2007 - Moments in Retrospect...

Our trip up to Diva Grabvica in March was my first exercise of the year. Andrew was sadly resigned to leave Mostar - so I led the group on what was supposed to be an impressive memory of Hercegovina. Mathius, a music therapy student from Denmark and girlfriend Alea are keen to climb a real mountain.





















In the middle of nowhere on our way up the mountain, pipes emerge out of a hill and provide the sweetest purist natural water for travellers. The ancient kings of Bosnia used to hunt in this area - as did Tito. BiH is abundant in natural, pure springs that bubble up from inside the earth. The water carries heavy deposits of limestone which is what BiH is - a huge limestone quarry!!
















The end of March and the end of our two day workshop intensive to carers from all over BiH of special needs children. It went very well - and although this looks a bit excessive, we are celebrating its success!















I took this on new years day - 2007. The central park in Mostar is undergoing serious renovations, but what you cannot see are the two pitbulls that were running free from their muzzles and chains. If you visit Mostar today - the park is exceedingly beautiful and well used by families, children and youth.



















Part of our team photo taken on the day of Musers 9th anniversary. I liked the captured moment in the faces of these three - Mahira, Toni and Mathius.




















Danijel's reflective face uncovers something easily missed and not so easily interpreted. Everyday, we attend to the task at hand but in a small team in a remote and often forgotten part of the world, the staff put out what they can in the face of their own difficulties and past circumstances with the wars in BiH. I am mindful of just how difficult it is to care for others when one's own future and investment in life is unknown and at risk with changing laws and politics in this 'fatalistic' culture.





Nice - when you get one of the worlds most creative composers and gifted Bosnian actors performing just for the joy of it - the party after the party started here! And do they know how to party.... Our 9th anniversary on May 31 did not stop .... until June 1.



























I took the team to 'The Land of Friendship and Peace' for team building exercises. Here we get a chance to reveal how we truly feel.... well, perhaps acting is just in the blood...



















There was a little stress involved as you can see ...

















Andrew's camera catches another moment - here at my place on Christmas day (last hours of 2006). Vega (Spanish), Oliver (German) and Erin (American) share some insights.... in english I think.


More posts coming in the near future.... more faces and more places in 2007!

Mystical landscapes inspire notions of unicorns and other mystical creatures....

There is a universal notion of mystical landscapes that appear in childhood stories everywhere in the world. I am certain that many of them must have been spawned here in the Balkans.











Maybe Rory from Scotland is a young man who does not believe in unicorns....

But enjoys exploring the possibilities....













But no camera can capture the spell Bosnia and Hercegovina casts - particularly the landscape in the north eastern region. It wraps around you like a magical cloak - verdent greens, fields of corn, rolling hills that intrude into the sky and cow bells ringing as the cows make their way home for milking - peaceful sheep munching away in the pastures that are carved from the deep green forests..... and it all feels so close and personal - like it touches you - and you touch it and it belongs to you. The irony of this amazing country is its perfect idyllic setting shaped by - and disrupted by - beautiful, stupid humanity. You must see it. I will never forget it - and I have been a lot of places.

In the hills above Bogodo - and other spring adventures...

Spring has brought some wonderful presents. The past few months have been full, busy, dynamic and very, very special. Mostar has shed its winter grey and temperatures are reaching summer numbers. Our team finished a team building day at the Horse Ranch and I managed to get in some marvelous hikes - four altogether - and spend time with some special visitors. I dont take my camera everywhere, so if you do not see yourself in these pictures, know that you are captured in my memory bank in other ways.











Bogodo - a quiet valley 13 winding kilometres above Mostar...





In the spring leprachauns are everywhere - in all shapes and sizes - playing in flower beds...













This leprachaun is called Melissa and ZAMM! - she just appeared suddenly in the forest...











a trek up to the castle is very special each time.









The road is VERY narrow here the wall gives us millimetres to spare and the branches scrape the car... but we wind our way into a dry river bed and find the trail head to the mountain.







This hike gave us an altitude gain of 600 metres - not bad in 2 hours for cranky bones and sleep-challenged souls. But the lush canyon vegetation creates an amazing vibrancy that followed us all the way.












