Photos from Sarajevo.

Sarajevo was the high point of our trip to Europe. We spent the least time there, but were lucky enough to have the best possible guides, Azra and Dino, to show us around. They took us everywhere, talked openly about the siege, which they both lived through, and paid for all our food and drinks. If you're going to spend a single day in a city, that is the way to do it. We can't thank them enough.

I was often embarrassed taking pictures in front of Azra and Dino, but I took as many as I could. Taking pictures of the destruction in the city made me feel guilty, so I didn't take many. They didn't live through the siege just so I could take pictures of the aftermath. I also felt guilty buying my flower pot made out of artillery shell. Turning something terrible into something beautiful is how the smith put it. The guilt was good because it helped me focus on how wonderful the city was.

Sarajevo has many dualities. Its people lived through a four years siege, but they're incredibly good natured. We had already spent over half a day being shown around before Azra suddenly remembered to point at a building and say "Oh! All those holes up there are from machine guns." I hadn't taken my eyes off them since I got to the city.

When we were at the tunnel used to carry goods into Sarajevo during the siege, Azra recalled with some amusement that as a child they would have to run across the street here and jump into the ditch before they could get picked off. They seemed unbothered by it, but it was the first time they'd visited since they were kids.

They drove us to the countryside on either edge of the city. On the East side there was a beautiful bridge over a river valley. I walked across its broken cobble stones to get a picture from the other side. Dino yelled at me "James, landmines!" I was very aware that I'd never had to think of that in my entire life, but for him it was common. That's why he's alive. Lush forests and mountains, the overwhelming richness of the land, unaccessible because of landmines waiting restlessly.

As you look through the pictures you may want to listen to this recording of the call to prayer. Of the five Muslim prayers this call at around 10:10pm sounded the beginning of the night prayer. The rain makes it hard to hear, and it amplifies the traffic noise, but you can hear the calls from each of the nearby mosques in concert.

There's still so much to the city I'd like to experience. I'm fascinated by the mixtures of religions that for years lived peacefully. When we first got to the city it was pretty emotional, and we thought coming was a mistake. But seeing how the city recovered, the resilience of the people who live there, is inspiring.