Dear Diary…nope
Hello Loyal Readers…nope
OMG Hey Guys…nope
Hey Dad…nope
Alright, none of these works so I’m going to stick with what I’d say in real life (smart people say to write conversationally).
Yo.
This is my first go at a recap of the previous weeks shenanigans. I’ll publish one of these every Monday or Tuesday (touch wood) having a chat about the previous week sports-related travel shenanigans (no doubt other travel stuff will filter in).
Quick paddle in the river in Foca
I’m writing this in Foca (there’s usually a decoration above the c), in Bosnia. It’s just a one-night stopover so this post will be finished in Montenegro somewhere (update: didn’t make it to Montenegro, finishing this in Trebinje).
Let’s go.
Sports travel shit with Jub -> September 25th – October 1st.
The start of the week was chilled. I’d been drinking and playing tourist a lot for the previous 10 days and really, I was glad I ended up spending the entire week in Sarajevo (related posts at the bottom of the post). Nothing wrong with that.
Once hump day was over, shit got hectic.
Chilling at the bobsled track
I took a second hike up to the Abandoned Bobsled Track. This time with Miles Astray who was in the same hostel. The bobsled track is wicked. It’s nothing overly exciting for any particular reason. But getting into nature is always a win, as well as attempting to channel my inner Cool Runnings.
The Sarajevo Olympic Tower
On Friday I made it to the Olympic Museum. It was very chilled out. The entrance is free as it’s not an amazing museum given the original building was destroyed in the war. If you love the Olympics you’ll appreciate the displays, but don’t go out of your way too much. I was in and out in about 15 minutes. The staff were super lovely though and gave me a cool book about the museum.
I also tried to the former ice skating rink that I saw in some photo essays as it was abandoned. Pretty sure I found it, but it’s not so abandoned now with an astroturf court in the center.
That’s the trouble with internet content though right? If it’s not evergreen content, how do you trust the information? Anywhere. I was looking for a place just like the pictures on the interwebs for ages.
Smoke fills the air after the flares
Earlier in the week, I noticed there were two football games being played in Bosnia’s Premier League on the weekend.
The Saturday game was Zeljeznicar FC (Sarajevo) vs. Zrinjski FC (Mostar). This was a top of the table contest with a pretty boring game really. The fans here were epic and I got chatting to two fellas who told me this is a bigger club than Sarajevo FC which surprised me. The home side went down 0-1.
Sunday. Woah, this was initially going to be a travel day. In hindsight, that was never going to happen.
I went for a run! Wholly shit, I hadn’t run since Barcelona in June. I can walk all day but running…
I really want to like running but motivation doesn’t come easily.
Maybe this accountability will help
I was chatting with a friend and she said she was thinking of going for a run (Saturday). Then my follow-up comment was ‘if you go, I’ll go for a run tomorrow for sure.’ She ran, so off I set on Sunday. 10/10 stoked with the time and I felt good. Though I’m battling sore legs over 48 hours later. Fail.
Before the run, I was watching the NRL Grand Final. The kickoff was at 10.30am in Bosnia, so I wandered down to a cafe not far from the hostel to watch it. My headphones were stolen the night before so I was worried about the noise from my laptop. Luckily it was a quiet corner so I sat in the corner with the noise level at a minimum avoiding attention. The Melbourne Storm won convincingly. They are an impressive organisation of excellence.
Surprise from Sarajevo FC
After the run I went along to Asim Ferhatović Hase Stadium to watch Sarajevo FC go down 2-3 after letting two goals in late. THis was a daytime game, but the ultras did still bust out a flare. They were definitely less intimidating, more fun-loving during the day.
The book I’m reading at the moment is Ponting: At The Close Of Play
Hiking, museums, running, football and the NRL Grand Final. A much more hectic week than expected.
Posts On The Blog This Week:
- The Red Bull Cliff Diving In Mostar
- Hiking to Skakavac Waterfall
- Hanging With The Ultras In Belgrade
- Sarajevo Bobsled Track
Got 20 minutes spare? This is a fun video.
