TWIL: Hiking Novak's Cave.

This weekend 5 of us hired a guide to take us hiking to Novak's Cave - a place where Serbian hadjuks hid from Turkish armies during the rebellion. It's named after Old Novak (Starina Novak) who lived in this cave because of its inaccessibility and excellent view of approaching forces.

It has since been restored and we had the opportunity to take the hike with the man who was a major part of that process. He is 76 years old and actually hid in the cave during WWII as a child. The day started out crazy with a lot of laughter and continued to get better and better.

That being said, this weekend I learned:

That when the gentleman who feeds you says that we need some brandy, he really is going to get out the rakija and pour you a glass along with your morning coffee - at 9am.

That some people in Bosnia think that the best start to a hike is a shot of rakija - and when they pour it, we have to drink it.

That rakija is strong - especially at 9am - but it's rude to turn it down - so down the hatch it goes.

That this little old man is a champ.

That you need to take chasers wherever you can get them - even if it's in the form of coffee - which you also don't enjoy.

That if you finish your first glass of rakija too soon they will just refill it and make you have a second.

That Elizabeth hates having her picture taken, but she is so darn photogenic that you should just do it anyways.

That starting the morning with rakija will make for a lot of laughter throughout the day - letting you know this will be a good day.

That you can think you're starting your hike...

but then you'll see this...

a freaking baby deer on a leash - for 5 girls, it really can't get much better.

That it is possible to hike all the way up to Novak's Cave in dress clothing.

That Novak's Cave looks so far away from right here - but you'll make plenty of memories along the way, so it doesn't feel that long at all.

That hiking in the mountains just outside Sarajevo is a lot like hiking in the Pacific Northwest.

That Savo is adorable and we all wanted to adopt him by the end of the day.

That we might have been able to do this hike without a guide because of the trail markings - but we would never have made it to the starting point, most likely would have gotten lost at some point, and wouldn't have had nearly as much fun.

That Novak's Spring offers deliciously refreshing water you can just stick your face right into.

That Anya is too short to stick her face directly into the stream - she needed some assistance from her hands.

That Danielle makes some excellent trailmix - Angie especially enjoys it with a pensive attitude.

That when there's an interesting tree - everyone needs to climb it and get a picture with it.

and being silly is part of that requirement.

That Bosnia's beauty will never cease to amaze me.

That passing off the camera to Nedim to get some group shots is a necessity.

That Anya will always squint when the sun is bright - so make sure to tell her to put her sunnies on.

That the sheer drop off to the right is best avoided.

That climbing up was a cinch - but when you're prone to falling it's probably best to clip yourself in on the cable and put your camera away.

That Angie was adamant about something once we made it inside the cave to sit down at Savo's table - but no one remembers what it was.

That the view out of the window in Novak's Cave is wonderful and makes me think that it might be a nice place to live.

That Savo has amazing stories - and even though they have to be translated and a little something is lost - they are well worth hearing from that he hid in this cave when he was a child during WWII to the fact that he helped build everything in this cave.

That someone's face will almost always be cut out in group photos.

That our group dynamic for this hike could not have been any better - these ladies were awesome!

That I should have brought some spray paint to leave my mark in the cave along with many others.

That we glow.

That Aleks likes to show off his ability to hang out on dangerous cliffs while we safely remain on the lower ledge - but it makes for a good group shot.

That going down is sooooooooooo much more difficult than climbing up - especially when you're climbing down on loose dirt and gravel.

That climbing down on rocks is much easier than climbing down on the dirt and gravel.

That group shots like these will stay with us forever.

That smiling and laughing is great for photos with gorgeous vistas.

That having lots of group shots means you have a lot of options for future use.

As long as you get one in of everyone's B.A.-ness.

and just an extra one for luck.

That it is necessary to point out where you hiked on your way down - you'll be impressed with yourselves...

because it's a waaaaaaaaaays up there.

That Angie looks cute - especially when she sits on her little perch.

That Neno makes some excellent čorbe (soup).

That watermelon for dessert is much healthier than my normal options and still tastes delicious.

That it's necessary to sign the book - say nice things and don't forget to mention how adorable Roni the baby deer is.

That Roni is so stinking cute, but super skittish - make sure at least one friend gets to feed her while someone else documents this experience.

That illegal deforestation and other activities are destroying the beautiful mountains in Bosnia - Neno is very passionate about it.

That these men are all wonderful and made our day so special.

That sometimes the best way to keep things cool is by putting it in the ice cold, centuries old fountain.

That Savo is even more amazing in that he has 5 houses that have each been built by hand by him.

That this day really could not have been more amazing - it has easily become one of our very favorite days here in Bosnia.