Easter 2012

We recently had some friends come out to visit over Easter which was lovely. Whilst we talked a lot about planning what we would do throughout their stay, we never actually made any firm plans as we (me) were kind of hedging our bets with what the weather would be doing. If it was snowy... we could stay at Jahorina and if not... well... I didn’t want to think of an, if not...!!

Anyway, the weather failed us! The forecast was miserable. It was due to rain... throughout the whole region. However, we were faced with six days to fill, and as much as we both love Sarajevo, the sights can be seen and enjoyed in one day.

So, being slight spontaneous, which is very unlike me... we decided to take our first trip of the year down to Dubrovnik. I know I have been very scathing of Dubrovnik in the past, however it is the most convenient place to visit on the coast from Sarajevo and it is a beautiful place which we know guests will enjoy. With less than 24 hours until our arrival, we managed to find some accommodation in the Old Town - a couple of rooms in a house (shared facilities) for 30 Euros per room.

We left early and made it to Dubrovnik for 12:30. It was lovely to see the sea again! The accommodation was fine, clean, dry and warm. We spent the afternoon walking around the walls, which is an absolute must - the views are fantastic. We enjoyed a beer at Buza Bar which is perched on the rocks overlooking the sea. The views are amazing and as a result the beer is expensive! We then enjoyed a great meal at Lokanda Peskarija. We ate there last Easter on our first trip to Dubrovnik and we were a bit disappointed, but our most recent experience was much improved. The service was good and the food was excellent.

The next day, in true Dubrovnik style we were ripped off for a very average breakfast on the Stradun (main street)! We then hit the road and head back in land. We made a couple of slight detours... firstly; we headed to Kravice Waterfalls located just inside the Bosnian border, about 40km south of Mostar. It is an impressive waterfall, especially at this time of the year. There is a camp site for summer trips and some kind of cafe, located at the base of the falls. There is a large car park, with a small cafe and basic facilities. It is worth a look if you are passing through. We then popped into Medjugorje which is a famous catholic pilgrimage site. Obviously, being Easter weekend it was busy. There are a lot of shops selling all kinds of Virgin Mary memorabilia and you can take a short walk up to Apparition Hill.

 

We then popped into Mostar, walked over the bridge, had an ice cream and left and had some nice roast lamb at Restorn Voda at Jablanica.

All in all, a whirlwind tour of Dubrovnik and a small part of Herzegovina in just over 24 hours and it only rained when we were in the car!

Hedona

1st May (Labor Day) is a huge bank holiday here. The whole of former-Yugoslavia comes to a stand still for two days - they don’t just take the 1st, they take the 2nd too and then normally the rest of the week! The whole city empties out as every disappears off to their vikendices, to the coast or off to see family.

It is very strange; it is much much quieter than at Christmas. Roads are empty and even the promenading along the Ferhadija comes to a stop.

Anyway, we only had the 1st May as a bank holiday, which fell on a Wednesday this year. A mid-week bank holiday is always a funny one, as it doesn’t leave you with much scope to do much or go very far.

So, I decided to organise lunch in a wonderful private restaurant / wine club overlooking the city. Hedona was recommended to me by a friend. It is quite an exclusive affair, run by a gentleman who simply loves food and wine. He has built a massive house up in the hills above the golf club and once or twice a week he cooks for people. It is not a restaurant, you have to book in advance so they can prepare a menu for your group.

Hedona describes itself as a 'winery and a fine dining wine club'. There were eight of us and had the place to ourselves. When arranging our booking with Arman, I was advised that we would need to allow at least four hours. Four hours of eating and drinking... amazing!

We had eight courses in total, each one was absolutely delicious. Every course was paired with a wine and more importantly a wine from the ex-Yugoslavia region. This really was slow-food at its best. After our various starters, we were taken on a short amble up to his vineyards; we could enjoy our pair and champagne sorbet with an even better view whilst Arman explained the intricacies of wine production. He is still in the early stages, this year is his second crop and he advised that you can disregard the first four crops before anything can be made with the grapes.

