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Published by mgerard, 2017-10-09 13:49:05

GRS Group Newsletter_October 2017

GRS Group Newsletter_October 2017

Update
ISSU E .0 0 4 2 0 1 7 Q 4 E DITION

2017: The Home Stretch! In this issue

School is back in session and we’re headed into Q4! As we get Halloween Wars P.1
closer to the holiday season and year-end, we’d like to pause and
thank everyone for all of their hard work in 2017! TEDx Sponsorship & 2 Second Lean P.2
But we’re not done! This is crunch time for everyone in
commercial real estate. As the industry drives to close more deals Volunteering & Giving Back P.3
before the new year, it’s important that we continue to deliver
consistent service of the highest caliber. The holidays can be Halloween Contests P.4
distracting, be we need to stay on top of every transaction and
always be accessible to our clients and responsive to their needs. Mindfulness and Million Steps P.5
Remember, our customers all have an increased workload and
added pressures in 4. And, behind those big bank brands, they Backyard Chickens! P.6
are real people just like us balancing work, family and holidays at
year end. Tr ve nd on S ories P.8
We’ve had a good year so far, let’s finish it off strong!

Halloween IS HERE!

It’s that time of year again...

Get ready for the best Halloween season ever! Who will win in 2017?

Facetime on Tuesday, October 31st
Halloween Office Wars

The Scottsdale, rvine and Richmond offices will be going all out with their decorations
and costumes this year. A short movie will be created and posted to Socialcast for each
office so you’ll get a preview of their handiwork. Then on the Tuesday, October 31st,
we’ll use acetime to check in with each office and cast our votes for the best-decorated
office. ou’ll earn one GRS Buck for each acetime call you make.

Previous winners: Scottsdale ( ), Irvine ( )
Each year, the rvine office holds a decorating party and invites family members to
participate and enjoy some pi a and other snacks. t is a great bonding experience and
helps make quick work of the decorating process.
Other Halloween activities and contests include:
· irtual pumpkin carving contest

Costume contest
Halloween themed Wacky Wednesdays and Dance arty riday
Read more about these and all Halloween festivities and contests on age 4.

Richmond AWARD Heather Pryor has
Sponsorship been experiencing
regular internet
n uly, GRS Group sponsored a TEDx Salon in Richmond. By now most of you connectivity issues
are familiar with TED, which stands for Technology, Entertainment and recently. Ever since
Design. GRS Group has posted lots of TED Talks to Socialcast and have Spectrum took over
discussed many of them on our various team calls. Salon events are slightly Time Warner as her
different. They re smaller, more infrequent events that help keep a TEDx service provider, she
community engaged throughout the year and they usually involve a single has experienced
subject matter. Typically, live speakers are not part of the program. nstead reduced download
short TED videos or other content is provided to the participants as a means speeds and frequent
for sparking discussion about the topic of the night. problems. This has
been very frustrating
The uly event was entitled Richmond By Design.” The subject matter was and time consuming.
how Richmond can better deal with the high growth in population
experienced in the last 1 to 1 years via better urban design. How can we When Cincinnati Bell came out to her
accommodate more growth and maintain a high quality of life?” The group home to assess the possiblity of switching
of about 7 participants screened three TED videos and facilitators from to DSL, they discovered the house only has
around the community lead small group discussions about each. two phone jacks, one in the kitchen and
other in the bedroom, and the phone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v yhCyB4o service was never fully connected.
https://www.ted.com/talks/robert hammond building a park in the sky
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v p dLw7cs The installer they sent was very helpful and
recommended Heather get a high strength
The location for the event was both unique and particularly relevant for the router instead. She bought the new router
topic. We met at Clopton Siteworks, a former hilip Morris tobacco storage through Ama on rime and the result has
complex. t s a 2 acre site of historic timber frame warehouses and is now been a x increase in speed and not a
being transformed through adaptive reuse into a creative community for single lost the connection. t has been
small businesses. More than jobs are expected to be created or moved wonderful!
to the area, which has historically trailed the overall industrial community in
development activities. t was a great night with lots of interesting ideas and Heather put it best in an email to oreen:
networking from many aspects of the Richmond Community. “Talk about a 2 second lean…..how
about a 2 hour a day lean!”
- Andy Brownstein

f you have a 2 Second
Lean story to tell,

submit it to marketing
and we’ll share it in
our next newsletter!

