So, at last the London 2012 Olympic Games are upon us... after a lot of talking and huge amounts of planning, the biggest show on earth has arrived in London and everyone seems to be going crazy for it!
Even though we are not in London or even in the UK, we have been caught up in Olympic fever which seems to be sweeping across the world. On Friday we attended an event at the British Ambassador’s Residence and watched Opening Ceremony on a huge screen in the garden. The drink flowed, Wenlock and Mandeville (the Olympic Mascots) made an appearance and I shed a tear or two whilst watching the amazing show (and amongst all the fun we even didn’t notice an earthquake which took place half way through). And what a show it was. Danny Boyle and his team did Britain proud. From the green and pleasant lands, through to the rising chimneys of the industrial revolution, the Queen and Bond, Mr Bean, Macca, the Artic Monkeys, Kenneth Brannagh as Brunel, JK Rowling and Harry Potter, dancing NHS nurses, the social media era, floating Olympic rings, 10,000 volunteers, David Beckham and the wondrous way in which the cauldron was lit, I felt so very proud to be British.
I wouldn't class myself as hugely patriotic, but my love for all things British seems to be growing now I am living overseas. I have found myself glued to the radio, TV and internet, watching, reading and listening to all I can about the Games, the buildup, the faux pas, security issues, the sport and everything in-between. I even found tears of joy rolling down my cheeks on Friday morning as ‘all the bells’ rang out across the UK and Big Ben chimed out of sequence for the first time in 60 years.
I have been wondering if I would be this interested in it all if I was still in London? Firstly, I hope so as I worked for a Sports Marketing agency who is heavily involved with the Games therefore there would be no getting away from it! But I wonder if the day to day disruption and inconveniences caused from living in a city hosting something so huge would detract from the overall enjoyment of such a fantastic event? There is no doubt that it would be taking me longer to get to work in the morning, there are certainly more tourists around, to stop in the middle of the pavement or dawdle on the way to the tube not knowing where they are going. I would be continuing with my normal work, therefore probably not even being able to make it to Olympic events, all in all, life would be continuing as normal… if a little different.
I have been delighted to see so many of my Facebook ‘friends’ getting out and supporting Team GB, be it actually making it up to the Olympic Park, or lining the roads in Surrey to watch the Cycling road race and I have been able to enjoy the Games Time buzz through their experiences. There is no doubt that in this well connected world in which we now live, it is easier now more than ever to keep in touch and up to date with events from around the globe and I know that if we had lived here 10 years earlier, I would not be having quite the same experience as I am today.
So for the next two weeks, I will be continuing to read, watch and listen to all I can and will be supporting Team GB all the way… #ourgreatestteam
I have blogged about the weather before, and I know I will blog about it again during my time here. Maybe, it is the British'ness in me that makes me mildly obsessed by what is happening in the sky... after all we Brits love a conversation about the weather (almost as much a conversation about the state of the traffic on the roads)! However, the weather here is keeping me on my toes and still takes me by surprise.
Firstly, I want to make it clear that I am not complaining about the weather... we have no reason to complain, especially considering how dreadful the weather in the UK has been over the last month or so.
I guess coming from a temperate climate, where the temperature range is small, rain is frequent and the difference between summer and winter is minimal, it has been a shock to the system living somewhere where the seasons are vastly different. So far we have experienced a 60 degree temperature difference from when we arrived in January and it was -20, to now, when it has peaked at +40. I can assure that, that is a lot of clothes for a lot of different weather!
At 1am this morning, we were woken up by the most almighty thunderstorm and a crack of thunder which sounded like it was the room with us. Thunderstorms have been quite frequent over the past month, they normally occur late in the afternoon and last only 10-15 minutes. They have been welcome as they clear the air and the temperature drops for the evening, making it slightly easier to sleep. However, the storm last night was angry... the thunder rolled in and reverberated throughout the valley and as one left, another seemed to arrive, and then the rain came and the heavens opened. But by this morning, there was hardly evidence of this and it could have questioned if it was all a dream.
So far summer temperatures have been glorious, mid 30s is not uncommon and day after day of blue skies. The winter is the polar opposite (literally), temperatures well into the minus, meters of snow and then the fog, which arrives in November and does not rise from the valley until March. On the plus side, when the sun does make it through, everything glistens and sparkles and I can ski!
I am a big fan of defined seasons, hot summers, cold and snowy winters, beautiful autumns and springs which hold so much hope for the summer! Sarajevo is perfect for this, I get wear my whole wardrobe throughout the year, I can ski for four months and plan a BBQ/camping trip in the summer months without too much worry that it will be too cold/raining!
A balmy weekend in July saw the culmination of the 18th
Sarajevo Film Festival, a trip to the Zoo and a beautiful walk in the hills.
I love a camping trip, so when a weekend in the great outdoors was suggested, we jumped at the idea. The suggested destination was Boracko lake, located South-West of Sarajevo, about 90 minutes in the car.
