July 15: Another Great Dinner, Destination in the Balkans

Another great night and picturesque destination. It seems that you really can’t go wrong with so many of the little towns in the Balkans. Last night’s dinner in Tuzla, Bosnia- Herzegovina was exceptional in every regard and my destination this evening on the banks of Lake Jablanica is equally spectacular.

After publishing my blog yesterday evening, I headed on foot down side streets and across a pedestrian bridge to the center square of Tuzla in the midst of a severe rain, thunder, and lightning storm. The beautifully paved courtyard was surrounded by colorful cafes and restaurants of all types but largely deserted because of the weather.

However, as I was famished and armed with an umbrella, I ventured forth to find MamaMia’s Origins Steak and Wine Restaurant, situated at the end of the square and overlooking a beautiful water fountain with multiple nozzles spurting up water in a variety of entertaining patterns.

I don’t normally go out for steak often due to the expense. But with the dollar being so strong in the Balkans, I have found I can get a gourmet meal for the price of a burger in the US. This restaurant featured selections of meat that had been dry aged for thirty days and I picked a T-bone with lots of marbling and ordered it medium rare.

What a mouth-watering delight! The meat was cooked perfectly, served along with colorful grilled vegetables, and accompanied by a homemade chimichurri sauce created with onion, garlic, red pepper, extra virgin olive oil, dry tomato, fresh oregano and salt.

Believe it or not, the dessert was even better! The poppyseed cake layered with mascarpone cream, topped with cranberries and edible flowers, and surrounded by vanilla cream was so moist and flavorful it was one of the best bites of cake I’ve had since my throat cancer.

During my meal, I could see the central area beginning to fill with people as the rain abated, giving me a front row seat from my place on the covered patio to watch the festivities. By the time I left the restaurant at 9:30pm, the square was filled with hundreds of people eating at the cafes, watching soccer games on large screen TV’s, listening to bands playing, and entertaining their children with light in the dark toys.

Feeling truly satisfied with my stay in Tuzla, I left this morning to head to southern Bosnia Herzegovina, working my way through the mountains and past Sarajevo to a little beachside resort on the shores of Lake Jablanica.

Leaving town I could see beautiful tree-covered mountains and valleys reaching out before me, a welcome change from the largely agricultural landscape I have been traveling through for almost a week. Although there were almost no shoulders or safe pullouts to capture many of the beautiful vistas, I managed to get a few shots of the rolling green foothills and beautiful blue sky filled with white puffs of clouds.

With temperatures soaring again today and a major traffic incident around Sarajevo backing up traffic for miles, the ride was another test of endurance. I continued to use my strategy of hydrating, keeping my cooler vest moist, and stopping occasionally to cool down.

The funny thing is that I’ve been sweating so much my jacket and pants have started to smell like a wet dog rolled in them and a skunk died on top of them. Arriving at my lodging tonight, I decided to hose my gear down with the shower head, hoping that blasting them with cold water might somehow ameliorate the smell. Time will tell!