A Brave New Face

Sarajevo, Bosnia Sept 9, 2025 There are still plenty of buildings that are pock-marked with bullet holes but Sarajevo wears a smile these days. There are churches and mosques and a new City Hall resplendent in its myriad architectural styles. I have a lovely view of the city as it creeps up the hill beyond … More A Brave New Face

Years Under Siege

Sarajevo, Bosnia Sept 8, 2025 Three times longer than the Battle of Stanlingrad. More than a year longer than the Siege of Leningrad. From April 5, 1992 to February 29,1996, for 1425 days Sarajevo was under siege. It is the longest siege of a capital city in modern times. The Bosnian Serb forces with support … More Years Under Siege

Haunted Still

Mostar, Bosnia Sept 6, 2025 With the collapse of Yugoslavia, this part of the world was engulfed in war and Bosnia and Herzegovina was no exception. It was soon after the nation declared independence in 1992 that it saw ethnic violence of a level unseen on the world stage since WWII. In a country with … More Haunted Still

Westward Ho

Prizren, Kosovo Sept 1, 2025 An old Hammam dating from the Ottoman era is now home to the tiny Archeological Museum of Prizren. In the very first exhibit is from the Neolithic era I see a stone axe, flint and stone spearheads. Not terribly surprising. But next to them in the display case are pottery … More Westward Ho