Not really knowing what to expect, we loaded the car up with all our camping gear (I cannot travel light at the best of times, so a camping trip is an opportunity for me to pack everything including the kitchen sink) and off we went. There were about 13 of us in total, a couple of dogs and one toddler, so quite a party. We arrived at about 11:30am and the temperature was already in the early 30s, so as we climbed the steep mountain road and caught the first glimpse of the lake, it was a welcome sight. Set at about 700m, it is nestled in the mountains and is a truly beautiful spot. Already getting busy with other campers who had the similar idea of fleeing the city in the oppressive heat, we managed to find a spot which could fit us all, our tents and my kitchen sink. The campsite itself is a relatively large patch of grass which on one side slopes down to the lake, making it a perfect swimming spot. After all the formalities of setting the tents up, the first beer was cracked open and we went for a swim! The lake is a perfect temperature, apparently it has springs which come up from the bed, therefore the water is always kept circulating.
The campsite has some basic facilities, including a toilet block, drinking/teeth brushing and washing up area, a couple of small cafes/restaurants offering coffee, cold beers, pizzas etc... a small shop, which is surprisingly well stocked and a couple of lake side bars.
The afternoon was spent relaxing in the sun; our only mistake was not to take any sun brollies as we were not lucky enough to get a spot under a tree, therefore availability of shade was limited. We stoked the campfire and had a BBQ mid-afternoon.
As day rolled into night and the sun began the drop, it became evident that our neighbours (several groups of young lads) we in it for the long haul and had no plans of settling down to enjoy the silence and beauty of the spot we were in! Yugo-pop blared from a number of car stereos around the campsite and this did not relent all night! I woke up at about 2:30pm and the campsite was still in full swing, to compound matters, we had a slow puncture in our airbed... so by morning, with little sleep, we were on the ground! I was hoping that as we had been kept awake for most of the night, we might be able to get our revenge by clattering around first thing, sadly, everyone was already up and the music back on again! On reflection, this did not ruin the trip, but I would endeavor that we got to the site earlier and got a better spot, tucked away in a corner, under some trees!!
Breakfast consisted of some delicious scrambled eggs, some coffee and another swim and we then decided to pack up and make our way back to Sarajevo - mainly to watch Murray in the Wimbledon Final!
We had a great weekend and I despite a lack of sleep (which is to be expected when camping) I hope we go again!
As I anticipated, the year we move overseas, we would be inundated with invitations to 30th birthday parties and weddings... and I was right!
So far, it couldn't have worked out any better, we had two weddings in June and they coincidently fell on consecutive weekends, meaning only one flight home! We managed to make the most of it and have a two week trip back, which was split by time in Sussex, Tamworth and London, so we managed to see almost everyone we wanted to (with a few exceptions).
The first wedding was my fab friend Carol, who married the lovely Mark at a beautiful hotel in Haselmere in Surrey. I had a fairly large role to play and made the 80 wedding cupcakes, along with taking the wedding photos! Making the cupcakes was a military operation, but even if I do say so myself (and having received a lot of feedback...) they were great! Lemon sponge and lemon butter icing, topped with glitter looked beautiful piled up on the 5 tier cupcake stand. It helped that I borrowed a very beautiful kitchen, which, if I was going to have relocate anywhere and not use my own oven/equipment (which is always a concern when doing something of this magnitude), it couldn’t have been a nicer experience!
The wedding photographs were never going to be as easier a task... however, at the last minute my father offered to help me, he is quite handy with a camera and I have to say, I am not sure what I would have done without him! We worked very well together, I am not sure why this surprised me, but it did. He was quick to establish the role as the photographer, and I became assistant very quickly! But this suited me as I could round up the guests for the various photos we required, a job which was a bit like herding cats...! In true British style, the weather let us down towards the end and rain meant we have to abandon the last few group photos, but we managed to get a lovely selection, which will provide the happy couple with some lovely memories.
The second wedding saw my boyfriend play a large role, as one of the Best Men. Kev and Amy had a wonderfully traditional wedding near Tamworth, a fantastic country church, followed by a lavish reception at a gorgeous country house hotel. The detail which went into this wedding was impeccable, Pimms flowed on the terrace, with the back drop of some wonderful mood setting live music. The food was fantastic, honestly some of the best wedding food I have eaten and this went a little way to soaking up some of the wine which was consumed! The Best Man's speech was a triumph, it sailed close to the bone, but was appropriate for the family audience! The evening came and went in a blur of wine and a lot of dancing! All in all, a great day!
Following weddings, and time with the families, we made our way back to London. The city was still buzzing from the Jubilee celebrations and there was a real sense of anticipation about the forthcoming Olympics. Flags were flying high and proud on every building and I listened with amusement to a number of commuters whining on the phone about their awful commutes as a result of traffic/transport disruptions because of the Games... something’s will never change! We made the most of the shopping, stocked up on bacon and sausages, ate so much spicy Asian food that i almost turned into a noodle and then jumped back on a plane home!
So, there is definitly one more wedding on the cards this year... and with a number of friends hvaing recently got engaged, I am hoping they might all wait until 2014...when we are back!
