How could I do that?

We've had a busy week on the road.  We left home Tuesday morning for Tuzla to finalize a project proposal there.  We hope to renovate a retail space in the town center for an organization that helps handicapped and disabled adults.  I reached for the camera to take photos of the space but it wasn't in the normal pocket of my bag.  I thought I must have left it in the other bag in the car so I just used the phone to snap a few pictures.  The meeting went well and we headed for Banja Luka.  We arrived safely at the hotel.  We attempted to check in but discovered we had no passports with us.  As instructed, we NEVER leave the house without our passports.  We both panicked a little - it could become a very difficult situation if we were stopped for any reason.  The hotel was very nice and said if anyone at home could email them a photo of our passport page and Bosnian visa, it wouldn't be a problem.  The missionaries do have a key to our apartment but we can't get across the border without a passport so we knew we'd have to go home anyway.  We had planned to have dinner with the new senior couple in Banja Luka so we decided to do that, then return to Sarajevo.

Wild flowers along the roadside near Banja Luka

We had already been on the road for five hours at this point.  We had two appointments in Banja Luka Wednesday morning and two in Zagreb Thursday morning and a non-refundable hotel room booked in Zagreb.  After dinner with the Brewers, we drove four hours back to Sarajevo.  We arrived about 10:30 pm and got up at 5:30 am the next morning to drive the four hours back to Banja Luka for our appointments.

Cat in the grass in Banja Luka

We were waiting for our first appointment in Banja Luka when I looked up and saw a little face peeking out from the grass near the parking area.  No one is really concerned over mowing lawns and keeping grassy areas neat and tidy here.  The grass and flowers were nearly twice as tall as the little cat.

Those of you that know me very well know that I tend to be over-organized (if that's possible) so leaving home without passports was simply unbelievable for me!  No passports, no wallet so no money, personal credit cards or driver's license and no camera.  John carries our Church credit card with him, thank goodness.  And he had his wallet and some Bosnian currency in his pocket.  The next evening I left my bag (with passports, wallet, camera, etc.) sitting on a chair in the restaurant.  I think I'm losing brain cells or just having a bad senior moment week.

We saw the coolest thing on our way out of Banja Luka Wednesday afternoon.  We had to turn around to take pictures.

Stork's nest a on telephone pole near Gradiska

Your babies are on the way - we saw the storks preparing to fly.  We're told there are many storks in this area of the country.  We had no idea this is where babies come from!

Storks standing in their nest

After our appointments on Thursday, we took the rest of the day off and saw a little of the Zagreb Center Square.  It was a very warm day and lots of tourists everywhere.  There is still a lot of World Cup excitement and pride in the city.  We saw the red and white checks everywhere we went.

Statue of Josip Jelačić on his horse, wearing a cape of the Croatian colors

This statue was removed in 1947 when the new communist government of Yugoslavia denounced Jelačić as a "servant of foreign interests."  In 1990 during the breakup of Yugoslavia, Jelačić's influence was again considered positive and he was returned to the square.

Directly behind the statue is the Dolac Market.  There are hundreds of vendors selling meat, flowers, produce, fish and just about anything else.  It is quite colorful with all the red umbrellas over each of the stands.

Steps leading up to Dolac Market in Zagreb

The painting on the steps is an apple vendor from the old days.  The other section of steps has apples.

Apples on the Dolac market steps

John's new friend at the top of the steps - he doesn't want to get too close!

We were immediate friends!

We drove home on Friday.  Everyone else had the same idea of leaving Croatia as we did and we had a very long wait at the border.

Waiting in line at the border to enter Bosnia

Our wait at the border was an hour and a half on Friday.  We figured the line was nearly two miles long.  You can't tell from the photo but the line goes through the bridge over the Sava River and on into Bosnia.

This is what we spend a lot of time doing when we're home.  Paper work and spreadsheets.  This is only from last week's travels.

Sorting through receipts from our travels

 

Someone shared this on Facebook and I liked it so I'm sharing the words here.  Not sure who the author is.  "You may think that you are completely insignificant in this world.  But someone drinks coffee every morning from their favorite cup that you gave them.  Someone heard a song on the radio that reminded them of you.  Someone read a book you recommended, and plunged headfirst into it.  Someone remembered your joke and smiled, returning home from work in the evening.  Someone loves himself a little more because you gave them a compliment.  Never think that you have no influence whatsoever.  Your trace, which you leave behind with even a few good deeds, can not be erased."