Sweet Sarajevo

I guess you could say my husband, Brad, is happy to be in Bosnia. He's been there for over a week now assessing the legal system and traveling around the country, in and out of smoky restaurants and meetings with weathered judges and their few assistants. I think he's had enough of the strong coffee and heavy food -- and I'm certainly ready for him to come home.

The last time I was in Sarajevo was a long time ago -- I just remember the heavy fog that met me at the airport, the severely damaged and bullet marked and mangled buildings and the sense that "how in the world could anyone have survived here during the war?"

Today, it's a city that has come back but it will never be the Sarajevo it once was.

And Another Wedding

And then there was the wedding in Belgrade....here are the Stojanovic's!!!

Weddings, Weddings Here There and Everywhere

So sorry I've been remiss in writing for a few days....or more. It seems like there have been weddings, visits and travels galore the last few weeks. I just got these great photos from my friends' wedding in Croatia a few weeks back. Isn't this lovely! Congrats again to Jonathon and Maja....

Surprising St. Louis

Just back from a weekend in St. Louis -- a surprising mix of old and new, pre-turn of the century and cutting-edge modern. The grandiose houses which line gated boulevards are intriguing....not so much for their size, but for the wonderful architectural thinking that went into building something so large with character. Ah, if only the outside-of-the-beltway builders constructing today's McMansions could have learned but one lesson from these gents.

Plus Ce Change....

You know the old saying (which sounds much more intelligent in French) that the more things change, the more they stay....yes, the same. I couldn't help but think of that truism (and the Thai phrase I used to love, "same, same but different.") That's how I was thinking about Belgrade during this last visit.

On the surface, yes, a great deal has changed. For God sake, there is a Zara and a Mango on main street...can't even imagine that back in 1997 when I was changing money with dodgy looking currency "traders" (quite a generous term) in back rooms and shady kiosks and trying to make sure to budget correctly before I could get to the U.S. Embassy to write a check. No money machines. No European banks. Not a tourist in sight for kilometers. Certainly nowhere to shop.

But somehow I still feel that this country is being pulled back from the European community thanks to politicians who remain focused on the political cause du jour -- in this case, Kosovo. President Kostunica and his DSS party -- not to mention Milosevic's Socialist remants are making threats about pulling back from the EU and NATO over the independence tug of war. Having lived there during part of that isolationist era, I hope that does not occur.

Belgrade...More Crap for the Masses

Just back from Belgrade, Serbia...and will post more later this week as my head is swimming with observations and mental images. However, for now you'll have to be content with these photos which sum up some of the funkiness of this eclectic, still-recovering, conflicted city.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Well, folks, I'm off to Belgrade....leaving Wednesday night for a wedding for my old assistant and dear friend, Olja. I haven't been there since 2002 and know that a great deal has changed. I was trying to Google Serbia today and a gay website came up - openly promoting clubs, etc. This was unheard of and dangerous when I lived there in 1997 and 1998. I'll be seeing lots of old friends and it's going to be a fun Balkan wedding with Olja and her family. Just seeing these pictures brings back so many memories of my days there during the Milosevic regime and the protests that toppled his pathetic, corrupt regime.

Sun Sets on Fire Island

We closed up the Fire Island beach house over the weekend. So sad. This photo was taken as we left on the last ferry Sunday night....and it perfectly captured the beauty of that fall weekend and was a perfect ending to a wonderful summer.

Looks Like We Made It....Capitol Hill

Well, Capitol Hill has made it. I know because yesterday, to my utter delight, I opened my New York Times and discovered that my neighborhood -- my dear Capitol Hill -- was listed as a fashionable place to shop. Goodbye to Georgetown snobbery. Hello Eastern Market and funky shopping, To be fair, they did mention Sassanova, one of my favorite places to shop for shoes in that part of town....and I did buy my Indonesia-imported bed at Muleh. But here's what they had to say about shopping in the nation's capital.

Shops
The city's best shopping is clustered around Eastern Market in Capitol Hill, the U Street corridor, and the streets around M Street and Wisconsin Avenue in Georgetown. Betsy Fisher. Mary Elizabeth Albaugh (a k a Betsy) offers everything from four-inch Italian heels to wrap dresses. 1224 Connecticut Avenue NW; (202) 785-1975. Forecast. Shoes, bags and everything in between. 218 Seventh Street SE; (202) 547-7337. Hu's Shoes. High-fashion heels. 3005 M Street NW; (202) 342-0202. Muléh. A mix of European fashion and Japanese home furnishings. 1831 14th Street NW; (202) 667-3440. The Remix. Vintage fashion and accessories. 645 Pennsylvania Avenue SE; (202) 547-0211. Sassanova. Sporty American designers as well as European labels. 1641 Wisconsin Avenue NW; (202) 471-4400. Urban Chic. Girly fashions and designer denim. 1626 Wisconsin Avenue NW; (202) 338-5398.

Fire Island In the News

Couldn't miss seeing the Fire Island article on the front page of the New York Times Escape section - Fire Island Heats Up. Ah, real estate, real estate. Thank goodness my husband had the wise insight to buy there before we were married...as the article is a long testament to the fact that bigger and more modern homes are being built and prices have more than quadrupled in the last five years alone.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/21/travel/escapes/21fireisland.html?ex=1191038400&en=7ba8f2f79d350edf&ei=5070

* Photo courtesy of John Chase.

