Grace in Bosnia & Herzegovina 2019

With only three days left here in Sarajevo, I have begun to reflect on my time here: the places I've seen, the people I've met, the food I've tried, and the friends I've made. As was cheesily sang at a restaurant here, "Sweet Home Sarajevo, where the skies are so grey!" Sarajevo really is home despite the rainy days because there's always a warm and friendly coffee shop to duck into, or it's not that bad to stay in your house with the stunning views of the mosques, catholic churches, and cathedrals side by side. Though it is a small town, I've never grown bored, never run out of things to do because there is ALWAYS something happening. Events are organized into nice booklets, which are updated each month with music events, places to eat, and sites to see. The friends that I've made here, locals and foreigners, have shown me true friendship. I know it sounds cheesy, but being with my friends here have shown me the friends

My boss informed me at 4pm on Friday that we would have vacation the next week, so I did not need to come in for work. I had already been planning weekend trips to various countries, so this was my chance to visit all the places that I wanted to. At 5pm that day, I went to a nearby coffee shop for 4 hours to plan all the bus tickets, hostel reservations, and anything else I might need because all tickets need to be printed in the Balkans. This was my tentative plan:  I left the next morning at 6am and arrived in Belgrade at 2pm. First I checked into my hostel Beogradjanka and the staff was incredible. I went to Mala Fabrika Ukusa for the 2nd best meal of my life (After the Bazaar in LA). My Georgetown friend from Belgrade recommended it, and he was right to recommend it. I then walked to the Temple of Saint Sava and lit a candle for my family. Afterwards I walked to the fortress for the sunset and it was spectacular. The view was breathtaking.  My favorite part about travel