snow on the retreat

As the image hints at, the sun slowly made its way through the grey clouds and did a good job on the snow...

stari grad in snow

probably because the organizers knew about the lacking quality of their language instructions, the fed us very well to keep the spirits up. And because we were only eating and sitting all day, we tried to get some exercise whenever we could. One day some youngsters we met through our teacher took us up the hill to stari grad, which translates to "old town", but means an old fortress overlooking the village, either used to protect or to besiege its inhabitants.

an old tower and the grave of an Ottoman nobleman

Livia, Conny, Yan

our "boys" and Conny

the first Muslim cemetry we could get used to

Bonjour Tristesse: Kljuc

The weather had a great impact on our perception of the village of Kljuc. You can see how this changed later on...

a sign that will gain momentum later on... ;-)

Preminger is a local beer brewed in Bihac

our "bunker"

omnipresent cemetry, right in front of the "bunker"

merging seasons

Zvončići, Zvončići: On the way to Ključ

 We left Teslić in the morning to leave for our final destination: Ključ, where we were supposed to have our language course.

In Banja Luka

First stop in Bosnia: Teslić

 Teslić is a smalltown in the Serbian part of Bosnia, the Republika Srpska. It used to be an industrial centre, but is now merely known for Banja Vrucica with its hot springs and a spa. We stayed in a hotel that apparently survived the war and the post-war-times unchanged... it looked eeryly liek in the 60s, and teh fact that we were among the only guests this time of year made it a perfect setting for a horro movie. I slept quite well though... ;-)