SARAJEVO IN THE RAIN

This is "the yellow hotel", The Holiday Inn, from which journalists observed the siege of Sarajevo from the inside 13 years ago.



Somehow the photo of me holding the yellow umbrella behind me to simulate sunshine got lost, but here is one of me standing in the same spot on the Latin Bridge in Sarajevo with the umbrella a few feet away in a different spot. Just as well we were not standing several feet further back 94 years and a few months earlier, otherwise I might have stopped one or more of the bullets fired by Gavrilo Princip at Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the umbrella might have become slightly less effective at keeping the rain off. (On the other hand, the First World War might not have happened and we should have foregone so much history, but what's that set against a damaged umbrella and me being shot 29 years before I was born?)




Sarajevo people seemed to be gentle like the people in Mostar - maybe they are subdued somehow by the events of their recent history. Like Rebecca West and Michael Palin, we saw Sarajevo in the rain. It was pleasant enough in the Turkish quarter where the mosques are surrounded by rose gardens but one can't get away from the empty buildings, the bullet holes and the war damage. As we walked home through a pleasant suburb we saw shell damage on the street! Our campsite was near the famous tunnel that helped Sarajevo survive.

ANOTHER STAGE IN OUR TRAVELS

Laika's leaks got worse and her pump started to fail from overwork even though it was seldom turned on. We took the wheely cabin/old dog back to Vanomobil in Wevelgem for repairs under warranty and headed off to repair teeth, phones, eyes and ears for ourselves and to collect the essential post. Accessing accounts turned out to both impossible and expensive on the first leg of our journey snd it was time to make things work. As you see John was the worse for our travels and needed civilising. He was also suffering from a diet of cows milk and was badly afflicted by hayfever resulting in time in the corner of the room for health reasons.

We had a week.
We had to hit it running the day we arrived to get the required result by the day we left. Good luck was essential but also the generosity of family ready to give us car, flat and their precious time. Thank you darlings! Old parents are hard work and you did us proud. We knew we couldn't manage to see friends but so appreciated those who could come out of their way to see us. Cheers dears! The rest of you we will see anon!
Here is a friend we can't do without - Makays of Cambridge! The most woman friendly and excellent hardware shop!

John's extensive and thorough research led us to hire a car in Belgium as the economic and most efficient travel from Wevelgem to England. Ridiculous but true. In fact we had averaged about 500km a week in our first three months. In England John drove 1000 miles in a week. In England this means hours and hours on the road. John spent 16 hours driving to family. I spent 16 hours happily gardening - an occupation I love. Another prespective is that we have driven from England to Slovenia in a week - about 800 miles but less time in the wheely cabin cab than John spent in England in the Suzuki!

Here is a photo of a thieving skolly bird for small T. That is a seagull T.
Skollies are thieves in Cape Town and gulls are also called skolly birds.