Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Actually, not to long ago - in my lifetime, this city was the epicenter of wartorn misery. No more. Sarajevo was the biggest surprise and brightest highlight of my Balkan tour. I reveled in the multicultural atmosphere and indulged in the intellectual wonder of the city. And drank more Bosnian coffee (don't call it Turkish) than is healthy for any one person. But I'm sold, and if I couldn't move to Ljubljana, I'd be here.

It was 1 meter wide, 1.6 meters tall, and 800 meters (half a mile) long. That was the one opening between Sarajevo and the outside world during the 1990s war. From 1992-1995 Sarajevo suffered the longest siege ever endured by any city. And this was the one passage out of the city, the one passage to life.

Today Sarajevo is a fantastic city to visit. Most of the damage has been repaired, smiles have returned to most people’s faces. The market is vibrant, the architecture beautiful, the food absolutely delicious and the hospitality unforgettable.

But when you start talking to people, it doesn’t take long to get their haunting accounts of the war. 10,000 dead in Sarajevo, a city of 500,000. Horrendous lines for food, water. After one year the first UN plane touched down at the airport, carrying a load of medicine. But all the medicine was for malaria, the last thing that was the problem here.

It’s disturbing to walk among streets so peaceful, and think about what a nightmare was the recent past. It’s haunting to walk down the streets and every once in a while come across a Sarajevo Rose, the blast marks in the pavement that show where a grenade exploded.

And it’s unbeliavable to think about how clueless we were about the whole situation, and how far it is from our radar today.

For all the running in Europe believers, there is great running to be had in Sarajevo. I knew I'd find it!!