Travel Sites

I love Travel and Leisure's round up of the best travel sites-- like Kayak and Lastminutetravel.com. Check it out: http://www.travelandleisure.com/articles/tls-top-25-travel-websites and then pack your bags.

Ecuador farewell

In a farewell tribute to Diana, (you know who you are), here are a few pictures of Ecuador that I thought I'd share with all of you.

Croatian Wedding

Unfortunately, I'm going to miss the wedding of my friends, Jonathon and Maja, this weekend near Pula, Croatia. The flights are outrageously expensive....but I've been living the wedding vicariously through the blog I created for them: http://croatianwedding.blogspot.com/. I know it is going to be a beautiful event!

Ode to Senegal

I have a friend going to Ghana and Sierra Leone tomorrow and so it's made me think about the strength of women throughout Africa who I've casually encountered during years of travel. Here are three favorites.

One Last Summer Photo of Fire Island

Who is that poor, lonely soul on our Fire Island beach? Not me....though I kinda wish it was!

Goodbye Summer Living...Hello Fall

I'm having a hard time letting go of summer, despite the upcoming fall travel we have planned. But in an effort to hold onto that summer feeling, I'm imaging myself in these outdoor patios. My favorite is definitely the tent.

Photos courtesy of http://www.dominomag.org/

Amsterdam and my city

I was walking through Amsterdam the other day, admiring the bikes, colorful yellow flowers at the market and the quaint coffee shop on the corner. It was all a bit confusing. I was in Washington, D.C. walking through my dear Eastern Market, which had been transformed into the Dutch city. Seems that a Ridley Scott movie, with Leonardo Di Caprio and Russell Crowe was being filmed. The crew seemed on edge. I could have cared less about the stars: I just wanted to see those groovy Electra bikes. Here are a few photos from our trip there two years ago. Love that city!

Missing the Beach

These are some of the items I already miss from Fire Island!

Getting Organized Again

I love these folders...they will help me get organized for house projects and my next bit of work-related travel. Check them out on http://www.seejanework.com/

Holdin' on to that Beach Feeling

Back in the city...I'm trying to hold onto that beach feeling. These photos are from our wonderful March visit to Tulum, Mexico. Can't you feel that breeze?

The Perfect Beach Basket

My husband just gave me the last of my birthday gifts -- some of them didn't arrive on time so I had the extra benefit of opening another gift over the weekend. It was a perfectly-sized wicker basket for my beach cruiser! Here are some others that I love! I saw a 15 year old riding the Petro Zillia model around Fire Island -- can't help it. I love it!

J'Adore Paris

The new fall edition of the J. Crew catalogue has arrived. I can't stop staring at the pages, leafing through it again and again. It's not the clothes I'm crazy about per se (although there is one pair of boots I'm lusting after and an adorable pair of cords for my daughter). C'est tres facile. The models are all in Paris juxtapositioned in front of several Paris icons. Okay, I'll take the Eiffel Tower any day. But it is the bridges and old booksellers' stands along the Seine that make me truly long for another long weekend in Paris. J'arrive bientot!

Photo courtesy of J. Crew catalogue

Bali Lust

Well, she did it. She succeeded in causing extreme lust. Not the kind focused on a food. Or a man. Or a vice. The kind focused on a place -- a wonderful, mystical paradise otherwise known as Bali. I'm referring to Elizabeth Gilbert, the witty author of Eat, Pray, Love and her love affair with the small island nation. So, now I can't get Bali out of my mind. The rice paddies I overlooked the time I stayed at the Chedi in Ubud. The beach lounge chairs at Ku De Ta in Seminyak. Even the music that lilts through the tiny airport as you arrive.

Where I stayed: http://chedi-ubud.com/rooms.htm

I Want to Go Here

I love the Travel and Leisure "It List" -- it inspires me to find some of the best places in the world to travel....as I'm always in search of "that place." Check these out...ahhhhh..need I say more?

Scarlett O'Hara's Mantra for Fire Island

It was a long, arduous journey. First, there was the treacherous ferry crossing off the island. Then, I was whisked by taxi to the airport for the flight. Then, in a sudden last minute decision, I hopped on public transportation (a bus), feeling proud of myself for helping cut greenhouse gas emissions and not spending the money for a taxi! I wasn't feeling so proud when the bus broke down on the side of the road -- then I was only thinking of how to flag a taxi on a major highway. Finally, after a 45 minute wait, I made it to the Metro....and landed in my office 30 minutes later. I knew I never should have left Fire Island, sniff, sniff. I'm back in the nation's capitol.....and it's rainy and dreary here.

As God as my witness, I will go back!!!

My Own Eat, Pray, Love Odyssey

Okay, I know Elizabeth Gilbert's book has probably been overexposed -- Eat, Pray, Love. But it's my beach read for this last "official" week of vacation. I find some odd personal parallels between our lives and search for "something," granted my personal travel odyssey after I left Croatia was Paris, East Timor and Vietnam. Not exactly Italy, India, Indonesia but I was definitely in search of some peace of mind, not too mention fine French food and an effort to master the French language once and for all. I also didn't do much meditating during my 6-week solo adventure through Vietnam by boat, bus, plane and train...but I did do lots of thinking, sometimes too much, about what was awaiting me after 5 years of living abroad and returning to Washington, D.C. She's a witty, sometimes quirky writer....and now I'm off to explore Indonesia with her today.