Hurricane Relief

I am participating in a charity walk hosted by Traditionally GRS Group has offered to
Best Friends Society for One Love Pit Bull match individual employee donations
Foundation on October 21st. One Love is a to the charities selected as part of our
group that my husband, daughter and I Holiday Give Back Program to an
volunteer at weekly. Part of their work, and aggregate cap of $2,000. In light of
almost the majority of it, is for shelter dogs at current events and the tremendous
the county shelter. We train, do shelter visits, relief efforts needed for Hurricanes
give enrichment items, day foster, medical Harvey, Irma and Maria, we are
treatment and offer an adoption package on making this program available now.
Pit Bull type dogs. The money that we raise
for this walk will be to help support what we To date, we have matched donations
do on a daily basis. I have noticed personally to the following charities:
that dogs that are given this additional
attention tend to shine bright for potential American Red Cross
adopters, show well on meet and greets and Habitat for Humanity
keep their minds flowing so that the shelter UMCOR
environment doesn’t take over. Best Friends Animal Society
Mercury One
- Theresa Pappas

GRS Group encourages our employees to give back to their communities through service.
Our Volunteer Time program will allow up to 8 hours of volunteer time per half for each
employee (ie. every six months). Employees will not have to use PTO hours for their
volunteer time. If you’re looking for ideas on how to get involved, this is a great website for
finding opportunities for you and your family in your local area.
http://www.volunteermatch.org/

Sweet Rewards! In addition, GRS Group has made a
contribution to the Las Vegas Victims’
Theresa Pappas recently won a contest for the most updated Client Low Downs in GNet. Fund set up by the Las Vegas Police
Her prize was a ice cream party delivered to her door! Good stuff - especially for the kids! Department.

“This is hands down the cutest delivery ever! Thank you so “There is violence, there is

much. Lola dumped the sprinkles already, but that’s all in the hatred, there is darkness in
the world, to be sure. But
fun! ... And, yes, it was completely frozen when I got it! Thank there is also immeasurable
love, incalculable kindness,
you :)” - Theresa Pappas and infinite light.

Look for small ways to spread
optimism where you can—this
can be as simple as a smile.
Every act of love, kindness,
and hope—even each positive
thought—counterbalances the
opposite forces that are also

”present in the world.
- Kaia Roman

Halloween IS HERE!

(cont from page 1)

n addition to Office Wars and acetime voting on October 31st, our festivities this year will include the following:

irtual pumpkin carving contest
Costume contest
Halloween themed Wacky Wednesdays and Dance arty ridays

Halloween is a time for everyone (including your family) to get involved and participate. ou’ll receive one GRS Buck
for every entry, and the winner in each category will receive an additional two bucks, a commemorative trophy and
most importantly bragging rights.

Pumpkin arving/ ecorating ontest
ost a photo of your family’s carved or decorated pumpkin between now and the 31st
to the Holidays and Events Group on Socialcast pumpkincarvingcontest. Our judges
will select a winner for each of these categories:

ost reative esign
Previous Winners: Andy Brownstein (2016), Kevin May (2015)

est arved Pumpkin
Previous Winners: Kevin May (2016), Heather Pryor (2015)

est ecorated Pumpkin
Previous Winner: Noreen Clindinning (2015 and 2016)

alloween ostume ontest
ost a photo of you and your family in your Halloween best between
now and the 31st to the Holidays and Events Group costumecontest.
Our judges will select their favorites based on these categories:

ost Original
Previous Winners: Toni Robinson (2016), Suzette Hinds (2015)

est Pet ostume
Previous Winners: Terri Terry (2016), Amy Regal (2015)

utest id ostume
Previous Winners: Theresa Pappas (2016), Erika Dahlem (2015)

acky ednesdays and ance Party ridays
Halloween-themed Wacky Wednesdays! And here is the set list for Dance arty ridays. ost a
video of your best moves (check out Erika, oel, Theresa and ancy ge ng their groove on to
the Bee Gees and Earth Wind ire). We’ll select a winner each week and then an overall
grand pri e winner for the best, most creative choreography.

September th ead an’s Party by Oingo oingo
October th I Put a Spell on ou from ocus Pocus
October th Time arp from Rocky orror Picture Show
October th ichael ackson’s Thriller
October th onster ash (contact ancy and Theresa to get in on their plan)

Lastly, don’t forget to update your profile picture on Socialcast to get in the spirit.