Our eight food course included:

• Italian bruschetta with cheese and mushrooms
• Shrimp soup with salted whipped cream
• Terrine of smoked salmon and hake
• Ravioli filled with pistachios and cream cheese
• Venison ragout with spinach polenta
• Sirloin steak with mashed celery and mashed chestnuts and beans
• Fruit pocketYogurt cream with apple in cinnamon

The wine which was served included:

• PURO Rose sparkling , Movia ; Goriska brda, Slovenia
• BOGDANJUSA white, Caric, Hvar Croatia
• CHARDONNAY white, Ščurek, Goriska brda, Slovenia
• PINOT GRIGIO white, Santa Margharita, Veneto, Italy
• BURJA white, Sutor,Vipvska dolina, Slovenia
• MJESECAR white, Brkic, Citluk, BiH
• CHARDONNAY Reserve white, Simcic, Goriska Brda, Slovenia
• MERLOT red, Popov, Tikveš, Macedonia
• COTE D OR red, Rojac , Kopar, Slovenia
• BJELI MUSCAT white, sweet, Zigante , Istra, Croatia

The experience really was worth every penny. 150KM for food and wine is by no means a cheap afternoon, however it is well worth it for the whole experience, wonderful food and mouthwatering wine!

For more information, visit: www.hedona.weebly.com

 

Hiking in and around Sarajevo

The Bosnian countryside is beautiful and one of the many wonderful things about living in Sarajevo is that within 20 minutes you can be deep into the surrounding countryside, enjoying everything it has to offer.

We have done some exploring in the hills around the city, but probably not as much as we would have like to have done. Sadly, it is not quite a simply as just heading out for a walk as you need to aware of the landmine treat as these litter the countryside around Sarajevo and throughout the whole country.

This spring we have managed to get out and enjoy several walks, either on routes we know are safe or with friends and guides who know the area.

1. Barice

Located at the north-end of Sarajevo, Barice overlooks the city (see map below). Drive up the road as far as you can, it gets quite windy and then you come to a little car park, which offers the first fantastic view point. From here, leave the car. Follow the path to the right of the building (I think it is a cafe/restaurant). The track is stony and uneven and 4x4 vehicles do venture up there. Basically, follow the path for about 30 minutes (it is all up hill on the way there) and eventually you will come to an open’ish area and here there is the most perfect little restaurant which serves ice cold beer! There is a lovely meadow area with some tables and chairs and there is also a little shade offered. It is easy to relax here for a couple of hours... or until the beer runs out (unless you are driving, soft drinks are also served). They also serve some snacks including ustipci and omelets. The walk back is downhill and there are a couple of routes (follow the red dots). This is an easy hike, suitable for kids.

 

2. Trebabic
Located on the southern side of Sarajevo, Trebavic towers over the city and was once famous for hosting the 1984 Olympic Bob-Sleigh.

It is possible to hike all the way to the top, where the TV ariel’s sit proudly on the summit of the hill. Follow the signs out of Sarajevo to Trebavic (via Grbavica), as you get up onto the mountain road you will pass a couple of disused building and viewing points on your left (be careful around here, don’t wander off the path as this area was mind during the war). You will then see a sign and a right hand turn to 'Vrh Trebavic' (Trebavic Summit). Follow this road. It is a long road (10km approx.) and soon the tarmac runs out and you are on a dirt track. There are a lot of hairpin bends and depending on the time of year, it will depend how far up the road you can get. When you have had enough, park up. You then continue to follow the road a little further and will eventually the forest will meet the road on the right hand side, here you pick up the red footpath dots and turn right into the forest, heading up. Keep following the signs, sometimes it feels as though they disappear, but you will always find the next one. There are also sign posts to the summit (Vrh) so follow these and you should do just fine. This hike is a little more strenuous and takes a good hour and half, the terrain is steep. But, it is well worth it as the view from the top is magnificent. On one side, you face north and look over the city, you can see as far as the flat plains around the airport. To west you can see the snowcapped mountain of Bjelasnica and to the south west you can see the other Olympic mountain of Jahorina. There are no facilities at the top of Trebavic, so be prepared and take the necessary provisions.

3. Backside of Bjelasnica

There are plenty of walks and hikes which can be undertaken up beyond the Olympic mountain of Bjelasnica. If you take the road up to Bjelasnica (out of the city past the airport, past Butmir Military base, follow the road and just before the flags into the RS you turn right, it is sign posted and then follow this road for about 20mins), when you get to the ski resort carry on through the resort and the road continues. The next section of road is somewhat dodgy, large pot whole, stones and rocks falling from the rock face etc... So just take it easy. After about another 10mins there is a sign post to a mountain restaurant - you can park here, and also enjoy cold beer and light refreshment. From here there are a number of amazing walks up into the mountains and down into the surrounding villages. In light of the land mine issue, I would strongly recommend hiring a guide for walks in this area, especially for the first time. Fikret is a local mountain guide and he organises weekly walks which are a great way to get out and see more of the beautiful Bosnian countryside.

