RHP part two ~ where east meets west

One of the biggest surprises about being in Sarajevo was experiencing both the eastern world and the western world.  On an afternoon walk around the city, we were able to see the eastern influences of the former Ottoman Empire, with the mosques and souks (a marketplace or bazaar) and coffee shops offering baklava and strong Turkish style coffee.  And then, just down the same street, we were able to see the western influences of the former Austria-Hungarian Empire with their large churches and modern European boutiques and coffee shops.  Fascinating.  All in one city.  Actually, all on the same street.

The eastern side of the city

 

 

 

Look to the east, look to the west ~

 

Souks with all their attractions

Minarets pepper the skyline of Sarajevo

From a different perspective

And from the other direction, the Austro Hungarian perspective

Where blood was spilled...these memoirs of war were scattered all around the city.  Painted in red to represent the blood that was spilled and life that was lost in that place...

There are seven museums in Sarajevo that are dedicated just to remembering the siege of their city.  One afternoon excursion included a visit to the War Child Museum, which took my breath away.  It was a small museum, tucked away in an obscure off the beaten path part of the city, dedicated to children and their memories of war.  One walks with a sense of stillness and awe through a museum that is dedicated to a child’s perspective of war.  What a child remembers, saves as memoirs, how their experience of school changed when they had to move because of the bombing.  This museum also included thoughts from children having been affected by modern day war:  the Syrian refugee children who have passed thru Sarajevo enroute to other destinations in Europe during the recent flood of refugees 2015-2016.

War Childhood Museum of Sarajevo ~ sobering but hopeful!

Out of the mouths of young school children ~

An hour spent without war....for a child.

One of the requests put before the roundtable participants was to bring along gently used winter coats, boots, and clothing to share with refugees who are living in Sarajevo and are being cared for by churches and organizations that are feeding and caring for those who have fled and are seeking safe refuge.  There was a lot of clothes (as in A LOT OF CLOTHES!) that needed to be sorted.  Okay, there’s a job to be done, let’s do it!  And we had some fun in the process.  My heart was deeply touched by the team that gathered on our hands and knees and sorted through men’s and women’s and children’s clothing, packed them all up in left over suitcases and plastic bags in order to be delivered the next day to local centers.  What fun we did have!  What joy in my heart thinking of the lives that would be touched and bodies that would be warmed by the generosity of so many.

Having a bit of fun....

And a bit more fun....it was after 10pm after all!

The final products ~ note the happy smiles.  Time to call it a day!