Inside Northwest Bosnia
Enisa and I spent last weekend in Banja Luka (Bahn-yah Loo-kah), Bosnia, stopping through Jajce (Yah-eet-say) en route back to Sarajevo. Here are some photos from the trip.
Banja Luka is the second largest city in Bosnia, and inhabited primarily by Serbians (part of the Serb Republic).
I found Banja Luka proper to be refreshingly western in comparison with other Bosnian cities. Though still poor with a high unemployment rate, Banja Luka, unlike Sarajevo, strives to keep up appearances of prosperity.
Downtown Banja Luka: Ljilja (Lili-ya), from Herzegovina, and Belinda, from Cape Town, SA--work with a college student ministry
Banja Luka "Kastel," built four centuries ago (notice this picture was taken in the winter--we didn't get a good frontal view, so I found one on the web)
Outside the castle walls
I found Banja Luka proper to be refreshingly western in comparison with other Bosnian cities. Though still poor with a high unemployment rate, Banja Luka, unlike Sarajevo, strives to keep up appearances of prosperity.
Downtown Banja Luka: Ljilja (Lili-ya), from Herzegovina, and Belinda, from Cape Town, SA--work with a college student ministry
Banja Luka "Kastel," built four centuries ago (notice this picture was taken in the winter--we didn't get a good frontal view, so I found one on the web)
Outside the castle walls
On the castle grounds
View from the topJajce (which, translated, literally means "little egg"), is the city where former Yugoslavia was established. Before returning to Sarajevo, we spent the afternoon wandering the ruins of ancient Jajce
Jajce, yum!
One of the beautiful views from the stone walled windows. I'm being smart and leaning forward, not backward
Christi and Enisa adorning a threshhold
Dungeon, 17 centuries old, impenetrable walls: here prisoners were thrown to the bears
Prisoners' view of the sky as they were being gobbled 
From left: Dina, Sanela, Vanja (Von-ya), me, Christi
One of Jacje's beautiful waterfalls
2 Comments:
Bekah,
I'm so glad for you that you have the opportunity to see and experience this part of the world. I'm sure you will never be the same. A former co-worker of mine from another job was from Bosnia. He and his family had to escape and spent some time in a refuge camp in Italy before being able to come to the US. He was a big guy but very humble and gentle, a great guy, I wish I had had more time to spend with him.
Blessing to you.
Thanks! I em certainly loving being here, and appreciate so much this opportunity.
What amazing stories these people have, huh? In many of them is such an unwritten story. I am fascinated by this culture and don't know that I'll ever completely understand what has happened here.
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