For more information, go to: http://www.bosnian-mountaintourism.com

May and June in photos

The last few weeks have been extraordinarily busy! We have taken a massive road trip to Monaco for the Grand Prix, I have been to the coast for a lovely long weekend, I have taken a trip to The Hague with work and we have been camping and my Dad and his wife have been over to visit. The summer has started and promises to be a great one!



Pocitelj

Blagaj - the source of the Buna River

The Famous Mostar Bridge

Spring roses in Herzegivina

 

Race Day in Monaco

Monaco bay and F1 spectator stands

View form our seats... the garages / pit lane are on the right

Villefranche Bay and beach

Villefranche Bay

 

Lopud Bay, Croatia

 

 

Lopud Church, from the town

 

Boracko Lake, Konjic

Bake Sale fun!

I recently organised a Bake Sale at one of the places I work. I thought it would add a welcome distraction for a Friday and I was proved very right!

The voluntary group I am involved with, Helping Hands and Hearts Foundation (HHH), has been on the lookout for a new project to get involved with and we have been successful in finding something very worthwhile.

HHH will start a new project, to raise funds to enable the British Advanced Life Support Group (ASLG), (http://www.alsg.org/uk/) to come to Bosnia to teach a Pre-hospital Obstetric Emergency Training course (POET) to the Sarajevo Emergency Unit. ASLG is already involved in training doctors in Sarajevo, Advanced Pediatric Life Support (APLS) and Managing Obstetric Emergency and Trauma (MOET) .The doctors who receive training in POET will the following year be supervised by ASLG when they in turn teach the course to other doctors in Bosnia.

The money raised at various fundraising events over the next 6 months by HHH will enable the hospital to purchase the necessary equipment and mannequins in order to undertake this training.

The office Bake Sale was the first event to kick start the fundraising.

I baked some Bespoke British Baking vanilla cupcakes and I trialed Tana Ramsey's Lemon Drizzle cake, which I have to say was easy and delicious! By popular demand Liz made her chocolate brownies which literally sold like hot cakes. Also, under a bit of duress from me, my partner whipped up some triple choc cornflake crisps - these included an awful lot of chocolate, several mars bars and dash of golden syrup and were topped with white chocolate! They were delicious and again were very popular, so much so that he didn’t even get to try one!

Thanks to all those who contributed with cakes and the generosity of those who bought them, we raised an impressive 170KM! This is fantastic and gets us well off the mark with our fundraising efforts!

I am now going to try to undertake a similar effort at the other office I work in and try to encourage some other friends to do the same in their offices, what this space for a Bake Sale near you, soon!

Spring has sprung

After a very mild winter and a lot more rain and less snow than last year, the sun is at last shining and it is lovely! I have lost the jacket and we can once again enjoy a drink outside in the sunshine. If we were in the UK, the summer dresses and shorts and flip flops would already be out!

Spring is a wonderful time of year - perhaps one of my favorites. The smell of fresh cut grass, and the cherry blossom on the trees. There is certainly a feeling of excitement and anticipation, as everyone comes out of hibernation, the cafes open up their outside seating areas and the heating gets tuned off. At least here in Sarajevo we can almost guarantee a long, hot summer is ahead of us.

We went to our first BBQ last weekend and even enjoyed a couple of glasses of Pimms! I know it will not be long until my Facebook newsfeed is filled with status updates from friends back home drinking rose and Pimms sitting on the Northcote Road!

I am not expecting this lovely weather to be with us indefinitely, in fact, there is rain on the horizon for early next week. But hopefully this will just be some April showers and the sun will return again.

"(I) oni su branili ovaj (svoj) grad"

A new photography exhibition has opened in Sarajevo, which is definitely worth popping along to if you have the time.

"(I) oni su branili ovaj (svoj) grad" translated "(And) they have defended this (his) town" is a photo exhibit by Bosnian photographer Milomira Kovačevića Strašnog who captured photos of all those who defended the City of Sarajevo throughout the Siege (April 1992 - February 1996). The imagery is strong, regular people posing for the camera with guns and weaponry, in the background destroyed parts of this beautiful city.

