28 july 2005

Sarajevo is SO HOT.

I am noticing that I have written several times about graveyards and that isnt really fair. Because the thing about this region - the thing that is both beautiful and a little creepy - is that it doesnt feel like a graveyard at all. It feels like Europe, with galleries and nightclubs and cafe-lined streets. The locals kiss a lot in public and eat an inordinate number of ice cream cones and wear jeans rolled up high.

And all this happens against a backdrop of bullet-scarred buildings, every old surface so pock-marked I cant imagine so many bullets, and just a few more people than seems average missing a limb or speaking sign language.

The city of Sarajevo was under siege for nearly four years, completely surrounded by the Serbian forces. Their only link to the world was a tunnel 800 meters long and one meter wide. There was no running water and no electricity. And during that time the biggest seller on the black market was makeup.

I think no city in the world has the dignity of Sarajevo.