Bosnia: A Cross-Cultural Crossroads (a trip for educators)

Program Description

Bosnia-Herzegovina, a beautiful and undiscovered destination in southeastern Europe, is a crossroads of history and culture. A place where religions and cultural zones meet – Catholic Central Europe, Orthodox Eastern/Southeastern Europe, and the Muslim Middle East, B-H is a country that, according to the local joke, has “more history than we can stand.” B-H has prehistoric cave paintings, the remnants of a medieval kingdom and religious heresy, reminders of centuries of Ottoman rule, influences from a once-vibrant Jewish community, architecture from Austro-Hungarian times, and poignant memorials to the impact of three major 20th century conflicts (World War I, World War II, and the 1990s conflict). All of this takes place in a spectacular natural setting (mountains, forest, rivers, even one town on the Adriatic Sea).
During this trip, you will have the opportunity not only to enjoy Bosnia’s rich cultural life, shopping, and food; you will also explore the country’s cultures, religious traditions, language, and history.
June 15 – 18: Sarajevo
Arrive in Sarajevo, check in to hotel– welcome dinner and talk on Bosnia’s cultural heritage. Spend four nights in Sarajevo in the heart of the old town. During the days we will have talks about the history of Bosnia (“Sarajevo’s Ottoman Past,” “A Century of Wars, Part 1: World War I,” “A Century of Wars, Part 2: From the Kingdom of Yugoslavia - World War II,” “The Tito Years,” and “A Century of Wars, part 3: The Last War”); walking tours and visits to landmarks and museums, including a traditional Ottoman home and cemetery, the Jewish Museum and Cemetery, the Srebrenica Museum, and other World War I and World War II sites; and general site-seeing. Also, while in Sarajevo we hope to be visiting a Bosnian school and arranging meetings with Bosnian educators.
June 19: Mostar
An 80 mile bus trip takes us to Mostar, with stops along the way for lunch at a local riverside restaurant and to see sites that include the lovely small town of Konjic, the World War II battle site/museum of Jablanica, and a tour of the tekije in Blagaj (a lovely Sufi site). After settling in at the hotel, we will have time before nightfall to explore the picturesque town, shop and see its famous bridge.
June 20 - Trebinje
Another short bus trip takes us to Trebinje for the night. As we travel we will stop to see the fortress at Pocitelj, cave paintings at the Badanj Cave, ancient ruins, the Bogomil tombs and a medieval city. When we arrive at our destination we will visit the nearby famous Serbian monastery and the Arslanagic Bridge.
June 21 – 22: Neum
Today we will cross the border into Croatia to visit Dubrovnik (the famous world heritage city), with an on-the-bus talk about the city as we drive. We’ll have time for lunch and to explore and then continue our drive along the coast of the Adriatic Sea, crossing back into Bosnia at day’s end to stay for two nights in Neum, Bosnia’s only city on the coast. Our second day in Neum will be a free day to explore on our own or just relax at the beach!
June 23 – 24: Bihac
The 23rd will be our longest travel day (just over 225 miles) and takes us through Split, a lovely Croatian city on the Adriatic which was once the capital of the eastern half of the Roman Empire and is the site of the Roman Emperor Diocletian’s Palace. We will pull into Bihac too late to see town, so on the 24th we will enjoy a city tour of Bihac and a visit to Una National Park for hiking, white water rafting, or simply taking in the beauty of nature.
June 25: Jajce
Our last night on the road finds us with time to learn about Jajce’s role in World War II and visit various sites from the war, while still leaving a bit of time for exploring the city – which has a waterfall, fortress and old town – on our own.
June 26-27: Sarajevo
We will travel back to Sarajevo, passing through Travnik (birthplace of Nobel Prize novelist Ivo Andric) and the lovely mountain town of Vlasic, where we will stop for lunch and maybe some shopping! By evening we will again be in Sarajevo, which will look much more familiar now. Our final day of the tour we will hear a talk and discuss “A Century of Peace after a Century of Wars: Problems and Opportunities for Bosnia in the 21st Century.” We’ll have time to visit the beautiful Vrelo Bosne Park, discuss teaching projects and say our farewells to each other. It will be time to pack bags as we prepare for our departure in the morning.

Highlights

Highlights:
 While in Sarajevo attend daily talks about Bosnian history from the Ottoman Empire to present day and then visit
relevant sites and museums.
 Visit a Bosnian school and have the opportunity to meet with Bosnian teachers.
 Experience the cave paintings of Badanj Cave, ancient ruins, a medieval city and the Bogomil tombs during travel from Mostar to Trebinje.
 Explore Dubrovnik (Croatia) – a famous World Heritage City.
 Pay a visit to Una National Park where white-water rafting, hiking and exploring, or simply enjoying nature are all options

Trip Leader is Dr. Lisa Adeli:
Dr. Lisa Adeli has worked in educational outreach for the University of Arizona's Center for Middle Eastern Studies since July 2007. Her goal is to provide teachers with accurate information on the Middle East, professional development opportunities both in the U.S. and abroad, and materials that educators can use in their classroom.

Adeli has an extensive teaching background. She has taught English, ESL, Humanities, and History at the college level (an adjunct at the University of Arizona South, Cochise College) and, later, World History and English at the high school level (Buena High School, Cholla High School). She continues to teach high school part-time. She is a Museum Teacher Fellow with the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum (Washington DC) and the National World War I Museum (Kansas City), an alumna of the State Department's Teaching Excellence and Achievement program (now Teachers for Global Classrooms), a board member of the Arizona Council for History Education and the Middle East Outreach Council, actively involved with National History Day in Arizona and the National Council for the Social Studies, and a volunteer staff member of the Educators' Institute for Human Rights.

Dr. Adeli's academic expertise is in 20th century Balkan history, with a special emphasis on the former-Yugoslavia (especially Bosnia). She received her BS in Foreign Service from Georgetown University, two master's degrees - in History and in Applied Linguistics (Teaching English as a Second Language), and a doctorate in History from the University of Arizona. Her doctoral dissertation was about the reaction against ethnic persecution in Bosnia and Croatia during World War II.

She lived/studied in Belgrade, then the capital of Yugoslavia, for 15 months, and has traveled to the Balkans as often as possible since then. Bosnia is her favorite destination, and she often brings friends, family, and teachers there.

What`s Included

All accommodations based on double occupancy per itinerary with breakfast daily and local service charges and taxes (6 nights in Sarajevo, 1 night in Mostar, 1 night in Trebinje, 2 nights in Neum, 2 nights in Bihac, 1 night in Jajce). Standard hotel check-in/out times apply unless otherwise noted; arrival and departure transfers by private coach for those arriving on the land tour start date and departing on the land tour end date; transportation by private motor coach for overland travel and touring days; all sightseeing and excursions including entrance fees per itinerary; local English speaking guides through t itinerary; special cultural features as stated in itinerary; services of a [name of agency here] tour manager throughout the land program; meals as listed in itinerary; beverages with provided meals; gratuities to tour manager, local guides, drivers; destination preparation information packet.