Banja Luka reflections: cold, no litter, a fantastic market, the usual monuments to WWII veterans, two outdoor chess sets. ( A man came at around 7:00 am to open a small metal box, where the chess pieces were stored. ) Even on a sub-zero morning, there were a couple of men running in this park. I passed a number of tennis courts here and a table tennis space. There was nice new exercise station: time for push ups, pull ups, and even sit ups. ( Someone had covered the sit up bench with a piece of cardboard.)
A surprising place, this park. I wish we had something like this in Mostar. There are two tracks but both are near the universities. There is no river walk. Today, I did my run around the track at the University near my house. It was pleasant to see other people exercising. No one stared at me. I ran laps on the asphalt track, passing the university, the bombed out ruins of the barracks next to it, a new Mosque and a overgrown park. I look up and see the mountains where I usually run. They are tremendous and I wonder how I get up the mountain every day.
Amy in Mostar 