Recently my sister came to visit, and in addition to the normal Sarajevo guided tour which we have developed (walk through the old town and up to the fort, drink at the brewery, cevapi, the tunnel museum etc...) we managed to get to the coast for a few days.
Friends of ours had hired a sailing boat for a week, and invited us to join them for three days, and of course we jumped at the opportunity, leaving my boyfriend in Sarajevo... at work!
So, we left Sarajevo early and embarked on the five journey to Split. It is a lovely journey, down to Mostar and then up to Medjugorje (the second most popular pilgrimage site after Lourdes), we crossed the boarder at Crni Grm and the headed north. We were advised to keep an eye for the motorway.. However somehow missed this, so found ourselves on the coast road... beautiful, but blimey it is a long way!
We arrived in Split at lunchtime, parked the car at the ACI Marina and then jumped on a water taxi over to the main port. Having grabbed a sandwich, we boarded our Jadrolinja ferry to Stari Grad on the Island of Hvar. The ferry was great, fairly similar to a English cross-Channel ferry, but very prompt and more importantly sold ice cold Karlovacko beer. 2 hours later we were pulling into Stari Grad, a really excellent service for only £4.90.
The first night was spent in port, at Stari Grad, and what a beautiful little town. The harbor was surrounded by lovely cafes, bars and restaurants, it was not too busy. We enjoyed a delicious meal and settled down to our first night on the open seas (well almost)!!
We were up early the next day, went and got some breakfast supplies (and more beers) and took to the open seas... sadly there was not a huge amount of wind, so we motored out and the attempted to put the sails up, but didn’t get very far. We had a couple of swimming stops, and my-oh-my the Adriatic was cold! Around lunchtime we found a wonderful little bay off Hvar Island, so we dropped anchor and had some lunch. Eventually, we ended up staying the night in the bay (photos below), drinking, eating and chatting on deck!
The final day offered slightly better wind, therefore we were able to get the sails up. We made haste for another bay at lunchtime and then headed across to Brac to the town of Milner where we had to fill up with fuel and a much needed ice creams!! The final leg of the journey was across the Split Gap (between the Islands of Solta and Brac) and back to Split for an evening in at the harbor. The wind was perfect so we got the sails up and by this point in the trip, we were becoming a quite effective crew! My sister was particularly confident at the helm!
The Skipper's most challenging part of the trip was trying to reverse park into a space in the marina... not easy to reverse a 32ft yacht at the best of time, but compounded somewhat by all the people from all the boats around stopping to watch...! I can best describe a night in Split Marina, a bit like an 'posh' caravanning site... lots of people living out of little formica cabins, making trips to a from the marina shower blocks, with excessive drinking, late nights and early mornings!
We had a truly fantastic few days, and fingers crossed we will do the same again over the next couple of years, next time I might take my boyfriend with me!!
I feel a little guilty as I type this... as the UK is in the midst of the worse/wettest summer in recent memory... however, today we have had a welcome break of sunshine, and even a little bit of rain!
This morning, I woke up to an overcast day which was noticeably cooler (don't get me wrong... it is still in the early twenties)! However, I enjoyed being able to blow dry my hair without breaking into a sweat and then walking to work, not having to stick as close to buildings as possible to make the most of any kind of shade!
I have even turned off the air conditioning off in my office.... So, I guess there really is no excuse not to go to the gym this evening and make the most of a slightly 'easier' work out!!
To compound my guilt of actually enjoying this slighter cooler weather, this afternoon will see the Olympic Torch make its way through my home town in West Sussex... and sadly it does not look like the rain is going to ease up for them...
Whilst this is a welcome break for one day... I am delighted that the sun will be back tomorrow and temperatures will once again be in the mid-thirties by Wednesday!
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In
the five months we have been here, we have really managed to get out and about
to start to see some of Bosnia and the surrounding countries, as two years is
going to pass very quickly and we will be back in London before we know it. As
I think I have mentioned, we have had long weekends in Dubrovnik and Ljubljana,
both of which we really enjoyed.
More
recently, we took a trip with a couple of friends (and Billie the dog) out to
Prokosko Lake. Located about 70km from Sarajevo, the other side of Kiselijak,
Prokosko really is a hidden gem. At the end of an 11km dirt and gravel track
there is a small lake and a shepherd's settlement made up of a several hundred
wooden huts (katunis). These huts are now weekend holiday homes, although be
warned, they are not a holiday home like you and I would expect, the majority
of them have outside toilets for a start! The lake itself is beautiful and
famous for its endemic triton salamander, so if you are a keen fisherman, take
your kit! On the way back down (or up) the mountain, there is a lovely place to
stop for a cup of coffee - Jezernica Mountain Lodge. Set on the edge of the Fojnica
River, it is a beautiful stop and if you don’t fancy the more primitive
katunis, an overnight stay costs around 10KM (£4) - there are inside loos and a
showers! So, we had a lovely picnic, walked around the lake and took in some
sunshine. All in all a great way to spend a Sunday!
Oh... there is not much too much traffic on the dirt road, but you might bump
into the odd herd of sheep!
