Mountains
Up and down, up and down…..I don’t think I had one bit of
flat terrain during the 700 kilometers I rode in Bosnia. There are no major peaks but there is
plenty of rolling hills, covered in deciduous trees (which were at their prime
for colors). It’s not wonder
National Geographic voted Bosnia the best mountain biking destination in the
world. Interesting enough, I
didn’t see one other sporty cyclist during my entire week of cycling except for
two guys doing downhill.
Rivers
I originally set off on a small detour after crossing the
border to follow the river Una, which I had been told rivaled the Soca in
Slovenia for beauty. I was blown
away by this river’s transparent water, but, really, it is just one of Bosnia’s
many rivers. Most of their roads
are built alongside a river in order to traverse the flattest part of the
country, which makes for beautiful scenery while riding. As a result of all the rivers, there is
also a huge rafting and kayaking tourism industry, although it was a little too
chilly to try it out myself.
Vulkanizers
Yes that is right, “vulkanizers”. So if you were thinking of moving over here and opening up a
Volcanizer business you better think twice, although there could be a nitch for
combining volcanizers and bike tires! Volcanizers in Bosnia are like banks in
Spain, and 7 Eleven’s in New York City, they are on every street corner.
Pekaras
A.K.A bakeries! Pekara’s are even more common than volcanizers in Bosnia with a variety
of sweet and savory delights, from pizza, corn bread, pretzels, jelly and
chocolate filled donuts, croissants, filled croissants, burek, and more! (most of which I tried!) Best of all, the prices max out at 1
euro, in fact most goodies are between 0,50 and 0,75 cents, making them an
affordable snack for cyclists!
Burek
Spinach-filled, meat-filled, cheese-filled, potato-filled,
apple-filled….there are so many varieties of burek that you can never get tired
of this delicious Bosnian pastry! Of course they say that meat is “official
burek”, but you definitely can’t leave Bosnia without trying Burek!
Graveyards
At first I thought I was seeing houses lining the hills
riding down into Sarejevo. But when I looked more closely at hte sea of whiteness, I realized they
were cemeteries with graves closely placed together. There are cemeteries
tucked into every nook and cranny in Sarajevo. In fact, even the Olympic Stadium is now surrounded by graves. A hundred thousand people were
killed in Bosnia & Herzegovina during the war and it comes as no surprise
when you see the graveyards, separated, of course, by religion, with the
majority of the markers recording deaths between 1992 and 1995. 
Minarets
Mosques are everywhere! They can be easily spotted by the
minarets that tower in the distant countryside and towns. I must say the call to prayer can be
rather soothing while pedaling and it keeps me on track with my daily
schedule. I didn’t actually see
that many fully veiled women, but there plenty of head scarves. I wish the Muslim religion would prohibited
smoking, then all the cafes, restaurants, and bars wouldn’t wreak like smoke!
War Scars
Almost 20 years have passed since the Yugoslavia war, but
there are still frequent reminders that you are in a country where people and
places were scared for life.
Besides the graves and cemeteries that I mentioned earlier, there are
plenty of buildings that haven’t been rebuilt, and facades covered with bullet
holes. Not to mention the
incredible effort made to rebuild some historical sights such as the Mostar
bridge and old town Sarajevo. You
begin to ask the people about the war and you hear some pretty devastating
stories.
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