26 April 2022
Up early for the 7.15 am train to Mostar. I like Sarajevo. It is beautiful. It has a similar sadness to Cambodia. Something terrible has happened. The place has healed, on the surface. If you pick the scab the wound will bleed.
Consider that Orthodox Serbs live side by side with Muslim Bosniaks and Croat Catholics. People my age are living alongside people who tortured and killed their family members. How do you forgive? How do you move on?
“Forgiveness is the fragrance that the violet sheds on the heel that has crushed it.” ― Mark Twain
Breakfast is terrible. We grab the train. Everything is done by hand. Not a computer in sight. The tickets are written and the numbers are transferred to a ledger for the conductor. Time consuming but I like it. Move through the mountains and take in the views. It will be 22˚C today and their is still snow on the mountains. I am tired. Maybe it was the early start.
We arrive in Mostar. It is stunning in the sunlight. Some coffee and food to make up for no breakfast in Sarajevo. Head to our place and get ready for a meeting with the new school. They are good people. I am looking forward to starting there.
We hang out in Mostar. A beer on the river. We grab some food and wine. Head home and chat about Cambodia. It is good to be excited about the future. It would be tough counting down this trip dreading a return to work. I am fortunate that starting work is something to look forward too.
“If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face—for ever.” ― George Orwell
Grude tomorrow. We will be back in Croatia the day after.
I wonder if we can get some time in Slovenia on the way to Zagreb?