Jahorina

            I haven’t skied since I was a young child, and in the past I have usually avoided winter sports because I hate being cold.  Of course, being from Colorado, I spend about a week in the mountains almost every winter, and I go ice-skating and sledding with my family.  But not without complaining, and my favorite part is always sitting in front of the fire and doing a jigsaw puzzle.

            I surprised myself this winter because I recently became very eager to check out the mountains around Sarajevo.  Maybe it’s because I’ve felt more adventuresome since I decided to come here.  Maybe it’s because Chicago weather has thickened my blood and the cold doesn’t bother me as much any more.  Maybe it’s just that I’m sick of the smoggy gloom in the valley and crave fresh air.  Regardless, I was happy when my friend Alisa invited me and some others to go to the Jahorina (Ya-ho-ri-nah) ski resort this past weekend.  I was a little worried, because I don’t know how to ski, but she reassured me that there is plenty to do there besides ski.

            It is very easy to get from Sarajevo to the ski resorts.  During the holiday season this year, a bus is running from the city center to Jahorina.  It is only a 30-minute ride, and cost less than $10 round-trip.  Since we weren’t skiing, Sara and I decided that four hours on the mountain would be plenty of time, so we took a bus at noon rather than early in the morning.  At the bus stop, we met Alisa and her friend Azra, and started to board.  Alas, even though we were ten minutes early, the bus was already full!  I was worried that we wouldn’t be able to go, but we were allowed to stand in the aisle.  Good thing the trip was so short!

            As we wound our way up the mountain, there was more and more snow, and the landscape started to look quite pristine: the only things outside the window were evergreen trees, their branches heavy with snow.  We entered the ski resort area, and I was shocked to see how new and beautiful it was.  No different than the fancy ski resorts in Colorado.  The buildings were charming rustic cabins and chalets made of wood and stone, with steeply sloping roofs.  It was such an iconic ski village, so now I can see why Sarajevo was chosen to host the 1984 Olympic Games.

One of the hotels

Sara and I arrive in Jahorina

The bus dropped us off in front of a castle-like four-star hotel, near a couple of ski lifts.  Azra had been to Jahorina before, and offered to take us on a long walk.  We headed up the hill, but soon got a call from out friend Mattia, who had come up earlier to ski and was ready to meet us.  So we headed back towards the bus stop, and met Mattia to have lunch.  We ate in one of the many restaurants, which served classic Bosnian comfort food.  Maybe I am influencing my friends, or maybe it’s a coincidence, but we all ordered a lot of vegetarian food!  I got polenta, Mattia got some Bosnian doughnuts and kajmak (soft cheese), and everyone else got pasties stuffed with spinach and cheese, I think.  A nice warm bowl of polenta is perfect after wandering around in the cold.  Even better is pairing it with hot, spiced wine, which I did.  J

After eating, we rented some sleds.  We went down a hill that didn’t seem very steep, until you’re sitting at the top of it on a sled, looking down.  I made Alisa and Azra go first, and then went with Sara.  I almost chickened out, but was glad that I didn’t.  It looked really scary, but wasn’t so bad after all.  And I wanted a video of me sledding, so I could show off to my sister Hannah and Ross.  While they were in Colorado without me, they made a very long and steep sledding trail, and kept bragging about how fun it was.  I felt a little left out, so I was glad to have my turn to sled this year.

Alisa and Azra about to take the first plunge

I also rode the ski lift with Alisa, Azra, and Sara.  Apparently, people were telling us we were crazy, but I didn’t understand why.  We went up, and had a great view of the skiers and the mountain.  Suddenly, the ski trail veered away from the lift, and we were silently floating above jagged rocks and barren branches covered in shiny, jagged icicles.  It felt like another world.  It was beautiful, but as we kept going, it got more foggy, windy, and cold.  By the time we got to top of the mountain, we couldn’t see anything, and it felt miserable.

We don't know what we're in for yet!

Uh-oh.  Are we ascending into hell?

Then we turned around.  Into the wind.  It was awful!  So awful, it felt almost as bad as January in Chicago…haha.  The snow was blinding, and we were all screaming because the wind was burning out faces.  I got some funny pictures out of it though.  Everyone’s hair turned white from the snow and ice.  Fortunately, it got warmer as we descended.

So cold

So very, very cold!

After the very cold ride, we went inside to warm up for a bit.  I had some very delicious homemade tea.  I’ve never had tea like it before.  It tasted very herbal and a little vegetal, almost as if they had used the pine needles from outside.  I liked it, especially with lemon.

            By the time we had warmed up from the ski lift, there was only about an hour left before we had to board the bus.  So we sledded again, but found a less steep slope.  On one run, Sara nearly took out a small child.  And Mattia showed up to give the best sledding performance of the day.  He veered off at a 90-degree angle, straight into a fence!

We were a little nervous about getting on the bus because it was so crowded on the way to the mountain.  So we showed up very early, and sat  inside a restaurant with a view of the stop.  It was a good idea, because we were able to score seats before the bus filled up.  I have never been on a return bus trip in Bosnia without a bunch of guys in the back drinking Rakija and singing.  The return trip today was no exception. J  Hey, what else is there to do on a bus, right?