Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Bosnia!
We were blessed to have visitors arrive on New Year’s Eve, my sister Jennie and Charles’s brother David came to stay with us for a week. Their visit couldn’t have come at a better time. I know I would have felt especially homesick missing our family traditions back home, so having them here made the holidays feel complete.
The Saturday before they arrived, we attended our branch Christmas party. It was a joyful evening filled with simple, meaningful fun. We colored nativity pictures.
We enjoyed a wonderful dinner of chicken and rice with all the fixings. One of the highlights was a delicious cheese-and-potato pastry that Nedžad made, it was absolutely amazing.
Iris, who is a professional candy and cake maker, also brought a beautiful and delicious cake that everyone enjoyed. And to add to the cake we decorated Christmas cookies.
Several friends joined us for the celebration, including our country attorney, Emir, and his family. Emir works hard to keep everything legal for us here, helping with our visas, and we are so grateful for his support and friendship.
We took them sight seeing around the old city. This was Jennie's first time to Europe so it was like showing someone Disneyland for the first time.
We took Jennie and David sightseeing around the old city, and since this was Jennie’s first time in Europe, it felt like showing someone Disneyland for the very first time, so fun!
That evening we met the missionaries and Elder and Sister Smith for dinner at a cozy Bosnian restaurant called Dveri. It was decorated for the holidays and served the most delicious traditional food. The perfect way to spend Christmas Eve. Our home away from home with some family and loved ones.
Christmas morning, we let Jennie and David sleep in while we enjoyed brunch with the Smiths, the missionaries, and Michael. I made our family-favorite French toast casserole.
Santa did not forget our sweet missionaries and Micheal! He left some stockings full of small, socks, yoyo's and nerf guns, nuts and an orange.
We sang Christmas songs with some impressive musical talent! Siser Ray in the violin,
Sister Smith on the guitar and Elder Holmstead rocked it on the electic guitar.
Elder Smith read the Christmas story and we ended with a white-elephant gift exchange.
Jennie and David eventually woke up and joined in on the fun.
We left on Christmas afternoon and headed for the coast of Croatia, with our first stop being Dubrovnik—known as the Pearl of the Adriatic.
Rain was forecasted for the entire week, we were happy tohave with sunny skies every single day. We took the tour around the top of the city walls.
We even got to witness a parade of motorcycle Santas riding through the old city, which was an unexpected treat.
Another way to see the walled city is by boat.
Dubrovnik has always been a popular tourist destination, but Game of Thrones made it even more famous, as many iconic scenes were filmed there including the steps used for the infamous “walk of shame.
Our next stop was the beautiful city of Split, which was extra special to show Jennie and David since we lived there during our first mission.
We enjoyed some of our favorite sladoled (ice cream)
and made sure they rubbed the toe of Grgur Ninski for good luck.
On Sunday we drove to Zadar to attend church with the Zadar Branch. Zadar truly feels like home to us. Charles served in Zadar during his first mission in 1980,
Nathan spent six months there on his mission. We even found a book on the branch’s history and spotted some classic photos of a very young Elder Nathan Lamb!
It was so fun showing them this amazing city that we love so much.
We ended the day watching the sunset at the famous Zadar Sea Organ and the “Greeting to the Sun,” followed by a quick visit with our dear friends, the Ostarčevićs.!
On our drive back to Sarajevo, we stopped at Blagaj, an Islamic monastery from the 1600s.
It was our first time there, and it was so fun to experience it while showing our family something completely new.
We also stopped in Mostar so they could see the famous bridge and wander the cobblestone streets for the first time, sharing these favorite places never gets old.
Jennie and Dave’s last day with us was spent back in Sarajevo. We took a war tour and learned more about the Balkan War of the 1990s, something Charles and I had been wanting to do for a long time, so we saved it to experience together with them. We had the best tour guide, Enes, who was a child durng the siege of Sarajevo.
One of the most moving stops was the Tunnel of Hope (also called the Freedom Tunnel), which was built under the airport runway and used to bring supplies in and out of Sarajevo during the five-year siege.
The olympic bobsled run, now street art : )
Afterward, we squeezed in some last-minute shopping. Can you tell these two are brothers? I think this was their expression after a few hours of shopping, though you’d think they’d be smiling knowing it was finally over!
Thank you so much for visiting us, Jennie and Dave. It meant so much to have family with us during the holidays. Now the big question is… who’s coming next? 😊
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