Hello and welcome to another multi-media newsletter from Čardačani.

It’s been another hectic week for us, still sorting ourselves out after our holiday break away on the Adriatic at Neum, and then preparing for a long weekend, here in the village with old friends.

As usual, its great that you like to read the newsletter and if you’d like to support us, then maybe you can Buy Me a Coffee?

Tamara and I appreciate your faithful readership, your comments, and your generosity! 

THANKS SO MUCH to Radovan for supporting us on Buy Me a Coffee❤️

Our Weather.

This Weeks Vlog.

We’ve had Friends to visit 😀

I have known Rob and Tony for a really long time. We served together in the army. A few years ago now, we met up here in the village for the first time in a long time (over 30 years in fact).

We had a blast. Mainly sitting around and catching up, over more than a few beers and rakija. Not a sight seeing trip, but extremely fun nevertheless.

Rob and his wife Aly came back for a visit on their own, and again, when Tamara and I decided to finally get married.

Tamara and I have yet to get to see them “at home”, in Austria, due to the Pandemic and associated travel restrictions. You know the score on that.

This was the first “real visit” though for Tony, who came with his wife, Sam.

Tony and Sam met up with Rob and Aly in Austria then travelled together by road down into Bosnia and Herzegovina. No trouble traffic or health control wise with border crossings.

So this long weekend was showing them around the local area and more. Experiencing the sights, sounds and tastes of where we live.

I am a great advocate for slow tourism, but with the limited time available, Tamara and I were guilty of cramming things in. I mean you want to show your guests EVERYTHING, and that’s simply not possible.

We managed to introduce them to plenty of food and eateries, the centre of Banja Luka (a quick tour guide type walk), shopping at the city’s largest mall, (Tony needed new shorts), the Ethno Museum in Ljubačke Doline, The Watermills at Krupa na Vrbasu, and the Kozara Memorial.

There are already plans being made for the next visit, which will focus on the history of this misunderstood country and take in a wider area (Mostar, Sarajevo, Višegrad etc).

Maybe they’re catching the Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) bug?

I always say that BiH is like the Hotel California.

”You can check out, but you can never leave”.

COME AND VISIT

Podcasting Update.

Since January, our Podcast of occasional episodes has been hosted with an external podcast platform as well as here with substack.

We have made the decision to have the podcast, newsletter and any other add ons that we create in the future, all in one place for you. A sort of “one stop shop”. To that end we have ceased our podcast hosting. To be honest it was a bit expensive and we would rather use any limited funds we have, to develop what we offer you here.

However, using the technical possibilities that substack offer, you can still hear our podcast episodes on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and of course, Spotify.

LISTEN HERE

The plan is to start publishing more podcasts in the not too distant future.

What kind of audio content would you like us to create, and that you would listen to?

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Bosnia's Wild Horses.

If you travel near or around the Livno area, you might glimpse wild horses galloping across the rugged mountains.

In this part of western Bosnia these horses are an ever-bigger tourist attraction, but now they need protection from local farmers who see them as pests.

The number of horses roaming the Kruzi plateau, at the foot of the Cincar mountain, has been increasing over the past 30 years, many released into the wild by their owners as machines have replaced them in the fields.

In recent years, enterprising enthusiasts have begun organising photo-safari tours for tourists in the mountains above the town of Livno.

"The coronavirus pandemic has even boosted the arrivals, with Bosnians discovering Livno attractions due to travel restrictions,"

However the reality on the ground is that these horses are fighting with domestic cattle over scarce water resources, and are being chased and sometimes killed by farmers, whose crops they destroy.

The Livno city government approved a decision to protect the horses in 2009, but withdrew it in 2017 due to the cost of damage claims by farmers and drivers over car accidents caused when horses come down in winter to lick salt from the roads.

But the city authorities are once again considering protecting the animals, which they now see as more of an asset than a liability and considering that the whole plateau should be put under protection.

Cattle breeders doubt a solution can be found to reconcile conflicting interests of farmers and horses.

"There is no solution - everybody lays claims to the horses and nobody wants to take responsibility for them," they say. "The horses may disappear and so may we, the farmers."

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I Think About This a Lot.

