Sarajevo, Široki, Konjic, and other excursions

A beautiful day in Sarajevo!

The past few days have been a whirlwind, starting off with our visit to Sarajevo, Dayton's Sister City. Our first stop was the fountain pictured above, where legend has it that those who drink from it will return to the city. I think it's safe to say that that's probably going to be true for all of the DRSS students.

Our first stop was the spring-fed fountain in the bazaar in the Turkish part of Sarajevo. Legend has it that if you drink from the fountain, you'll return to Sarajevo. For me, that was true (and it was less than a year ago).

After that, it was time for some ćevapćići. Our friends took us to Željo, their favorite ćevapćići place, where they finally let us have some! They had been telling us not to try it anywhere else but in Sarajevo, although some of us may have cheated a couple of times! After that we did a really quick tour of the city because we had a few important places to get to in the afternoon.

Our first stop was in the covered market next to Hotel Europe.

And of course, Mr. Nuñez will be pleased to know that we stopped by the spot where where, on June 28, 1914, Gavrilo Princip assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, sparking the events that led to WWI. History! Perhaps a smile wasn't the most appropriate pose, but it was interesting standing in a spot that had such a tremendous impact on world history.

Up next was a visit to Markale Market, which is the spot of an infamous massacre that took place in 1995, whereby Bosnian Serbs launched shells into the market, killing 43 people and wounding 75 others. Though tragic, the incident pushed US decision-makers to act and (eventually) ended in the Dayton Peace Accords. Today, there's a monument and you can see the spot where the shells hit. It's a great place to buy fresh produce, and the cherries and rasberries we bought there were really great.

Up next was the Old Synagogue, which was created back in the late 15th century as Jews were fleeing Spain after the Spanish Expulsion of Jews and Muslims in 1492. The local Muslim leaders of Sarajevo allowed them to settle and build a synagogue there. Last time I didn't get to go inside, so it was nice to finally see it. We also stopped to see the main Catholic church and the Herzeg-beg Mosque during our visit, so we hit all of the Abrahamic faiths we could!

Up next was a visit to Telemach, one of our sponsors on this trip. Ana, Bethany, and I were all interviewed about our program by the local press as well, so look for us on N1 Sarajevo!

We toured Telemach next, where we had the opportunity to learn about the services they provide, as well as ask and answer some questions from those who work there. We were guided by Edina Kurić Zorlak. During our visit I was able to say to the Telemach employees who asked us about our visit that this is one of the most amazing trips that I and my students have ever been on before, and that I can't wait to return. We're so grateful for Telemach's support as well! Vedran was an excellent translator too!

Up next was a visit to the US Embassy in Bosnia and Herzegovina, where we met with two diplomats, John Silson and Drew Giblin. It was a unique opportunity to learn about the US mission in BiH and ask questions of diplomats who are on the ground in a foreign country. We also had the opportunity to meet with Ambassador Cormack after our briefing and ask her some questions. Afterwards we got a group photo!

Our meeting with Ambassador Cormack at the US Embassy in Sarajevo. During their visit, the students talked about innovative solutions for local economic development, entrepreneurship, and ways to improve the role of youth in society. It was a great visit and we're grateful to Ambassador Cormack for taking the time to meet with us!

On our way we found what appeared to be a meat market named for Dayton. I'm not sure what that means, but we thought it was pretty funny.

Up next we climbed up to the tallest building in Sarajevo, which has a 360 degree view of the city. It was an amazing view and a great spot for a group photo!

The group right after our briefing at the US Embassy.

Afterwards we had some snacks and espresso (in my case) with an amazing view of the city.

Bri, Bethany, Nikola, and Gloria enjoying a break at the top.

Much of the ride there and back was through the Dinaric Alps, which are like the "Grand Canyon of Europe" according to Vedran. I have to agree!

Traffic was kind of crazy coming home, so we didn't have much time to make it to Blagaj before they closed, but we got there in time to hear the call to prayer for the end of fasting for today, as we are visiting during Ramadan. We didn't get to go in this time, but we had an amazing view and dinner by the spring!

Our next day was really special as we got the opportunity to visit FEAL, a large aluminum company that is doing work around the world (even in the United States now). They specialize in taking aluminum and creating a variety of "profiles," which eventually become everything from windows, to doors, to facades. The tour was led by Marko Novak, head of the marketing department, and he was very not only an extremely generous and knowledgeable tour guide, but he also came to do the tour for us on his day off and spent three hours talking with us, showing us everything they do, and taking us around the entire plant. The kids (and I) were amazed to see the process of how they take the raw material and turn it into so many different products!

