Photo of the Week: Street of the Coppersmiths, Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Timothy Lawrence Clancy (photo) Thierry Joubert (text)
7 March 2010

I walk daily from my house along an old trail up to the old stone gates of Sarajevo and into Baščaršija, the old trading quarter dating back to the 16th century, of which the street of coppersmiths is pictured below. The walk is refreshing, soothing and prepares me for my busy day at the Green Visions office. Each time, whether it be morning or evening, I experience the city in a new light. In the morning the sounds of splashing water from the water fountains around the mosques welcome me to the city. The sound of a craftsmen’s hammers hitting copper is matched only by the full aroma of baking coffee beans that invade the old town.

I stand for a minute under some old gracious lime trees with their sweet smells and know that I am home in Sarajevo. With one simple scan my eye catches the blacksmiths, leathersmiths and goldsmiths carrying on the special, yet dying, skills of their forefathers.

In the evening, after a long day, I enjoy the warm gusts of wind that drive me home along the Miljacka river. I feel a shift in people’s energy. Our day is ending. Some of us rush home to be with our families, while others enjoy cooling down in the many small neighbourhood streets, cafés and on the numerous benches alongside the river.

I climb up again to the old fortified walls of Sarajevo and turn around for one last glance at the city before returning to my little green oasis on the Mošćanica river. The sun is setting and the fire in the sky illuminates the city and surrounding mountains. I now realise that during my daily walks I continuously rediscover Sarajevo, over and over again. It is a place full of surprises. A place to sooth your senses. A place to discover even if you have lived here all your life.

As many of you know, Bosnia and Herzegovina is a small and mountainous country, with a majestic melange of climates, mountain ranges, rivers and unique towns and villages. It is Green Visions‘ wish to open up our home to all those interested in understanding how time, nature and sometimes tumultuous events shaped these lands. We look forward to showing you our sacred garden, which we call Bosnia and Herzegovina.

whl.travel

whl.travel is one of the largest global online travel-booking networks catering to independent travelers headed off the beaten path, often in the developing world. The extensive whl.travel network today taps into the strengths of local tourism experts who, alone, are local leaders, but together have become a forceful planet-wide presence for the right kind of tourism, bringing to major markets all the local opportunities that can have such a positive impact on hosts and visitors. Visit the whl.travel website.