Today, we drove to a village called Umoljani. It’s about 50 km (31 miles) southwest of Sarajevo. It’s in the Bjelasnica mountains where some of the 1984 Winter Olympics skiing competitions were held. Sadly, during the Bosnian War (1992-1995), this Muslim Bosniak village was burnt down by the Christian Serbs. It is somewhat rebuilt but its century-old cottages are forever gone.

On the way, we stopped to check out a necropolis at Dolovi. The Christian tombstones and slabs, estimated to be from between 1450 and 1550, were scattered on the hillside. The view from the necropolis was breathtaking, actually to die for, even though most of the trees have no leaves left. I bet the fall colors make this area much more magical. Kenric said this area reminded him of Scotland. I agree.

Friendly, but desperate locals in Umoljani

There’s a mosque at the entrance of Umoljani village. The minaret makes it look like it’s from a fairy tale. Sheep were grazing and there was no one around, except for an old lady who rushed to our car with wool footsies and gloves. She leaned in once Kenric stopped the car. She was practically begging us to buy her handiwork and gesturing that she was hungry.

A man in his front yard nodded at Kenric. We saw some chickens pecking away near a newly completed wooden shelter over a picnic table. There’s a hiking trail map next to it. A man standing by a wooden trough filled with free-flowing mountain spring water smiled at us. Kenric stopped the car and I put my window down. “Dobar dan!”

A souvenir chicken?

“Dobar dan!” He continued to talk to us in Bosnian while pointing at the chickens. He was very proud of them, and he should be. They were quite plump. He might have been trying to get me to buy one, but getting a new pecker now will dramatically complicate our lives. We waved and the car rolled forward, but that was the edge of the village. We turned around.

We saw the Knit Lady toss a banana peel across the road. It made me feel better knowing she ate a banana, maybe two. She looked so tiny despite wearing two thick sweaters and a jacket. She heard our car engine and immediately grabbed a few items but when she turned around and saw that it was us, she was disappointed. I gave her an apologetic look and waved. She waved still hoping we would buy more.

We will be more prepared next time we visit Umoljani

Map of Places Visited