1 Million Steps Update

Are You Present? Our 1 Million Steps program has been a great success this
year – so far, we’ve walked 40,099,264 steps and have 27
It’s typical for business leaders to proclaim that “our currency is really people participating on a regular basis (that’s up from 24 last
our people and their relationships.” Often the reality is that businesses quarter!). We have 6 people who have logged in excess of 2
focus on improving their processes, systems, technology to increase million steps and 17 that have hit the 1 million mark.
efficiency and wallet-share w/the clients. All of these items are critical Congrats to Julie Soresen who is currently in the lead with
to a company’s success, but this may be the easier part of the success just shy of 3 million steps.
equation. How many businesses in our space spend meaningful time
on the human beings in their employ? Program Details
To begin to address this gap, GRS Remember, the goal is not necessarily to be the first person
has created a Mindfulness Leader- to get to 1,000,000 steps but to support one another to help
ship Group that meets regularly to get as many people as possible over the goal. You’ll have the
discuss and work on the practice ability to earn GRS Bucks along the way when you reach
of simply being present in your certain milestones or when you get others out walking with
daily work and personal life you.
(hopefully you all have one of • 1 GRS Buck for every 4 weeks of consecutive walking
those). Why bother to work on • 1 GRS Buck for every 100,000 steps logged
being present? Why not continue • 3 GRS Bucks for every walking buddy you get to participate
with your head down, motoring
through you day executing tasks The human body is designed to move, so
and looking for the next bridge to cross? Studies have shown that we should move it!
meditation and mindful practice can increase happiness, create a
platform for better relationships and reduce stress.

One of the primary goals of these practices is to click off the auto-pilot
we all turn on, to remember to be conscious (present) when executing
both weighty and mundane tasks. Can you really do multiple tasks well
all at the same time? Some of those tasks will suffer, but you may think
“at least they’re done!” Maybe mindful single-tasking is the new
multi-tasking?

The practice of mindfulness is not about pristine isolation and disassoci-
ation from stressful or unpleasant tasks. Rather, it is about connecting
with the present moment; the past is just that and the future is shaped
by what you do in the present. Our Mindfulness Group has explored
myriad sources (TED talks, books, apps) that focus on mindfulness,
meditation and breathing. Check out some options at https://grsglob-
al.socialcast.com/groups/174319-mindfulleadership. When someone
tells you to “take a deep breath” they may not being simply suggesting
you dial it down a notch; they may be suggesting a perfect first step to
being more in the present.

- Mark Halloran

GRS Group Library!

We have amassed quite a collection of books due in large part to the success of our book group. We will be cataloging these materials and
officially open the GRS Group Library before the end of the year. Books will now be available for “check-out” to all employees so if there is
particular book or subject matter you are interested in, we will be able to help you out.

with the McGovern Family...

With 2/3 of our children in college our daughter jokes that we are
filling our empty nest with actual chickens. My wife and youngest
son started raising chickens in our backyard in uly and we currently
have a ock of seven. They free-range all day in the yard and return
to the coop at dark.

At night we need to shut the coop to keep them safe from the
numerous fox, hawks, coyote (and occasional bear) that live in the
woods behind our house. We already lost one to a predator. They
are very friendly and tend to follow you around the yard, but they
are easily spooked and quickly run in the bushes for cover.

n the morning they come up to my back deck and peck at the sliding
glass door for attention while am having coffee and often can see
them exploring the yard outside my office. They won’t start laying
eggs unit they are about months old, so we are holding out hope
to have some eggs before winter when they normally would not lay
eggs as often.

Raising chickens is somewhat rare in my neighborhood but there are
a few others that we know of and even a acebook page of people in
our Town. o roosters are allowed, but my neighbor had a huge pig.
They expected it to be one of those small potbelly types and it grew
to be this giant hog. Oh my!

att cGovern

ST R wards

roviding a platform for employees to recogni e each other is just one way we encourage a positive atmosphere, all the
while fostering collaboration and teamwork. ourteen people received a STAR Award from a co-worker in the third
quarter! Everyone has bucks to give away, and we encourage you to acknowledge your peers throughout the year.

As a reminder, GRS Bucks are to be awarded to co-workers when the employee feels they or their work should be
recogni ed as an exemplary example using one of the following categories:
• Collaboration working well together on a joint project
• roblem Solving providing constructive criticism and suggestions for improvement, being creative
• Agility the ability to change course or direction as needed, exibility
• Teamwork supporting others internally
• Service supporting our customers or other external partners

Book Club Update

Here are reviews from some of our recent Book Club participants!