The exhibition is in the National Gallery (Umjetnicka galerija BiH) located next to the Dom Armija. It is open until early May. Entrance is free, however a donation is suggested.

A little bit of France in Sarajevo

Herewith an important update... a new French Bakery has opened in Sarajevo. And this is the real deal.

Proper French croissants, pain au chocolate, tarts and a real assortment of breads, all made the traditional way.

Everything really is excellent, very reasonably priced and well worth a visit.

At the moment, it is just takeaway, but I have heard rumors that seating and coffee will be available soon.

Bon Appétit!

Address; Kranjcevica, just past the Intesa SanPaulo Bank on the right hand side (at the bottom of Alipasna)

Pika the cat!

So, we have a new addition to our little family. A little kitten. We found her loitering outside our flat a few weeks ago and after much agonising, we took her in.

We had talked about getting a kitten, but never thought it would actually happen! It is quite common for internationals here to end up taking various pets back home. If we are honest with ourselves, it is probably not the most sensible decision we have ever made, but I know we can make it work and more importantly give her a nice home!

The vet reckons she about 4 months old. She is a little tabby cat with a white chest and a kind of tiger print on her front legs and she has a spotty tummy (thus her name, Pika, which is spot in Bosnian).

I am getting used to having an animal to care for, she is quite a vocal creature and for something so small she can make a lot of noise! It took us a couple of disturbed (and frustrating) evenings to realise that we could not ignore the meowing and she just simply wanted us to play with her. Ever since, she has been much better and she seems to be settling in nicely.

The only downside of a cat (especially living in a flat) is the litter tray. No matter how clean you keep them, they always seems to smell. I am struggling a little bit with this and have moved the tray out of the sitting room into the spare room we don’t use and am hoping this might help.

All in all, the positives outweigh the negatives and it is always lovely to get home to a little face waiting for you at the door!

 

Night skiing at Bjelasnica

Another post about skiing...! Last night, on a boring, wet and generally quite miserable Monday evening we hit the slopes after work. And it was brilliant!

In my 25 or so years of skiing, this was a first for me, and it was great fun. We headed up to Bjelasnica after work and if this was not all great, we pretty much has the mountain to ourselves! The weather was a bit rubbish - snowing heavily, but there was not a breath of wind and everything was very calm - much more so than during the day.

There was one T-bar open, which offered skiing on two runs, one lit and one not.

The two bars at the bottom were open and a quick break half way through for a beer and a plate of ustipci made it the perfect evening.

Night skiing takes place every evening at Bjelasnica from 18:30-21:00. The cost is 20KM for the ski pass. Parking is free. However, there did not seem to be any ski rental shops open.

All in all, another excellent Bosnian experience only 30 minutes from our front door. And what a way to spend a Monday night... I will certainly miss this when I am back in London... crammed on a train trying to get home!

A year in Sarajevo

This weekend has marked our one year anniversary here in Sarajevo. And what a year it has been!

In reflection we have achieved a lot, travelled to a variety of new places and countries, met some wonderful new people, who are now great friends and made this city our home.

My highlights so far:

February: Two (ish) or so metres of snow falling in a few days

March: My 30th birthday, friends and family visiting, great nights out and plenty of skiing

April: First trips to Dubrovnik and Belgrade

May: A road trip to Ljubljana

June: Queen's Birthday Party and Jubillee celebrations, sailing around Hvar

July: The Olympics, and all the celebrations which went with it. Starting a new job. Camping, Bosnian style and Sarajevo Film Festival

August: Amazing weather and endless trips to the coast

September: Montenegro and more birthdays

October: A beautiful autumn, more sailing and a weekend in the rain in Cavtat

November: Istanbul

December: Panto-time, Diplomatic Winter Bazar, Christmas Carols, importing and BBq'ing a turkey on Christmas Day and the start of the ski season

Skiing in Sarajevo

I am sure there will be plenty more blogs over the coming months about skiing, as I am ever so slightly fanatical about throwing myself down a mountain in sub-zero temperatures with two planks of wood strapped to my feet!

Therefore, living in Sarajevo is a dream come true... Sarajevo city centre is approximately 30mins from two Olympic Mountains - Jahorina and Bjelasnica. Therefore, it is completely acceptable to head to the hills for a 3-hours skiing... most mornings!

