Sutjeska Monument

On our way to Montenegro last Sunday, we drove past the monument that commemorates the Battle of the Sutjeska during which the Partisan forces led by Josip Tito fought off the Axis forces in World War II. It is quite a grand monument...there are a number of the monuments to the Partisans in Bosnia from that era, but none that I've seen are anywhere near the scale of this one. ...rant to be continued with photos from Sutjeska National Park (Nacionalni Park Sutjeska) at a later date...

Monument Commemorating the Battle of the Sutjeska - Tjentište, BiH




Monument Commemorating the Battle of the Sutjeska - Tjentište, BiH



Monument Commemorating the Battle of the Sutjeska - Tjentište, BiH




Monument Commemorating the Battle of the Sutjeska - Tjentište, BiH

Buckeyes!

I'm from Ohio..."The Buckeye State" and when I was little it was a great joy to find a buckeye tree and the pretty smooth shiny brown buckeyes beneath it. Here in Sarajevo, especially Veliki Park, the buckeye trees (horse chestnuts as they are known in Europe) are common and HUGE. They hurt when the spiked balls land on your head in the fall. The trees are flowering furiously right now, no doubt doing their part to contribute to the pollen and general "hay fever" and itchy eyes around town.

Buckeye Blooms - Veliki Park, Sarajevo

Took a Little Trip

In honor of Elesa's birthday and in anticipation of mine, Elesa and I took a few days and went to the Montenegrin Coast/Bay of Kotor (Boka Kotorska). We just got back this evening, so more photos will be forthcoming. In the meantime, here is a shot I took while climbing to the top of the fortifications and walls above the old town of Kotor (another UNESCO World Heritage Site to add to my list)...my legs still hurt. Elesa. being of sounder mind, is somewhere in the triangle of the old city between my feet.

Jeff's Feet - Kotor, Montenegro (Crna Gora)

Tree Bark

For some reason, tree bark has captured my attention for the past year or so. I guess because it is easy texture. I noticed this tree about a week or so ago, as they started digging up the paths in Veliki Park. Today I couldn't stand it any longer, and after I got home from work, I grabbed my camera and went right back out there and took a couple photos. One of the great things about digital cameras, instant results.

Tree Bark - Veliki Park, Sarajevo

Discarded Paradise

Haven't been too good about posting lately...running into some troubles with my backup disk.

This is a cellphone shot I took on the way to work this morning. In addition to the new fountain, which still isn't complete, they started to repave the pathways in Veliki Park. They are progressing at a pretty good clip, more than half-way done in a little over a week. I've always known that some of the old Turkish "turban" tombstones were paved over during a previous pathway paving as I could see bits poking through the blacktop. I didn't realize it was so many though. During the latest paving effort, they have uncovered some (but not all) of the previously paved over markers to paradise. This is just one of the piles of uncovered tombstones from the Ottoman era (roughly 1450-1870's)

The Old and New - Veliki Park, Sarajevo

Spring is in the Air...

and the pollen can't be far behind :)

(BTW My digital camera is 3yrs old, Its first outing was Good Friday in Antigua, Guatemala...I'm averaging about 3245 photos per year which is just less than 9 per day)

Flowering Trees - Sarajevo




Flowering Trees - Sarajevo




Flowering Trees - Sarajevo

Jeff's New Toy

Unfortunately I can't afford THIS right now.
So for now I will have to make do with a 2X Extender in conjunction with my
70-200mm f2.8L IS..

Moon Over Sarajevo - 9 April 2009

The 2009 Sarajevo Walk For Life - Šetnja za Život

Like last year. it turned out to be a beautiful morning to walk from Skenderija around Baščaršija to raise awareness for breast cancer and raise funds for a preventative equipment in Avon's "Walk for Life" or Šetnja za Život in Bosnian. It looked like they had over 2000 participants including a bunch of teams from the various embassies, schools and organizations around town.

Shelby organized a group from her QSI School and even attempted to bring the dogs along. Maya tried to climbed to the top of my head because she was in fear of getting trampled. Balloons popping freaked Sophie out and as her tail made it to her nose through her legs, Shelby ran them home to "safety" just before the actual start.

Signs Around Town - Šetnja za Život




Shelby, "Z" & Sophie Panics as Another Balloon Pops




The Contingent from the U.S.Embassy - Šetnja za Život




The Start - Skenderija, Sarajevo





This Year A Military Band Led the Whole Way




Every 1/2 Kilometer Was Marked...with a Waterboy!





Making Our Way Past Pigeon Square