Our tour leader said that Sarajevo would be the highlight of the tour, and for me it truly is. I've never been to a city quite like this before. It's got a bit of Istanbul, a bit of Vienna. I haven't been to Turkey but I have a feeling that the Turkish quarter is pretty close to what I would find there. The scenery surrounding the city (it's set in a valley) is beautiful. The people are wonderful. The food is great. There's so much diversity and tolerance.

But at the same time, being here is heartbreaking. It still bears many scars of war - bombed buildings, buildings with bullet holes, war memorials. The pension we're staying at is right by the arena where the figure skating (?) events of the 1984 Olympics were held, and there are still lots of bombed buildings nearby. Anywhere else in the world I would have assumed that such sights were the result of decay or a wrecking ball, but I know that wasn't the case here. We had a walking tour with a local guide here who's my age, and lived through the war as a child. I remember thinking I had a tough life at the time, between the ages of 10 and 13, but Muhammad (the guide) had no idea if he and his family would make it through to the end. It was especially sad to see the beautiful national library, built in the Islamic style, boarded up and condemned, all of its materials destroyed and lost forever. But people seem to be moving on. Tourists are coming, and Sarajevans (especially Muhammad) want more people to see what a special place it is.

Yesterday we made a day trip to Mostar, a small town 2.5 hours south that's famous for it's bridge that links its Croat Catholic and Bosnian Muslim sides. The original bridge was destroyed in 1993, a huge blow to the city (the citizens tried desperately to prevent its collapse), but was rebuilt with foreign aid in 2004. There's still some tension between the two sides, though. Hopefully, it won't lead to another war.

Tomorrow, we're headed for Ostrog monastery in Montenegro. We won't have washing facilities (I like to stay clean) but the monastery should be an interesting experience. Until then, I'll be enjoying my last day in wonderful Sarajevo. Everyone should seriously visit soon - it will teach you so much.