Tuesday evening

Who woulda thunk it--excellent Thai restaurant smack dab in downtown Sarajevo. A delightful evening in the company of lovely friends, enjoying excellent (authentic--the restaurant owner is Thai) cuisine, and excellent conversation.

While we dined I almost forgot what city I was in--Hot Wok Cafe is in stark contrast to the usual hamburger and cevapi joints here; though after dinner I was refreshed to step back out into the Sarajevo night. The air is smoggy as usual, but tonight cool and full of fall smells; the familiar clear view of the mountains specked with lights from village homes...

Vendors actually roast chestnuts here on open fires at about every street corner from October to January. I try not to sing out the obligatory "Chestnuts roasting on an open fiiiiire.." theme every time I pass them. That is almost as American as bright yellow polar fleeces and very large and visible digital cameras.

Tonight the chestnuts looked very suspect--I am wary since I made purchase of a bag of them last week and they turned out to be a soggy disappointment. But I think, given what a beautiful night tonight was, they would have had to be crispy and delicious.