Sarajevo. Again, that feeling I have “arrived” I dunno why this city does this with me. Actually thinking of canceling my plans for Bihac (no cheap hostels there either) and staying here with coffee & cats. Looking up from my favorite hostel towards Mount Trebevic, where I last year spend that magic day on the bob sleigh track.
Weirdly enough, the street dogs which were here in abundance have almost completely disappeared, and Sarajevo is a cat city again. Met a proud tomcat, who, as the guy working in the coffeeshop told me, was unfortunately badly kicked by some idiot, and now has a broken tail. And, though halfwild, used to be very trusty towards humans, now not anymore.
Four years ago, I met a black kitten at a cemetery near my favorite hostel. Last year, I arrived in Sarajevo, walked past the cemetery, made the calling sound I always use for cats, and he came running to me. Now again :). He’s half-wild and his fur is rough, but the sound I always make for cats made him look up, put his tail in the air, and immediately come to me :). And of course got some well-deserved attention. I was afraid, since I didn’t see him yesterday, he might be gone forever, though I saw a LOT of young black cats around the cemetery, so he left some offspring 🙂 .
My poor boots suffered and suffered, especially while hiking for 8 hours in the rain in Durmitor. But they got some (free!) love from a shoemaker in Sarajevo
In the evening I had to save a kitten from some nasty kid throwing stones at it. Good thing that the “teacher’s eye” works in any language…