“What are you doing for Christmas? Where will you be at New Year’s Eve? Do you have plans for your birthday?” Same questions every year. More or less same answer every year. “Don’t know, I’ll see.” For me the holidays aren’t anything special. I’d be totally fine hanging out in a hut, shovelling snow, making fire, walk a little, read a little. But to be honest this year I did feel like spending time with friends. Maybe I could do this walking, fire- making and snow shovelling stuff wíth friends?

After finishing the Via Dinarica Trail my first stop was in Zagreb where I picked up warm winter gear, walked a little walk on Sljeme, ate turkey (first timer) in Planinarski Dom Puntijarka and hopped on the night bus to Sarajevo. That was the 25th of December. On the 26th I met up with my sweet friend Sabina from Sarajevo, also known as “The Wild One“. Basically we spend (spent, I never know) the day talking, drinking coffee, talking, drinking beer, talking, drinking tea.

Vučko pub, Sarajevo
Vučko pub, Sarajevo
Vučko beer & pizza bar
Having beer & pizza

Cable car

Done all that it was time to leave the city. We thought it would be nice to take the cable car up and then walk to mountain hut Jure Franko where I will stay the next few weeks. Only the cable car costs 15BAM for tourists, which is a little bit too much for me. So, we walked. Not that that’s a bad thing, I really love these steep streets that take you from city centre up into the mountains within half an hour. Yes, the air in the city is pretty polluted, but that makes you appreciate the fresh mountain air even more.

Trailhead Trebević hike to Mountain hut Jure Franko
Ready to go, Sarajevo town hall
The stairs to the cable car, Sarajevo
The stairs to the cable car
Sarajevo city view smoggy Hiking day
Smoggy but beautiful. Or beautiful but smoggy?
Parking Trebević Trail
The end of the asphalt road 😉

Up to Jure Franko hut

When we hit the road near Sunnyland, we got ourselves a ride, walked a bit further through the forest until another car picked us up to drop us at the crossroad to the hut. Just perfect. The hut, SPD Jure Franko is absolutely THE place to be. Honestly, if you’re visiting (or living in) Sarajevo and looking for an city escape, go to Jure Franko hut on Trebević. This place probably has the best view, best food ánd the best host. Oh and the sweetest dog. Yes a dog and no I’m not joking, Dexter is amazing.

In the afternoon Sabina went back to Sarajevo and I stayed. Next month I’ll be helping out in the hut. Hopefully I learn to cook a decent grah (bean soup), cut wood, make a proper fire and everything else you do in and around a mountain hut. Shovel snow 🙂

Forest road Trebević to Jure Franko
Snowy road, heavy bag, enormous shoes: having fun 🙂
Signpost on Trebević
30 minutes to the hut
THE hut, Jure Franko
THE hut, Jure Franko
Living Room Mountain lodge Jure Franko
Mountain lodge Jure Franko
Sabina goes back, Trebević Tales
Sabina goes back
Dexter the dog
Dexter the dog
Trebević Tales, Jure Franko
THE view (next morning)

New Year’s Eve

On the 31st of December Sabina came up again and took two other girls with her, Ana and Hannah. Also two girls from Finland decided to celebrate New Year’s Eve on Trebević, just like a some of Primož (the host) friends and a bunch of mountaineers from Sarajevo. Although we didn’t see any firework, cause it was cloudy, it did feel like New Year’s Eve. I usually would be sound asleep for about an hour or three, so I totally got back to this “staying-up-late” kind of feeling I had as a kid. But now with wine.

According to the tradition (a tradition) we hiked to the top of Trebević on the first of January. Couldn’t think of a better way to start the New Year. My oh my the weather, the snow, the people, the peak, the view – it was just perfect. Jumping, playing, smiling. Hiking, posing, laughing. Eating, hugging and saying goodbye. What a wonderful day it was!

HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all, hugs & kisses 😘

The Wild One & me
Girls that hike Bosnian mountains
Girls that hike
Trebević Tales, Pines & Snow
Pines & Snow
Slowly going up Trebević mountain
Slowly going up
My favourite part, the ridge on Trebević
My favourite part, the ridge
Hiking trail on Trebević
Almost there
The top of Trebević mountain
The top of Trebević mountain
View from Trebević vrh
The view 🙂
More pines and more snow

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EVAdinarica

Hiking & Biking the Balkans

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