Queueing - Čekanje u redu
For me as a Brit, I have grown up knowing the nuances of queueing. It’s sometimes a test of my sense of humour, watching the antics here.
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Hello and welcome to another multi-media newsletter from the north of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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Our Weather.
This Weeks Vlog.
Exploring Stari Zanatski.
Walking through the rather elegant "Gentlemans' Street" (Gospodska Ulica), in the centre of Banja Luka, the Austro-Hungarian influence on the city still is very much in evidence.
The quintessential building style brought to the area after some five centuries of Ottoman occupation, is forever present.
Today, the street is "covered" by thought proving displays, as are many other city centres around Europe it seems these days.
As you walk along Gospodska, you'll notice small alleyways that lead to an amazingly quaint, but until recently a rather run down, area of mainly gold and silver shops and trendy coffee bars.
The Week That Was.
Another really hot week here, that’s been pretty exhausting coping with. Hiding from the heat with some AC has been the order of the day.
Monday and Wednesday were spent mainly queueing at the Exhibition Centre (Sajam) in Banja Luka for Tamara’s first vaccination dose.
Why two days you may ask? Well we waited some 3 hours or so on a “first come first served” basis, only to be turned away as the allotted time arrived. Our disappointment after so long on our feet and in the heat was barely tolerable.
We were however informed that there was another day (Wednesday) available. So that’s where we were again for another 3+ hours.
Inside the centre everything was really professionally organised. Outside however, where people were queueing, another matter. It really seemed like “herding cats”. No real control shown. And a very irritating Balkan habit is, that everyone seems to have a reason for being first in the line.
For me as a Brit, I have grown up knowing the nuances of queueing. It’s sometimes a test of my sense of humour, watching the antics here.
”Sta Je Tu Je”.
It’s Not All Sweetness and Light.
I really do try to bring as much positivity from Bosnia and Herzegovina as I can, but I need to be realistic as well. There are some unsavoury things that happen here as well.
So this is how Saturday started.
We were due to catch up with our new travel blogger friends, Fatima and Soufienne (@travel_with_3kids), at the end of the month here, near Banja Luka.
They're travelling from Belgium, with their 3 children to experience this wonderful country.
BUT, on arrival at Banja Luka airport late on Friday night, they were "stitched" by a hire car company based in Mostar.
No car!
Not the best start to any visit and also not a good impression from the host country.
A friendly person at the airport kindly drove them into Banja Luka where they managed to find a comfortable hotel.
We were having morning coffee when Soufienne called, to ask for advice and assistance on options to travel onwards.
Tamara and I drove into Banja Luka to meet them and to offer whatever assistance we could.
It seems that the Mostar based hire company was not professional at all (understatement). In fact they could be acting criminally by scamming money from clients whilst not providing services.
Anyway, thanks to Aco and the team at @ctrl.rentacar, a car was sourced and our new found friends are moving onwards. Albeit slightly later than planned.
We are really hoping that Fatima and her family have an amazing trip, and can't wait to hear about their adventures when we meet for a few days together soon.
I often think that a country's reputation invariably hangs on the actions of individuals, and not the population as a whole.
Sad but True.
We Are Off On Holiday Soon.
Yes, we will be taking a 7 day break on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s 24 km of Adriatic coastline at NEUM.
Still a couple of weeks to go, but it will be great to take a break and of course we’ll keep you updated.
A Reader’s Recommendation.
Rebekka O’Neil, originally from Banja Luka, but now living in the US, found this wonderful video about Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Enjoy!
Thanks Rebekka.
Why not plan to visit this Amazing country? We’re getting there travel restrictions wise.
News from the Website/Blog.
Recently, we have teamed up with Denise Ponse our Argentinian friend, who is also a foreigner living here in Banja Luka.
We are now transforming our Blog into a Bi-Lingual site (English and Spanish). It’s a slow process but we are getting there. We have also redesigned the look of the Blog as well, which we feel is much better than ever before.
So if you know of any Spanish friends, relatives, speakers, who might be interested in finding out more about Bosnia and Herzegovina, Here’s The Link.
Banja Luka Droneography.
And Finally.
That's our update from our village here in the north of Bosnia and Herzegovina for this week.
We hope you like our new way of creating our weekly newsletter.
We hope you'll continue to follow our adventures, and to engage with questions and comments.
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i can see the police patrol the line, it stands no admiration. i think you should let us know the name of that car company and hope they get their pennies back soon