Notes • Digital Ephemera • Updated Sunday, March 3rd 2024

This snippet of a blog post idea is from October 2014. I was taking a road trip through the Balkans with my uncle and aunt(s). Bosnia was the shortest portion of the trip but reeally stuck with me. I have a soft spot for all things Balkan. Part of my Digital Ephemera series.

The road from Sarajevo to Mostar; bullet holes through Bosnia

Understanding violence is hard.

Religious temples all in a line.

Beautiful hills. Shades of my time in Istanbul.

Stari Most; more bombed bridges. Bullet holes. An economy where a man stands on the ledge of Stari Most and literally jumps off the bridge for money (To be fair, he was diving. And the water looked so cool and clean it was probably a lot of fun. Still.)

Random strafes and bullet holes in everything. Like someone did a drive-by on the entire country.

In Belgrade I saw the destroyed buildings and bridges. Comparably shocking reminders of war but I could understand, tactically, what was the goal was there. Through Bosnia, in Sarajevo and Stari Most... I just don't understand.

The country is strikingly beautiful. It's a shame.