Snowy day at the Sebilj Fountain in Bascarsija ("main market") of Sarajevo
Despite all my determination to keep up with my blog and keep everyone informed on my Bosnian adventures, life happens and here it is nearly 4 months into my year and I have only a little to show for it. I hope to remedy this in the new year, but I am not making any commitments that will certainly be broken, so please enjoy the occasional posts as they come. Here is one. I hope you enjoy.
At the Bosnia v. Spain football game
Like the rest of Europe, football is huge in Bosnia. Some friends and I were able to get tickets at the last minute to see Bosnia play Spain. We drove to Zenica, a city about an hour away from Sarajevo to the stadium there that was packed out to see this big game. It wasn't too much different from my sporting event experiences in the States. They even had some sausages in bread that looked almost like hot dogs.
This was my first European football experience. Before that, all I had seen were Clemson soccer games. I had heard about the rioting that sometimes goes on at games like these and about "hooligans" and all that, so I didn't know what to expect, but it really wasn't bad at all. The fans were intense, but well-behaved. Everyone was very respectful during the Spain National Anthem and at one point in the game, Spain was cheering for Bosnia and Bosnia was cheering for Spain in a half-mocking cheering battle.
I'm no football expert, so I can't tell you all about the game, but it was amazing to see the Bosnian and Spanish players' athletic abilities. Spain as the number one team at that time was especially impressive. The highlight of the game was when, as my friends and I ascended the stadium steps to leave and with only about a minute or two on the clock, Bosnia scored two goals to lose the game honorably.
The Bosnian Football cheer:
"Hajmo Bosno, Bosno, Bosno. Hajmo Hercegovino!"
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