Today was a long ride on the bus. We left our hotel at 9:00 AM. It was a grey, misty morning as we drove east out of Croatia. Twice traffic was stopped as they were de-mining (land mines) areas near the highway. We were not detained because once they had just finished and the next time, they had not started yet. The war ended in 1995, but many reminders remain. The land was fairly flat, good farm land. We went through passport control as we left Croatia. One hundred yards down the road we went through passport control as we entered Bosnia. Immediately we saw houses that had been destroyed, others were rebuilt (totally or partially), and some good houses. That scenario continued for a couple hours until we reached Sarajevo. Stopped for lunch along the way. The land became more mountainous. As we neared Sarajevo, we could see the mountain where the 1984 Winter Olympics had been held. We are staying at Hotel Europa where Archduke Ferdinand from Austria had stayed the night before he was assassinated. A block from here he was killed and World War I started. Needless to say the hotel has been renovated since then. We settled in at the hotel, had a cup of coffee, and then took a long walking tour sprinkled with footnotes of history and explanations of the 1991-5 war. Our guide was a real character, a self-avowed communist, a guide for Clinton, and Richard Gere. Enjoyed dinner at a Bosnian restaurant: started with samples of cheese, spinach, and meat pies, followed by Bay soup, and then entrees of meat kabobs, stuffed green pepper, sausages, etc. A variety of desserts followed. It was very similar to Turkish food. Waddled back to the hotel.
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