#767 Sarajevo Roses, Bosnia and Herzegovina

www.sarajevoroses.com

One of the saddest but yet also beautiful things I saw in Sarajevo were the Sarajevo Roses. These are not living flowers in the traditional sense, but their presence means that the dead go on living in memory. During the 4 year siege of Sarajevo mortar bombs were dropped on Sarajevo and when they land they leave flower-like impressions in the concrete. After the war many of these were filled with red resin wherever the mortar shell also caused one or more deaths, and they form a stark memorial, like a blood-red stain on the concrete, of innocent civilians that lost their lives. As time passes and streets are repaved, some of these memorials disappear. I can't quite decide if I think that's an appropriate end of healing and beginning of moving on or a too-easy opportunity to forget the tragedies that happened.

srebrenica-genocide.blogspot.com

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarajevo_Rose

www.sarajevoroses.com - This website is for a film that follows a doctor through the war and his healing afterwards. It is also the name of a memoir of a South African peacekeeper during the war.

#797 Kotor, Montenegro

Nestled below supposedly the wettest mountain in Europe, in what could be called the largest fjord in Southern Europe by some (Kotorski Zaliv is said to be a submerged river valley rather than a fjord), Kotor is an ancient fortified city with spectacular 4km city walls climbing up the steep cliffs of Lovcen and Orjen behind (dating from the 9th-15th century, the Venetian period).

The Stari Grad (old city) is much the same layout as it has been for centuries, with narrow cobbled lanes leading to many small squares with simple orthodox churches that could barely fit a single household. Small shops and cafes decorate the squares and it is small and quaint, although very touristy (it is a regular cruise stop!). Sites include the 1166 St. Tryphon's Cathedral (which is actually a small church by cathedral standards!), St. Lucas Church, and the 1909 St. Nicholas Church (patron saint of sailors).

St. Tryphon's Cathedral

Beginning as Roman settlement Ascruvium and first mentioned in 168 BC, being on the Adriatic has meant that many different powers have come and gone in the area: from the Ostrogoths, Emperor Justinian built a fort in 535, the Saracens plundered it in 840, then the Dalmatians, Bulgarians then the Serbians, the Republic of Ragusa, Venice and the Ottomans. Various migrants and refugees diversified the city and together they suffered the plague (1572) and various earthquakes (1563, 1667, 1979 for example).

Later under the Hapsburgs and the Napoleonic Kingdom of Italy, and a Russian squadron, the French's Illyrian Provinces, only to be captured by the British. WWI saw it being an Austro-Hungarian naval base, between the wars in Yugoslavia, and in WWII it was annexed by Italy (as the province of Cattaro) only to be returned to Yugoslavia again. In the mid 1800s its population was approximately equally divided between Serbians, Croats and Italians, but now it is composed of mostly Montenegrins with small Serbian and Croatian communities, 78% Orthodox and 13% Roman Catholic.

The pope visited in 2009 to commemorate the return of certain ancient relics (held by the Vatican for 1200 years!) so it is still an important Catholic heritage site.

Art installation in Kotor old city -- this clothesline is enormous

Above Kotor on the narrow mountain road to Cetinje the manic 25 hairpin turns are an impressive feat of engineering! Never widened beyond one lane, it is hair-raising and spectacularly beautiful with views of both Kotor and the other bays of the neighboring villages.

Source: Lonely Planet Eastern Europe 8th Edition

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kotor

#832 Kyrenia (Girne), Northern Cyprus

Despite it's independence declaration in 1975, North Cyprus (the Turkish Federated State of Cyprus) is one of the few places in the world still unrecognized by the majority of the world (in fact, it is really only recognized by Turkey). Thankfully, despite no formal resolution to the conflict, it is now a peaceful place to visit although, between 1974 and 1983 when tensions erupted between the Turkish and Greek Cypriot populations and most evacuated the opposing group's area, it wasn't. 

Aside from divided Nicosia (Lefkosa), one of the most important (tourist) towns to visit in the north is Kyrenia in the middle of the northern coast, with an ancient harbor quaintly lined with restaurants and sailboats, and topped off with a massive crusader castle. It has an impressive history dating back to the Trojan War, when it was founded by the Achaeans/Mycenaens although Neolithic archaeological evidence points to a much older settlement. It's first reference is by the Egyptians in the 1100s BC. Rich Hellenistic ruins such as temples to Apollo and Aphrodite are just one of the layers of history here. Romans and later Christian groups controlled the island, leaving the castle foundations and catacomb tombs as relics of their heritage, and they were followed by the Byzantines, the Knights Templar, the Venetians, and then the Ottomans. Strong mariners, they have at various hands, suffered from trade blocks and other manipulations of foreign control -such as a secret agreement that turned the island into a British base.

The Kyrenia castle is a truly spectacular place to visit: its circular Venetian towers loom over the surrounding harbor. The castle's majestic history of its various controllers has left a place rich in different military styles to wander. Deep inside is even a Roman chapel dating from the 12th century, and a ship archaeology museum. The Turkish and Turkish Cypriot flags fly high over the central tower, and many of the area lies in ruins -- delightfully unbarricaded like it would be in many places.

Downtown Kyrenia is small and quaint, with narrow streets and small stalls. Sadly, many of the homes were abandoned by Greek Cypriots, but interestingly, many of these remain untouched -- it feels like an intrusion to peer through the slatted windows to the dusty relics of a life left in a rush.

In the old days with no motors in the harbor and a beach.

Old aerial view of the harbor

www.hotelsempati.com

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_Cyprus

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kyrenia

#843 Delos, Greece

Just off Mykonos (#895) lies the most sacred island of Delos, the whole reason why the Cyclades Islands are named as a circle: they encircle this island. As the mythical birthplace of twins Apollo and Artemis, it has always been famous and formed one of the three most important religious centers in ancient Greece, but it was also an important commercial center. It has been inhabited since the 3rd Millenium BC, and a shrine to Apollo from the 8th Century BC. From 487 BC Athens had established the Delian League with their treasury on Delos, and all native inhabitants were removed because no one was supposed to be born or die on the island. The Romans made it a free port in 167 BC where it became a slave trading center. However, by the 3rd Century AD its decline was clear as only a small Christian settlement remained and many of the antiquities were looted in following centuries.

Boats from Mykonos land to the south of Sacred Harbor and passengers disembark onto Sacred Way to make their way to Sacred Lake (drained in 1925) past the Sanctuary of Apollo in the direction of the famous terrace of the lions: the originals are in the museum, but superb copies give an accurate sense of their towering shapes which protected the sacred area of the birth. 

One of the more rewarding options is to climb Mt Kynthos (113m), past the Sanctuaries of the Foreign Gods (built by merchants who lived on Delos), the Theatre Quarter and a deep cystern for a view back to Mykonos and over to neighboring Renia. Many houses are named for their beautiful mosaics discovered, such as the House of the Dolphins or the House of Dionysus which has one depicting the wine god riding a panther. The House of Cleopatra had headless statues of its owners.

Source: Lonely Planet Greece 8th Edition