Jahorina: A prefect day

Last season was amazing, purely due to the amount of snow which fell at the beginning of February (approximately 2 meters), however as we had only just arrived, my ski kit did not get here until the middle of February, which meant I was tortured on a daily basis until I could get up there!

However, this year I am more prepared, especially as we spent Christmas here. We had a good 'dump' in early December, which meant the base could be prepared and by the end of the second week in December, I had already, hit the piste. Subsequently, I have skied as much as possible, mainly at Jahorina, but nipping over to Bjelasnica when I fancy a change.

So, here is a quick guide to what the two resorts offer (in my opinon):

Bjelasnica: Located out past the airport in the Federation. This was the destination for the Men's Olympic activities in the 1984 Winter Olympic Games. It is steeper and in general the infrastructure is not quite as up-to-date as at Jahorina. There is one main chair lift (a three-man) which runs from the bottom and links to a number of T-Bar drag lifts. This chair is quite slow and old. There is one bar at the top of this chair lift (it does not have toilet facilities and only serves instant coffee (!!)). Parking is almost always possible as there is a big car park, which costs 5KM per day. There are also a number of ski rental shacks in the car park, cost to rent skis and boots is approximately 20KM per day (they do not offer half-day rates).

Bjelasnica

 

 

Bjelasnica: top T-Bar drag lift to summit

Jahorina: Located out of Sarajevo in Pale (in the RS), as you get to the outskirts of Pale town (from Sarajevo), there are sign posts on the right, up the mountain to Jahorina. This was the resort for the Women's Olympic activities in 1984. Jahorina is a larger and more developed resort than Bjelasnica with three six-man high-speed chair lifts and a number of button lifts. There is a good variety of restaurants and cafes across the mountain, including the Termag Hotel (which is probably the nicest hotel in the resort). There are also a number of chalets which can be hired for very reasonable rates. Ski and boot hire is available at a number of locations and costs are the same as Bjelasnica. Parking is not quite as organised, so if you get there early, you can get a good spot for free, but it gets busy quickly and by lunchtime it can be hard to find a space.

Jahorina

Jahorina

I am very lucky to have not just one, but two resorts to choose from. If I had to choose which I prefer, I would opt for Jahorina. The lift system is quicker which means less time sitting on chair lifts (and getting cold) and more time skiing. There is plenty to keep an advanced skier occupied for a day at a time and I have my eye on some off piste, which I am hoping to explore when we have a bit more snow, and with someone who knows it. However, Bjelasnica offers some challenging skiing, so it nice to pop up there to ring the changes every now and again.

Jahorina: View from middle 6-man chairlift

My other-half had never stepped foot on snow before we arrived and it has been fantastic that he has been able to learn here and not break the bank. He and a couple of our friends had lessons last season and he is now more than capable to get down the mountain, and has recently bought himself some ski boots! A three hour lesson for three costs approximately 90KM.

The cost is non-comparable to the main European ski resorts, yet it is important to remember that the facilities are not quite up to the standard you'd get in France or Austria. There is some form of mountain rescue, but I would not want to put it to the test!

3-hour ski pass at either Jahorina or Bjelasnica costs 23KM (£10) - not bad really and it would be rude not to ski a lot at that price!

 

Christmas crumpets

Whilst skiing a couple of days ago, I received a text from my other-half (who I had left at home) asking, 'where are the scales'... to which I replied 'why'?! He had decided that he wanted to make crumpets, again one of those lovely wintery tea-time treats which you can’t pick up in the supermarkets here. So, I provided the required answer and did not think anything more of it!

I got home a couple of hours later to find a huge mixing bowl on the side and a strong smell of yeast coming from it! He had actually made crumpets!  

This did come as a slight surprise, but I was delighted. As with my hot-cross bun experience back at Easter, crumpets are the kind of things that you can just get from the shops in the UK and I had never given much thought as to how they are made.  

Anyway it turns out they are cooked by frying them on the hob in a biscuit cutter and then they can be eaten fresh from  the frying pan, or saved until later and heated in the toaster. Even the homemade batter makes the little crumpety holes and the texture was absolutely spot on!  

All in all, they were a triumph and I am going to encourage him to bake more often (especially when I am off skiing)!!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/recipes/crumpets_93122