Judging by Tanya’s level of Bosnian, one might not think that she ever did a course in the language. Well here’s proof: here we are with the rest of the class members and the teacher at “Avlija” – the quaintest courtyard restaurant imaginable.

We weren’t quite sure if the water was actually intended for drinking or if it was just a decorative fountain, but Branko was thirsty. This was behind Ali Pasha's mosque…

Cevapi. Cevapcici. Pronounced “Chevapi” or “Chevapchichi” where the first “ch” and the second “ch” are not the same at all. The bottom line is that this dish of braaied minced meat in soft pita with chopped onions is absolutely delicious and clarifies the reason why for weeks before the trip, all Tanya heard about was cevapi. (Or cevapcici…)

Here is Branko at Bascarsija (pronounced Bashcharshiya), which means “the exact middle of the town”. The reason why you wouldn’t see a picture of Tanya in the same spot is that the place is usually filled with hundreds of pigeons being fed by people who don’t understand just how filthy the creatures actually are…

Branko decided to have his hair cut for purely sentimental reasons (it had nothing to do with his scraggly head.) If you look carefully in the background, you may notice a wooden horse/chair. This is the same barber shop where Branko had his hair cut throughout his childhood so how could he not go back there for old time's sake? He begged to be allowed to sit on the horsey but he's just a little too large...

Ahhh - what a romantic place for a kiss... This is the spot where Gavrilo Princip shot Archduke Franz Ferdinand, triggering the first world war. The spot used to be marked with footsteps engraved in the concrete but they were removed after the war because Princip was a Serb and we all know that Bosnians don't like Serbs. Rumour has it that they are now back in place (the Bosnians have woken up to the value of national history) so another trip to Sarajevo may be in order just so that we can make sure...

And while we're talking about kissing, Branko may be just a little too connected to his roots... Who ever heard of kissing a tree just because it's Bosnian?!?

The two giggling girls in the street were very generous to allow us to take this picture of Cvjetko and Jefa Rihtman's home in the Mejtas neighborhood of Sarajevo. Tanya was particularly interested in seeing the home where Ranko grew up and in which Branko spent so much time with his grandparents.

Here is Branko near his uncle Braco's house in the Kosevo (pronounced Koshevo and having nothing to do with a different Yugoslavian/Albanian area of conflict) neighborhood of Sarajevo. What a view!

On August 25, 1992, in a planned attempt to wipe out the whole history of the Bosnian nation, Serbs attacked Bosnia's National Library which housed a collection of 1.5 million volumes, including 10% rare, archival documents. Over the next three days, the building was completely gutted and the greater part of its contents were destroyed. Continuous shelling on the building kept the fire going and limited attempts to rescue the building's contents. Despite the dangers, civilian volunteers formed a human chain to pass the books out of the library, but only saved less than 10% of the library's contents. The library is still a beautiful building from the outside but people are not yet allowed to enter the deserted structure.

The real focus of this picture is not Branko and Tanya, but the building behind them: Egipat Confectionary. Talk about cultural heritage - they sell the best caramel ice-cream in the world! Branko wasn't exaggerating one bit!

Branko's aunt and uncle's home in the Aerodrom neighborhood of Sarajevo. This area was one of the front lines of Bosnian-Serbian fighting. They don't live there anymore but then that may be quite obvious... Since we were there, the building has been renovated and the huge, gaping hole in the middle of the living room floor has been repaired.

The United Nations peace-keeping forces perform a vital role in Bosnia (right!). Here in downtown Sarajevo are the Italian soldiers who are easily recognizable by the feathers in their caps. Don't they know that people are laughing at them?

This is the view of Sarajevo from the old Jewish cemetery. Because of the position of the cemetery, a Serbian sniper was permanently positioned behind the tomb stones during the war to shoot into the city. Tanya didn't join Branko and Galit's outing to this cemetery and was pleased that she only heard the rumour about mines between the graves after they came home safe and sound!

Sarajevo's Jewish community building houses a synagogue that was built in 1902. Although the community is predominantly Sephardi, this (believe it or not) Ashkenazi shul is the only functioning one in Sarajevo today. Even then, the only time we actually prayed in the main shul was on Pesach, but it was an experience worth waiting for.

The broken bridge over the Neretva river in Jablanica is a monument to the military genius of the much-loved Tito. In March 1943 Yugoslav partisan forces were in the Neretva valley with 4500 wounded and enemy forces behind them and on the other side of the only bridge. Tito ordered the bridge destroyed and during the night built a provisional foot-bridge and transferred all the troops and injured past the enemy camp on the other side. This picture was taken on May 1, 2001 on the way to eat lamb on the spit... Yummmm

Yet another view of the beautiful city of Sarajevo. This one was taken from Vraca where we stopped on out way to Jahorina to see some snow...

Branko took Tanya for a surprise outing to Vrelo Bosna, the natural mountain-water springs surrounded by beautiful mountains in Sarajevo. There are two ways to get there - by tram for most of the way and then walking the rest or in cute horse-drawn carts that go along a magnificent tree-lined path. Tanya's treat was this carriage ride and a daisy chain made for her by Branko.

Sarajevo has two football teams - Sarajevo and Zeljo and even if you hate the game, you MUST chose a team if you want to call yourself a Sarajevan. The Sarajevo-Zeljo derby is quite a big deal and Tanya (who had become quite the football match regular and needless to say a sworn FC Sarajevo fan) accompanied Branko to the event. This is a HUGE emblem of FC Sarajevo covering one side of the Olympic stadium - yes, there are people under there and no, it doesn't matter that they can't see the game...

The Oslobodjenje newspaper building was heavily attacked during the war but despite the damage, the paper printed an edition every day of the four-year siege of the city because of the importance to keep the city informed. The printing press was operated from the basement and employees came to work for a week at a time. The building has not been renovated and remains as a monument to the destruction of the war.

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Branko with his Aunt Nada and Uncle Braco in the Olympic Hotel on Jahorina. It's so much more simple in English: you just say aunt or uncle. In Bosnian, you have striko, strina, tetak, tetka and a whole lot more, each of which tells you the EXACT familial relation with the person in question. So, if you must know, this is Branko with his Strina Nada (wife of father's
brother) and Strika Braco (father's brother.)

Tanya in the middle of the old town of Sarajevo on one of the first days in Bosnia when she was still enthusiastic about wearing that very thick coat...

Kids will play football wherever you may go - especially if they're Bosnian. This was taken while roaming the Kosevo (pronounced Kosh-e-vo) neighbourhood after lunch at Braco and Nada. The kids kept on playing regardless...

Tanya and Tito. How could she miss the opportunity?