Manage Your Day-To-Day: uilding our Routine, ind our ocus Sharpen our
reative ind, edited by ocelyn Glei

Do you work at a breakneck pace all day, only to find that you haven t accomplished the most important
things on your to-do list by the time you leave the office? Manage our Day-to-Day can help by offering
insights from leading creatives for using your time wisely and making your best work.

Chapters cover how to build a rock-solid daily routine, ways to fend off/field a constant barrage of
messages, how to find focus amidst chaos, taking back your time by taming the tools that are there to
“help” or entertain you, and tips on how to carve out the time you need to do the work that matters.

The group pulled quite a bit out of this book, including tips that can be implemented to start a routine that
gears you up for work. Another helpful tip humans are only able to give about 9 minutes of their best
work at a time (something to consider before embarking on your next back-to-back review binge). One
member got scared straight reali ing that screen apnea is real, and may affect them! Lastly, tips to sharpen
focus and block time for creative ways to further goals was considered for company-wide implementation.

e oyne

Everybody rites, our Go To Guide to reating
Rediculously Good ontent, by nn andley

The book “Everybody Writes” was an educational book that gives
direction on how to write better overall. One of the most important takeaways from the book was that you
don’t have to be a professional writer to write, you just need to write more often. ust 1 minutes of writing
a day are better than 2 hours of writing on a Saturday afternoon. Mike Gerard said it best “ ust get in the
game.” To become a better athlete you must practice and practice often. There is nothing different about
becoming a great writer. The Author offered advice on creating better content for your customers through
honest information, research, and the use of credible sources. n the end that content needs to be interest-
ing and engaging to the end user with the hope that it will spark a conversation and hopefully create leads
and customers for your business. The book was a wonderful “How To” for any business.

athan VonGunten

ow to ave a Good ay by aroline ebb

How to Have a Good Day is about exactly that. t’s a long book but full of easy to apply, useful information
on how you can make each day a good day. n the first section, the author sets the foundation for the rest
of the book by explaining how our reactionary brains work. t’s a helpful foundation; after that she refers
back to this information to build on each of the concepts she’s presenting to you but otherwise stays away
from the “science-y” stuff and that’s what liked about this book. At the end of each chapter she recaps
her key points and then provides you with a list of things to try. t’s all laid out in a very easy to read format
and allows the reader to easily refer back to any chapter or section for a quick refresher. Sections include
discussions on riorities Se ng ntentional Direction for our Day, roductivity Making the Hours in the
Day Go urther, Relationships Making the Most of Every nteraction, Thinking Being our Smartest,
Wisest, Most Creative Self, n uence Maximi ing the mpact of all you Say and Do, Resilience Sailing
Through Setbacks and Annoyances and finally, Energy Boosting our Enthusiasm and Enjoyment. A bonus
at the end of the book is the three appendices, one of which is How to Be Good at Email. This would
probably be a great read for everyone!! Like said, there is a lot of information in this book, but it’s worth
your time. All of it is really good information for use in both your work and personal life and can easily be
read one section at a time to fit a busy schedule.

- Terri Terry

Book Club Update (cont.)

Essentialism The isciplined Pursuit of ess, by Greg c eown

Our Summer reading group enjoyed this book about Essentialism. Essentialism is about doing less, but
better! The book teaches us how to control our own choices about where and how to spend our energy and
time by using a three-step process: Explore, Eliminate, and Execute. “Explore” reminds us to play and sleep!
There is a reason though by taking care of our greatest assest (us!), we will be able to see all of the trivial
pursuits pulling at us and discern what is really important and they should only be a vital few goals/proj-
ects. Great! ow we just need a plan to “Eliminate” all of those trivial pursuits that come up every day. Let’s
just say, the author has several interesting ways of painlessly saying o’! We know what we need to do so
let’s jump into the deep end of the pool and get started! ot so fast! How many times have you done that
with a project (or life) only to be overwhelmed and give up? “Execute” a fabulous routine that works for
you to move towards your goal/complete your project/make your highest contribution and always remem-
ber that small wins are powerful and quickly add up to you not only making it to the deep end of the pool
but winning an Olympic medal! Seriously, you should read the book just to learn Michael help’s pre-race
routine! The book is an easy read as it is broken down by the three steps and the author provides wonder-
ful real-world examples to help you understand the concepts and ideas.