Our tour guide and head of the marketing department, Marko Novak, greeted us as we began the tour. He was such a great guide!

We started off in the showroom to see what they mean by "profiles." We saw many of the examples of what their business produces, and Marko explained to me that they essentially provide the entire country with its aluminum needs (in addition to exporting a lot more, including in countries like the UK, Germany, and Iran!)

After the tour of the showroom and screening a short film explaining what the business does, Marko gave us some snacks and we had a chance to talk with him about everything from what his company does to what his job looks like and what life in Široki is like.

After that it was time to visit the factory, but before then we saw a picture of the factory today... it's HUGE! They have over 600 employees, and they're working seven days per week in three shifts year-round. Truly amazing in scale.

One of the coolest things was seeing the extrusion process up close. This is where they heat the aluminum up to 500 degrees celsius and press it through dies to make profiles, such as an aluminum metal stud or bicycle wheel.

Bethany was trying hard to contain her excitement, but when Marko gave her a profile from one of their plant buildings she about lost it!

We also had a tour of the facilities where they treat the aluminum in order to make it meet certain conditions needed by their customers.

Visiting the guys who are responsible for bending the aluminum that becomes a bicycle tire.

At the end of the day, we were given some very nice gifts by Marko and the folks from FEAL. We are so grateful for the tour and the three hours we spent there truly flew by. I think Bethany may be filling out her application to work there as I write this!

After FEAL we traveled into the countryside to see a beautiful park, Blidinje. It felt like we had been transported to Ireland with all of the greenery, sheep, and stacked stone fences lining the mountains.

Up next we traveled to a park called Blidinje, which is within the mountains here.

On the way up we stopped at a small shrine to St. Anthony, patron saint of lost things. He's also associated with travelers, Without going into religion, I can definitely say that we have been treated very well by those who cherish him!

This part of BiH felt like Ireland, thanks in large part to all of the beautiful hills and sheep. Of course there were also some sheep herding dogs, and they're very friendly!

Before the park, we stopped at a really nice restaurant owned by a friend of Ana's for a light lunch of bread and cheese and cured meats. It was delicious. The restaurant is known as Hajdučke vrleti, or "Bandit's house," so named for Hadjuk Mijat Tomić, a local bandit who led a band of outlaws. I think (maybe) he's kind of like the Croatian version of Robin Hood.

Up next we visited this beautiful church that sits in Blidinje.

The whole church was full of amazing artistry, as evidenced here with the Last Supper on the altar piece. This Franciscan Church will soon house a monastery.

We stopped for a picture in front of the hills as well before exploring the area on foot for a while...

...and visited this natural spring for a drink before a short hike into the woods.

Quick selfie with the church we visited in the background.

Finally, after a fun day, we spent the evening at a "BBQ under the stars" at Mateo's house out in the countryside. Vedran and Mladen put together an awesome spread that included some delicious hamburgers and ćevapi (which I even got to take a turn grilling!) and we had a fun time helping prepare the hamburgers as well.

Our best impression of the no-smile BiH photo pose. We're weird here because we smile in all of our photos!

Some other Americans who are visiting BiH were at the BBQ as well, and the students had a good time hanging out with them and playing cards and chatting about their experiences in BiH.

Finally on Sunday we went rafting to round out the weekend, which was a great way to experience the natural beauty of the area. It was also just a lot of fun!

Getting ready to launch into the Neretva River.

The view from the river was beautiful.

Victoria and her "homestay mom," Ana, enjoying a break on the river.

After the rafting we had an amazing lunch at the rafting place. We had burek again (meat pie), although this time served more traditionally. It may be my new favorite food from BiH! Many thanks to Ana and her friends Gorana and Mateo for organizing this excursion for us, and to Dario for joining us. It was a great way to end the weekend before the students begin the embedded part of their internship experiences on Monday with local companies that align with their career interests.

Chicken and potatoes... somehow they just taste better in BiH.

Burek, a meat pastry, is probably my new favorite food. Not sure how I missed this last time!

Glad Dario could join us for lunch!

Only three and a half days left in Mostar, and none of us are ready to go home! As I finish this blog, the students are halfway through the first day of their embedded internships with local companies here in Mostar and learning what it's like working in a foreign country. More to come soon!