July 4, 2009 – Day 191 – Sarajevo, Bosnia

It’s July 4^th and we’re on a train to Sarajevo, Bosnia. At home, our friends and families are celebrating with cookouts and reunions, enjoying a great American day. Today, we feel a bit homesick and definitely out of the loop of the goings-on in our motherland. For us, there will be no grilled burgers, cold beer or fireworks but it was a good reminder of the cost of freedom to experience July 4th in a land where the scars of war are still so evident.

Out the window and into the world

As we roll into town we see the effects of the recent war on everyone: the obviously still shell shocked homeless men wandering around the town square, the leg injuries are constant reminders of the thousands of landmines still in the hills around the city, the sallow faces who look happy today but with memories that cloud their faces when they expect no one to notice. The buildings still hold the bullets and scars from the fighting they stood witness to.

The old tram car

Bullet scars in the streets

But among these blatant scars and holes there is remarkable modernity, obvious signs of forward progress and regaining of financial wealth. Inside the unremarkable store fronts are posh restaurants and chic bars, clothing stores feature the latest styles in their unblemished glass windows.

In the streets

The contrast in this city are overwhelming, curiously inviting. The people we have met even just so far are incredibly kind and helpful, people who are marked with a severely battered, violent past who simply can not stand anymore anger, hatred and fighting. They are tired and ready to keep moving forward. This attitude is largely the reason why Sarajevo is now so safe and crime so low.