I came here the first time in August 2002 on a quick detour from a beach holiday in Croatia. I was ridiculously naive, knowing little about the country or the recent war, and was humbled and horrified by the recent devastation. There was little tourist infrastructure and lots of obvious need that I had no idea how to process. I spent one night and hightailed it out on a bus back to Zagreb the next day.

I returned for a week in October 2005 because I never stopped thinking about Sarajevo. In the interim I’d educated myself quite a bit and I was eager to get to know the town and talk to some people. I lucked into a cozy guesthouse in Bascarsija run by a garrolous man who sat and had beers with his guests every night and was generous with stories and advice. I spent a week wandering around town, taking loads of pictures, matching places with history, and coming home every evening to talk some more about what I’d seen.

So much had changed physically in three years – places that were ruins in 2002 were rebuilt in 2005 and an atmosphere of busy optimism pervaded the town. The scars are visible everywhere, on the buildings and on the people, but there is a resilient spirit and refusal to be defined by horror that I so admire. I fell in love with Sarajevo and have wanted to return since. And though I don’t kid myself that the city needs yet another goofy do-gooder with no Bosnian language skills coming to “help”, I’d love to find a way to give something back to this town that’s captured my heart.