As much as I have settled into my adopted home country of Bosnia and Herzegovina, I still feel a sense of not belonging entirely. I read recently that many expats for example, feel that their lives are “one big holiday”. That’s not the case for me by the way.
Yes, I have residency. Yes I am still British. But I really feel that I am neither a tourist or an ExPat (the definition of “expat” varies significantly I have to say).
Maybe an “InBetweener” would sum me up.

I found a stimulating post on an Ex Pat site that talks about how we view our adoptive countries, and how we square how we live now, to how we used to live. More importantly the attitudes we have towards “locals”.

I thought I would share the link, as I know there are more than a few “non locals” to Bosnia and Herzegovina in our readership.

HERE IS THAT POST

Footnote:

Not long after writing this, I settled down to read the various newsletters that I subscribe to. Nearly all are from people in a sort of similar situation to me. Even age wise :)

I came across these thoughts that I really would like to share with you:

Being the other is unsettling sometimes, but it can feel like a superpower, too.

The ability to choose the status of immigrant rather than refugee is one of privilege.

Allow me to suggest moving abroad if you feel like your life has become rote and have a hard time noticing things and being present. I promise you will wake up—you can't help it because everything around you will require your attention.

In addition, being a stranger in a strange and glorious land will sharpen your navigation skills, and you will learn so much—about yourself and your chosen community.

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Coffee Reading.

When I was a kid my Irish Grandmother used to “Tell My Fortune”, from the tea leaves left at the bottom of my Tea Cup. You will notice there was no mention of Teabags. We hadn’t adopted that habit at that time.

Of course I took everything she said with a “Pinch of Salt”. It was fun. What weirdoes we Brits were I thought.

Just after arriving in Bosnia and Herzegovina a little over two decades ago, I had my first “Real”, Turkish coffee. I witnessed the entire elaborate procedure in making it, and then drank what was to me back then, the strongest coffee EVER.

After finishing my coffee, to my total surprise, I was told that my future would be read from the leftovers in the bottom of my tiny coffee cup.

This age old tradition of Coffee reading is something that has been practiced in the Balkans and the Middle East for centuries. Tamara’s mother does it sometimes.

Known in Turkish as ‘kahve falı,’ this ritual falls under the practice of Tasseography. Tasseography is a process of divination or fortune-telling through the use of tea leaves, coffee grounds and even wine sediments. With the rise of the Ottoman Empire and the introduction of coffee culture in the Balkans, this ritual also followed suit in popularity. 

The ritual is as follows; an individual drinks their cup of Turkish coffee - at times individuals would make a wish on their last sip. They then proceed to cover the coffee cup with their saucer and turn it upside down. They would then wait for all the left over coffee grounds to disperse - resulting in various symbols, shapes and patterns. 

Becoming a coffee cup reader requires practice and knowledge. Usually the coffee cups are divided into sections when being read. The handle side usually depicts love life related events, the front rim focuses on wealth, the bottom looks family life, the upper rim looks at your present life and finally the lower rim conveys your future life. 

Learning what each symbol represents take time and practice - as the symbols are plentiful. To this day this ritual still has a popular place in the coffee culture of the Balkans and the Middle East - it’s become a cultural practice many still engage with daily. 

Have you had your fortune read through Tea or Coffee?

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Something You Might Like to Try?

Tamara writes:

I made these cookies with Plant Proteins and Oat Flakes.

David says they’re Amazing!

Here’s the Recipe.

2 medium ripe bananas
1 1/2 cups oatmeal (200ml cup)
2 tablespoons almond protein
1 tablespoon peanut protein
1 tablespoon pumpkin protein
1 tablespoon flaxseed protein
1/2 cup dried cranberries or raisins
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
A little sesame oil to coat before baking

Mash the bananas, then add the other ingredients, mix well until you get a thick dough. Shape the biscuits, place on baking paper and then coat with oil. Bake in a preheated oven at 180 degrees for 15-18 minutes. If your cookies are not sweet enough, feel free to add a little honey.

If you don’t have these proteins, then just use 2 cups of oats.

OR

Add half a cup of mixed nuts.

If you make these, leave a comment?

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And Finally.

That's our update from our village here in the north of Bosnia and Herzegovina for this week.

We hope you'll continue to follow our adventures, and to engage with questions and comments.

We are always so excited when we receive them.

PLEASE, do stay safe wherever you are.

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