First snow

Today was the first proper snowy day in Sarajevo.

Generally I love snow. Winter is my favorite season and I just adore the cold, the woolly jumpers, the cooked wine and skiing…

Somehow, it’s all very romantic and dazzling to me.

When the white covers the streets, it all looks so pure, so clean and innocent. And when you leave the house very early in the morning, it’s still night time, it’s silent, there is no one around, just you and the snow flakes, the street light glowing and the clean, white road ahead of you.

For me who grew up on the sea side, the mountains are the most amazing place on earth.

Don’t get me wrong, I love the beaches, sand, sea, sun… but winter is more romantic. Layers and layers of warm clothes, scarves, gloves, hats, socks… warm fires, watching snow fall through a window.. all these things bring out the child in me and all I want to do is go outside and play.

This morning was idyllic, the snow had been falling all night and the entire city was white.

I crawled out of bed early, too early even for my taste, had my morning coffee and realized the entire city lights were out even though it was still night.

Even more romantic, the glow of the pink sky and the large snow flakes on my window, falling in bundles.

I wear my warm clothes and step outside the clean my car. There is no one around, just half a meter of snow and a bunch of cars all covered.

Which one is mine?!

I desperately try to remember where I parked the small thing on a big parking lot… nothing.

I put on my gloves and start digging to try and find a small bright yellow car.

I step into half a meter of snow, in a matter of seconds, my trousers are wet, hands are cold, I am on my fifth car. Found it!

Now, already late for work, I get the engine running, the windows heated. I go back to the garage and take the shovel I had not used for the last 9 months (I was not prepared obviously).

I dig around the car, try to get rid of all the snow, wipe the windshields, wait the windows to defrost and then slowly try and get out of the spot the car was in for the past 7 hours.

I drive to work grumpy, cold, wet, frustrated and wishing I walked.

Isn’t winter romantic?

I just felt like posting this...
It's my sister (Senka, on the right)and yours truly.
The picture is taken in our birth town called Pula in Croatia.
The shot was taken in 1988.

Counting down

Countdowns… there are two ways to look at them

1) they are counting down to something good, fun and something that’s making you happy and you cannot wait for the number to decrease

2) they count down to something you are dreading and every passing day is agonizing…

I have been counting down ever since I can remember, but for the last 2 years the number of pleasant countdowns has increased.

My most recent count down is ticking away…

I am happier with each passing day!!

It’s just so nice when you have good things to look forward to.

I have an amazing person to look forward to :)

Protests during the medal awarding of Dutch soldiers

Bosnians protesters gathered in front of the army battalion in the North of The Netherlands while the Dutch minister of defence awarded the ‘good deeds’ of the ‘men in blue caps’ (The Dutch UN soldiers who were in Bosnia in 1995) for NOT being able to defend Srebrenica and prevent genocide.

Minister Henk Kamp has awarded approx. 500 out of 850 Dutch soldiers of the UN battalion of the Dutchbat III who were present in front of the army barracks in Assen, where a monument was being put up to honour all the Dutch soldiers who served in Bosnia.

Bosnians who live in Germany demonstrated in Assen while a small number of people also demonstrated in front of the parliament in The Hague.

The Ministry of Defence explained that monument was in honour of the soldiers and “their honourable behaviour in difficult conditions and for the state of their soul and mind and the guilt they have been unfairly accused of for years”.

Three Dutch battalions served in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1994 and 1995, the third one was in charge of protecting Srebrenica in July 1995 when the Serbian forces committed a massacre over 8.000 men and children.

That is the only bloody episode in B&H for which the International Court for Yugoslavia prosecuted and called genocide.

In short – the Dutch soldiers, hid in their battalion, letting people come into their camp and made them feel safe by telling them they would be OK there. The village hid here and when the Serbian forces came, the solders made the people leave the camp (by force) and straight into the arms of the enemy.

The following three days, the bloodiest episode after the WWII took place.

After the Tribunal in The Hague named this a genocide, a lot of the people from the Dutch government resigned ‘due to the feeling of pure guilt’ and many apologized.

I hope the monument helps the conscience indeed. It doesn’t help the thousands of mothers and children still looking for their loved ones who are still somewhere in mass graves buried around Bosnia and Herzegovina.

May their souls rest in peace.

PS sorry for such a difficult topic but these things really wind me up pretty badly...