- ancy Conner

Summer Reading Program Overview
Thank you to everyone who participated in this year’s Summer Reading rogram. We had some great and insightful
conversations. Each group had some specific suggestions for implementation at GRS, so you’ll see some of those
ideas rolled out between now and the end of the year. Stay tuned!

Upcoming Birthdays! “It was truly a pleasure to work with
A m y Reg al and her team at GRS
Michael Gerard - October 14 Group. The ability to run so many
Michael Anselmo - October 17 services through a single point of
contact saved us a significant
Steve rancis - October 22 amount of time and resources. We
Allen Brown - October 23 look forward to working with the
GRS Group team again on future
ohn och - October 23 projects.”
Mark Halloran - October 23
Bill Nelson
Brian Carr - October 2 Director of Operations
ulie Sorensen - October 31
Chuck ictor - ovember 3 King Group Realty
Alex Del Castillo - December 21
ancy Conner - December 2

ance Party ridays
ridays always seem to be busy, and everyone is trying to wrap things up before the weekend. Dancing is a great way
to boost your energy levels and relieve stress - so don’t forget to check Socialcast for a video to
dance along to, turn up the volume on your speakers, get up out of your chair and give this exercise
a try. Rate your energy level 1- (Barely Breathing - ing of the Hill!).
ow start the video and get moving, wait 3 seconds and then rate your energy level again.
Did you see any improvement? This exercise can help you when you are procrastinating, feeling
overwhelmed, fighting boredom, and need to motivate yourself to perform at peak performance!

Accounting & HR Update Quarterly 401(k) Calls

New Remittance Address for Corteq Our next quarterly 401(k) call is
Customers! scheduled for October 24th.
The purpose of these calls is to
As a reminder, GRS | Corteq has moved its bank account help you maximize the benefit
from Wells Fargo Bank to Chase Bank. In addition, the remit- of your 401(k). Our financial
tance address for customer payments has been changed. advisor for our 401(k) plan, Jim
Payments are no longer to be sent to the Richmond office. Griffin, will discuss a pre-determined topic but there will also be a
Instead, please direct clients to mail payments (including chance for each of you to ask questions of Jim. Please consider taking
deposits) to: advantage of this valuable resource.

Global Realty Services Group LLC Virtual Suggestion Box!
29388 Network Place
Chicago, IL 60673-1293 Our Virtual Suggestion
Box is now live. Please
Learn Health Plan Lingo email any ideas you
have for suggested pro-
When you get to know the basics of how health plans work, cess improvements or
you’ll be better prepared to manage your health care and new initiatives for us to
your costs. With Open Enrollment approaching, please take explore to the following
a few minutes to check out the attached issue of VitaMin. email address:

[email protected]

ITECH UPDATE

We are here to help!
Please remember to use [email protected] for ALL of your IT related questions/concerns/etc.

Terminal Server Maintenance
We will be conducting some weekend maintenance of our Terminal Servers, which will involve
installing updates/removing legacy software/optimizing performance. Dates/times/impact
pertaining to the maintenance will be provided.

GRS Group Uptime Report
It has been 446 days since our last major downtime event.

- Marc Schnitman

VitaMin

Vital health information in a minute

LEARN HEALTH PLAN LINGO

When you get to know the basics of how health plans work, you’ll be better prepared to manage your health care
and your costs. Let’s get started with a few of the most important terms to know.

Glossary of terms: % Coinsurance: A set percentage of costs you
pay for covered health services after you meet
Premium: The cost for health plan coverage, the deductible. You may get a bill for your
usually paid monthly. If you have a health plan share of the costs after your visit. The plan
through work, the premium may be shared by pays the rest of covered charges. Coinsurance
you and your employer. If your employer does not include copayments.
funds its employee health benefit, your
portion of the plan cost may be called the Out-of-pocket maximum: The limit you pay
“plan contribution”. for covered services each plan year. Once you
have met the out-of-pocket maximum, your
Deductible: The amount you pay before your plan pays 100% of covered services for the
plan begins to pay your covered health care remainder of the coverage period. This limit
expenses. For example, if your plan’s does not include the money you pay for
deductible is $2,000, you’ll pay the full cost premiums or health care services not covered
for eligible health services up to $2,000. under the health plan.
Then, your plan begins to pay.
Explanation of benefits (EOB): After you visit
Copay or copayment: A fixed dollar amount the doctor, you’ll get a statement from your
you may pay each time you visit the doctor’s health plan called an EOB. It outlines the
o ce, urgent care clinic, ER or pharmacy. services you received and the costs paid by
Usually, you pay the copay when you receive your plan. It also shows the amount you’re
the service. The amount can vary by plan. responsible to pay. An EOB is not a bill, but
the amounts shown should match up with the
amounts on any bills from medical providers.

