of art

Tova really liked these concrete barriers on our street

Building next to us -  we spent a lot of time trying to figure out how the people living in the upper levels enter the building and why they still live there. 

Bridge Jumper (courtesy of Aurora)

Norwegian Summer dreaming

By this time in my life Norway feels like a loyal friend. Jakob and I disagree on the number of times I have gone to Norway in the Summer. I am counting ten in my head. Perhaps I am off by one or two in either direction but given that I have spent time in Norway over the Summer for a quarter of the years I have been alive it is safe to say that Norway and I are loyal friends. This also means that Aurora has been in Norway nearly half the years of her life. With our transitory lifestyle the cottage in Norway is one of the most dependable homes she has had. Given that we only visit Norway in the Summer it is also a spot full of Summer dreaming. Days spent catching crabs on the dock, playing games with family or picking berries. No wonder when Aurora was young she would dream in Norwegian. This year was just as perfect as every other.  It was filled with time with family, lovely communal meals, evening laughs and games, boat rides and swims, fresh open sea air and buckets of berries. Soon Aurora will head to Norway to spend the school year. After years of Southern Norwegian summers it will be very interesting to hear her impressions of a different location and different seasons. 

Joy

family

Mountains

Rock hopping 

Swimmable

Wonder what it would be like to live in this house

I wasn't sure what to make of this placement of the royal family? Maybe I need a few more visits to understand

Summer life in town

A city with a reputation

We spent a few days on an extended layover in Brussels. For the first time in our travels we utilised the passenger loved hack of skip lagging and bailed on our final leg back to France. Being the rule abiding person I mostly tend to be I was hesitant to partake in this option but the alternative of two extra flight legs (Brussels to France and then basically back to Brussels) was most unappealing, especially when juxtaposed with the prospect of a few days in Brussels. Still, I made an effort to not skirt the rules and had some phone calls with the airline about potentially cancelling my final leg (this would have incurred a hefty fee). I felt uneasy about the whole thing as we left our first flight. I envisioned our plane being delayed and announcements being made for the lone woman with five children who they were expecting. Some last minute internet research revealed that it is possible to uncheck in of a second leg of a flight as a way of making it clear they should not expect you. Useful information to know! 

Our few days in Brussels were loaded with food oriented expectations. Belgium has a reputation for certain unhealthy but highly appealing foods - chocolate, waffles, and chips. I told the girls that we could sample all three as part of the cultural experience. Our first day in Brussels was spent enjoyably wandering the old town visiting various peeing statues, going to a great city museum, and of course visiting chocolate shops. My chocolate expectations were actually fairly low and I was pleased at how great the fancy truffles and filled chocolates were. We didn’t eat a ton of chocolate but it was much more than we were used to so by the end of our chocolate tour we all had zero desire to eat chips and waffles. No worries because we still had two more days. On our second day we took the train to Ghent for some more old town wandering. Again none of us felt drawn to a lunch of waffles and chips so we opted for grocery store sandwiches. A couple of hours of a castle visit and still each time I offered to buy chips I got lots of horrified looks. No worries, there was still a third day. On our final day in Brussels I suggested we go for a breakfast of waffles in the old town. Nobody cheered. A lunch of chips? No votes. Instead we went to a more local cafe outside the tourist throngs and had some tasty sandwiches. I was kind of fascinated by my repeated offers to buy waffles and chips with no takers. Oh well, there is always a future visit. 

Brussels was a city that was loaded to the max with tourists. We had heard some mixed reviews of the city but we all really enjoyed our visit. The fact that everyone spoke French made it an easy destination to get by in. There seemed to be lots of events happening in various parts of the city. Beer and comics were of great importance. Belgium is a relatively small country that is easy to get around. And the chocolate really was great. 

Tova in Brussels

Home of Tin tin

Belgium really outdid the Netherlands hagelslag with this move. We bought it and can attest to the fact that it is thin pieces of chocolate to be eaten on bread for breakfast.

Manneken Pis has been dressing up for over 400 years. During our stay he was cheering on the Belgian world cup team. 

                      

This incredibly hot and crowded train to Ghent was wonderful because I got to watch these two woman have a full and proper tea with crockery and pastries and then watch them knit

Ghent

Levana listened to the entire one hour audio guide of the castle with enthusiasm!