New growth emerges quickly in the mediterranean forest on Diva Grabovica on this hike in May. Bird song is sweet as we hike along this path.










... another hundred metres up the trail we cross over to the continental climate and the darkness of a heavier forest. Ancient kings hunted here - and even Tito who enjoyed riding up the steep trail after it became a national hunting reserve. There are no animals now... just the distant cuckoo at this altitude.











After a long hike,
we head for Jablonica - the best place to have roast lamb
.....above the amazing Naretva.






The above hike was Diva Grabovica this past month. Some pictures here are of the ever-wonderful climb to Herzog's ancient castle. (Other hikes to the Bjelisnica mountains were not captured on camera - but the climb was challenged by the presence of snow and a very tiresome road that required me to keep my car in first gear for a 9 kilometre stretch)

SPECIAL PLACES ...fall 2006

One learns the value of spontaneity - putting aside agendas, things you think you have to do, the idea that it might be a lot of bother - to be rewarded by the amazing potential and offerings the environment offers. This is especially so, when you have great people with whom to share it. It was a cloudy day in October -and my birthday when I decided to join some friends on a drive to the island of Hvar. We ended up with three people just before take-off - 30 minute's notice only requires a toothbrush. I had no camera to record this remarkable trip ... but here are Andrew's pictures.



The ferry ride to Hvar is only 40 minutes. The scary drive from one end of the island to the other requires you to ignore the bits of road that have nothing under them to support the asphalt - at horrific heights I might add. With me is Toni - fellow music therapist from Canada, and we were often caught (unaware) on camera by Andrew ...also from Canada .... who quietly lurked everywhere with his telescopic lens. That is why there are more pictures of me than usual...










HVAR

















pictures by andrew








This is the town of Hvar - very charming and relaxing, especially in October with few tourists.












Passages can be metaphoric, poetic - or just plain awesome.













Looking for interesting places to eat was one of our more arduous chores....


















Andrew captures the essence of Hvar - which is typical of many coastal towns.











Cirkka from Finland, a teacher of modern history at the United World College, and Toni at ancient fort overlooking Hvar and the Adriatic.









Andrew ...finding space.











It was my birthday - totally, coincidental - the day we arrived and so I was serenaded by Peter, Alison, Cirkka, Andrew, and Toni - and yes! there was cake - and so much more!







At the end of our journey... 3 of us have to head back a day earlier than the others.




.... we are trying to leave Hvar - resistance is futile.

It was like I owned the world...!

.... you know that feeling when you feel so FREE ..... !










It was a fantastic day in January when I headed down the Adriatic coast to find a quiet retreat to focus on my writing! The sun was shining off the Adriatic water... nary a car on the highway with me - But on the way my car decided to go on its own retreat...coughed and stalled in Neum. So once it started again, I gambled that I would make it safely to Cavtat (instead of Orebic which required a long lonely stretch of road along the coast peninsula) The moment I stopped in Cavtat my car really took a vacation and enforced me to stay a few extra days in paradise....



I could have been on Vancouver Island...it was a surreal experience finding these trees in the Mediterranean...so much like the gnarled arbutus trees on Vancouver Island in British Columbia.

























The coast mountains are not as high as the peaks we have in Canada or the Alps, for instance - but they are very dramatic and imposing in their dominance along the Adriatic coastline.




The town of Cavtat has 2000 inhabitants in the winter...






I was the only tourist wandering around the sea wall....
I passed a man quietly fixing the front step of his restaurant - others watching his progress or quietly going about their own business...no picture of course - that would be an intrusion.


















.... lazily serene, peaceful in this idyllic setting.












...the lighting of the Adriatic is, as always, interesting...






That be Dubrovnik over there - but it doesnt really matter when you are in Cavtat.




I hear that my car is now fixed (I eventually took a bus back to Mostar) and I can retrieve it for very a reasonable tourist price. But if it had not been for my very gracious hosts at the Vila Markoc, I might still be pushing my car along the highway. They helped me in every possible way. I highly recommend their pansion - its wonderfully clean, well equipped and has a stunning view overlooking the city. (the first picture is the one from my balcony!)

Ah me... I will return to Cilipi for my errant car sometime... maybe soon...