Bouncing around Europe once again

The Birds In Sarajevo; starring The Peacock and some Pigeons

Sarajevo in wintertime

Sarajevo, with snowy hills in the north

So after flying to Sarajevo twice and landing just once, I am now in the midst of seeing friends all over Europe in my trip from Istanbul to Portugal.  I'm bouncing around countries seeing friends, exploring new parts of cities and living it up, as I do.  This is the fun way to make a trip, instead of a simple flight from Istanbul, Turkey to Lisbon, Portugal.  I'll be on countless forms of transportation along the way, hear numerous languages and get to check out the Christmas spirit in several countries. So far, it's been wicked.

I had a few days in Sarajevo, hanging out with friends and feeling like a local.  I'd been there this past August and wanted to check out the city in the winter and see my friends' new apartment.  As from the post below, the journey there was quite interesting, but once there, with snow on the ground, I got right to enjoying my time in Bosnia.  From a few hours spent in a primary school where I was the VIP guest in several English classes, to exploring the Christmas market, to eating roasted chestnuts along the river, the time in Sarajevo was awesome.

Then it was on to Bologna, Italy:

Merry Christmas from Bologna, Italia

Italia!

I traveled from Bosnia to Italy by land, in a journey that used smaller and smaller forms of transport.  First was the overnight bus to Zagreb, Croatia, stopping at several immigration checkpoints.  Then the mini-bus with just 5 people into Italy and finally, I was the sole passenger of a minivan going to Bologna.  My friend Massimo picked me up in his Fiat and we got straight to the Italian culture with espresso and smoked meats.  Later that night was a dinner party at his house built into the rocks.  Next day was exploring Bologna again and trying to drink as much espresso as possible.  Several different Christmas markets in town, one huge Christmas tree and street musicians playing carols.  It's been wicked, and I'm living it up with holiday spirit:

Tomorrow it's off to Barcelona with a Ryan Air flight, to meet Ana and Tristan and then we'll head north in a car to Andorra to spend the weekend in the Pyrenees.  At some point next week, I'll be working my way further west to Portugal to meet my incoming family for Christmas.  Let the good times roll!

One of several Christmas markets in Bologna

Saint Two Towers

Italian architecture is booming in Bologna!