Footnotes. People.

The people
Warm, friendly, helpful. Traveling is so much about the people you meet.

Ika and Zahra: they are two women that are working at the internet/restaurant section of the hostel I stayed at the first few days. I’ve been coming back every day to chat with them. They are always happy to see me, I’m happy to see them and to practice my Bosnian.

Sarajevo.

At the market, I was offered a rose today. For taking pictures.

A rose to remember those who perished there during the war. The first massacre took the lives of 69 people, the second one, over forty.

Sarajevo Roses- those traces in the pavement that are splattered on the ground after mortar shells hit it.

The beautiful Old Town, the Turkish Quarters, filled with odors of cheese, meat, tea, Turkish coffee.

The wonderful tea shop. They know my name because I come back every day. Another opportunity to speak with the locals, speak Bosnian.

The famous Tunnel. Built under the airport, when Sarajevo was cut off from the world. When UN prevented people from crossing into Croatia to get food. Serbians took UN officers hostage. The UN had to negotiate deals, hand over 50% of humanitarian supplies to the enemy.

But the Tunnel allowed people to smuggle food, arms, ammo, water, electricity, oil into the city… So many saved lives.

Srebrenica. Genocide. 8000 Muslim men and boys. The worst massacre in Europe since World War II. We cannot forget, cannot let this happen again.