Bosnia and Herzegovina is a country of forests and cold mountain rivers. Unless one looks at a map with a fine eye for detail, it might escape notice that the country has any beaches at all. The coastline of neighboring Croatia stretches an amazing 1777 kilometers along the Adriatic Sea and is broken only byContinue reading “Beaches of Bosnia”
Tag Archives: history
The Transformation of Phnom Penh
Phnom Penh, Cambodia 2023 vs. 2000 I first arrived in Phnom Penh in February of 2000 in the back of a pick-up truck and covered head to toe in red dust from a 12-hour ride along the rough dirt track that served as Cambodia’s national highway. The city then had the feel of a wildContinue reading “The Transformation of Phnom Penh”
Chasing Chernobyl
After ten rough hours on an old, clattering plane, I touched down in Kiev drained of energy. Unrelenting engine noise had bombarded my eardrums the entire flight and now, in the relative quiet of Kiev street traffic, my ears were ringing in a way that was significantly more uncomfortable than the noisy flight. I’d comeContinue reading “Chasing Chernobyl”
Olympic Fires
Ancient Olympia: site of the first Olympic games 2797 years ago and a brief stop on our road trip across the Peloponnese. We arrived in the evening after a long day of road and ferry and left the next morning, satisfied that we had seen something amazing even if I had spent most of myContinue reading “Olympic Fires”
Driving a Marathon
The Greek soldier Philippides ran from the town of Marathon to Athens in 490 BCE to announce the Greek victory over the Persians. Or maybe he ran to Sparta to call in reinforcements. The truth behind the legend is lost in myth and retellings like so many of the historical stories of ancient Greece. EitherContinue reading “Driving a Marathon”
What the Oracle Said
Located high above the Gulf of Corinth on the steep slope of Mount Parnassus is the center of the world. For many centuries pilgrims, generals and kings made the journey here to receive the advice of gods. The history of the Oracle at Delphi is shrouded in a cloak of myth and stories buried underContinue reading “What the Oracle Said”
The Sleepy Old Capitals of Bosnia
A drive through central Bosnia passes through dark forested hills and mountains, farm villages and cold water streams. We watched the scenery pass by through the steaming windows of our crowded taxi. This was the hottest day of the summer heat wave in Bosnia and the four of us in the back seat could onlyContinue reading “The Sleepy Old Capitals of Bosnia”
The Mountain Above Sarajevo
A maze of small walking streets consist of shop after shop selling teapots, shawls, lamps and Turkish delight. A sixteenth century covered bazaar is now a shopping mall and a hotel is built over the ruins of the old caravansarai. The Ottomans founded this city in the middle of Europe and it became an importantContinue reading “The Mountain Above Sarajevo”
Pilgrimage Lands
The tranquility and peace of the remote pilgrimage sites in the hills of Bosnia and Herzegovina contrasts sharply with the bombed out buildings and bullet scarred alleys of the cities, but in some ways these serene places of belief are connected to the wars that have afflicted this region for centuries. Bosnia and Herzegovina isContinue reading “Pilgrimage Lands”
Jumping from a Lost Bridge
The city of Mostar is just a couple hours away from Trebinje, but somehow it feels like a different country. Here Latin letters replace Cyrillic and the Islamic call to prayer replaces church bells. The skyline of Mostar at sunset is a silhouette of minarets. While Trebinje has the feel of a backwater, Mostar isContinue reading “Jumping from a Lost Bridge”
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