After this, Katherine and I began to spend most of our free time together. Dinners, walks, concerts, theatre, and much more- Letters exchanged hands, I sent Katherine flowers again.
The new year started on a happy note. Then, everyday routine took over again, and work often depressed our spirits, but our friendship lit up our faces. Katherine's work was taking her to distant regions, cut off from Sarajevo; we communicated only sporadically by phone, yet our closeness grew. During the end-of-year holidays, we had our first real vacation together, discovering many common interests and common dreams - books, politics, theatre, music, cooking, and a deep commitment to helping cement peace in the place which had become our home - Bosnia and Herzegovina. I started to feel that, in a very real way, we could perhaps share a future.
Enchanted ears
The 13th Sarajevo Winter Festival opened. Every day there were theatre performances, art exhibition openings, concerts, and readings. Katherine and I went to several events, including a concert of the Sarajevo Philharmonic Orchestra, with guest musicians from abroad. The National Theatre, the site of the performance, was one of the lovelies! buildings in Sarajevo, and one of the first cultural buildings renovated after the war. Its walls were gilded and softly lit, the walls blending perfectly with the pale green velvet chairs of the orchestra.
Katherine was enthralled by violinist Emil Bohnenblust's concert. Afterwards, she asked me if there was any possibility of meeting this charismatic and gifted artist.