Our journey to Sarajevo was unbelievable; the scenery was beautiful, the sky was blue and unless you knew it, you would never know it was a country under siege for four years. I will never associate Sarajevo with any war in the future. Sarajevo is nicknamed the ‘Jerusalem of Europe’ due to its rich religious and multicultural heritage. Although our drive from Croatia to Bosnia was a long one, it was broken up with some very interesting events along the way. We crossed 2 boarders; the first one was to leave Croatia and the second one was to enter Bosnia. At the first stop, all 30 plus of us on the bus had to get off the bus and go to the booth with the border patrol in the middle of the road to get our passport checked. About 500 feet later, we had to give our passports to the Bosnian border patrol and he took off with them while we waited in the bus. We learned how to say a few Croatian words along the way and we even stopped at a gas station for a quick bite and pit stop! We watched a couple short documentaries about Tito and the role Richard Holbrook played in the Dayton Peace Accord. The most special moment for me was when the crew played a video of all the Prizewinners winning entry. All I can think of is how proud my mother would have been seeing her photo on display like that.

After arriving to our hotel, we had a quick shower, got back on the bus and headed out looking forward to a delicious Bosnian meal. Before dinner however, Jay and I were photographed and interviewed in the courtyard of one of the mosques. The camera crew were all over us and people were watching probably wondering who we were. Certainly a memorable trip this will be. As we were enjoying our meal, 3 local musicians serenaded us and started out with a little dancing , it soon poured out to the streets while the camera crew documented the event. We would later learn that we were the first group to start “dancing in the street.” The party would continue on the bus too. I know the music and singing was loud because people on the streets were looking at the bus as we drove by.

After a good night’s sleep, we met up with our Local Specialist, Samra, who was 7 years old during the siege. We walked through the tunnel, which allowed food, war supplies and humanitarian aid to come into the city, and people to get out of the city. Samra and her mother escaped from the exact tunnel and after many days and nights was able to make their was to live with her uncle in the USA till the war ended. We learned about the city’s centuries-old religious history reflected in its beautiful synagogues, mosques, and Orthodox and Catholic churches. After our tour, the Trafalgar crew invited to join them at a local establishment that specialized in one of Bosnia’s favorite dishes, Cevapi and it was truly delicious.

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After a full day, we headed back to our hotel to pack up and prepare for tomorrow’s ride from the Dalmatian Coast to Dubrovnik..another exciting day ahead of us!