I am very grateful because I was able to return to Sarajevo as I intended to many months ago. The capital welcomed well and smoke-free, which was the best possible news for this poor one with high sensitivity.
I am very grateful to be able to meet Ayse, my young friend whom I met by chance and whose expressions of gratitude and respect is very rare nowadays. I am beyond myself to sign up for the experienced mountain guide's hiking tour (Fikret Kahrovic) and spend hours walking and admiring the grandiose and the beauty of the Bosnian Mountains (May 3rd) and the next day, the peace-maker, St Franciscan priest Brother Ivo took us (three meleks!) on a long ride outside of Sarajevo. We realized a dream when he first mentioned it to me on the night of the annual Christmas concert at the Catholic Seminary of Sarajevo (2023). It was a lovely night where I watched dozens of believers and their children watch the Nativity Scene being enacted, took photos on a cold Sarajevo evening. I remember looking at the framed posters on the walls of the seminary where the monasteries are depicted and one of them showed the photo of Guca Gora where Fr.Ivo served three years. It was closer to the village where he was born and raised.
Our first stop was Travnik, the former capital of Ottoman-reigned Bosnia. We had coffee at the Cafe which is mentioned in Ivo Andric's Bosnian Trilogy. One needs to make a real effort to imagine what it was like back in the day while sitting under the big red Coca Cola umbrellas and exposed to other modern day advertisement. Nevertheless, it was a big happy reunion to meet Ivo Markovic, the namesake of the Nobel Literature Prize Winner in 1961. Because it was a Sunday, and the new law imposed that stores will be closed (including the shopping malls), I sat in Ivo's car empty-handed, my burek plans for a picnic failed while Ayse and Fatma's homemade cake's aroma was promising and delicious. However, Ivo already knew where to get the best burek near Ivo Andric's home (a museum today) so we left the town fully prepared for our lunch at his home.
Ivo is one of those people who keep checking if you're hungry, if you feel like eating or drinking something on regular intervals, even if he knows that the answer would consist of another "no, thanks" again:) His generosity is an essential part of his being and comes naturally, making me smile each time.
You need to try real hard in order to buy or pay for anything and even if you can, Ivo will make a comment on it, expressing disapproval. Our next stop was Guca Gora monastery where we had some fruit and he had his first beer:) We met one his former students and given a tour by Ivo himself, which even included live music thanks to the organ in the church. Ayse and Fatma were beyond themselves and took all the possible photos and live-music video (because of their generation!):) The monastery was spotless and very quiet. There were only three people living there. They offer rooms to the hikers or any travelers who have interest in staying at a real monastery in the area instead of camping.
Finally, we arrived in Ivo's home and was greeted by his loyal friend, Shargo. He is a rough-looking dog on the larger side, can be scary and even bite, warns Ivo. He ties him just in case. The village is deserted and its quietness poses a contrast to the newborn, screaming green tones and flowers of the Spring! It can become a wonderful retreat place, I can imagine it easily at this time of the year. It's the war, the economy, and who knows what else but the village is empty and the houses are used only for family reunions once a year or every two years etc. Sad? I don't know. It's what it is. Ivo tells me that I am always welcome to the house if I want to finish a book or just escape the city life. Now, I have another home away from "home" which is a complete unknown... I'm like rolling stone.
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