Despite all the scars from wars, Sarajevo still feels very much like a typical European city. As we walked around the city tonight, I found myself thinking about how important Sarajevo has been in the history of Europe and the world. It was the first city in Europe to have electricity, tramways, and other technologies. It's where the "Great War" (World War I) started...
Our guide told us the Neretva River is the coldest river in the world. As it turns out, he was right. And the Rakitnica River is even colder. The water was around 38 degrees Fahrenheit. At 800 meters deep in some places, it is one of the deepest canyons in Europe. The water is very pure and they say you can drink it...
We spent about half the day driving from Split, Croatia to Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina. We made a point to stop along the way at Mostar and see the old bridge. The bridge and the river were really beautiful. From Mostar and drove a couple hours to Sarajevo. It's amazing and terrible to think about a beautiful city hosting the Winter Olympics in 1984 and then being shelled almost daily just a few years later...