This information is for educational purposes only. It is not intended as financial or medical advice. Review your plan documents or consult a licensed insurance agent if you have questions
about your specific health plan. If there are any di erences between this information and the information contained in your plan documents, the information in your plan documents will
prevail.

All Cigna products and services are provided exclusively by or through operating subsidiaries of Cigna Corporation, including Cigna Health and Life Insurance Company, Connecticut General Life
Insurance Company, Cigna Behavioral Health, Inc., Cigna Health Management, Inc., and HMO or service company subsidiaries of Cigna Health Corporation. The Cigna name, logo, and other Cigna
marks are owned by Cigna Intellectual Property, Inc. All pictures are used for illustrative purposes only.
899949 10/17 © 2017 Cigna. Some content provided under license.

TRAVEL & VACATION STORIES

Ruby Aguirre: Wedding Trip to Texas!

made a trip back home this past weekend to Texas, for a bache-
lorette weekend, and my best friend’s wedding! was the maid of
honor, so it definitely was not something could miss. t was such
a memorable experience seeing my best friend, who ’ve called
my sister for many years, marry her soulmate. was so happy for
them, could not stop smiling. My family also attended the
wedding, and we were able to grab a group photo. The wedding
and bachelorette party were in two different cities, so literally
was hopping from city to city while was home. Despite the
chaos, it was a weekend to remember!

Nancy Conner: There is a reason Ireland is so GREEN!

went on my annual vacation in reland in September. t rained every day. Most
days it was ALL day.
Sure, you expect it to rain in reland but even the locals were staying indoors! We
did not go to any little villages, as planned, but we still had a great time spending
time together. When the rain and wind would lighten, we would scurry to the pub
to sit by the roaring fire to enjoy a delicious Guinness and some awesome pub
snacks.
To be honest, it was super difficult to try to take any photos with the rain and wind
and apping rain coat with hood but was able to get one of a pub while jumping
around puddles! cannot wait to go back!

Ross Simmons: Our Trip to Italy

My wife, Wendy, and finally achieved our dream of visiting taly
in September. abulous trip! But it didn’t dawn on me until we
arrived that taly is not just one place. Each city or region we
toured offered much different physical environments, history,
culture and cuisine.
ROME: Of course, ama ing history. Our hotel room looked
directly out upon the antheon, an ama ing temple built in the
2nd century AD. Our tour guide at the Colosseum referenced
changes that had been made “very recently” in the 17 s.
TUSCANY: We enjoyed the scenic hill-top towns of Montalcino,
Siena, ien a, and Montelpulciano, where we toured the wine
cave of Talosa winery.
VENICE: A fascinating place like no other. ascinated by the
logistics of moving everything by boat. We saw many gondolas.
Also eets of water taxis, vapore (essentially water-borne city
busses), police boats, fire boats, ambulance boats, even a S
boat stacked high with Ama on deliveries!
FLORENCE: A vibrant urban village feel, and rich in Renaissance
art and architecture.

On our drive to the ALPS, we traveled an ama ing highway with more than 1 tunnels during a 4 hour drive. n the resort of Courmayeur,
we rode the Monte Bianco Skyway gondola to a peak at greater than 13, ft elevation on the shoulder of Mt. Blanc. The air is thin up
there! Courmayeur was a charming, bucolic mountain village full of stone houses, slate roofs and window boxes full of red geraniums.

TRAVEL & VACATION STORIES

ulie Sorensen: acts and Impressions from my recent trip to ontenegro osnia er egovina and roatia

1. These are 3 countries from what used to be known as ugoslavia. They are located on the Adriatic Sea (across from taly and north of
Albania and Greece).

2. While they share the same language (but different dialects), the people, terrain, and economies are quite different.
3. nteresting history, as they were part of the Roman and Ottoman Empires as well as the Austo-Hungarian Empire.
4. chose this location because saw a photo of otor Bay, Montenegro. t looked so beautiful that had to see it in person.

. Montenegro and Bosnia-Her egovina have very rugged terrain which includes the Durmitor Mountains, limestone peaks and glacial lakes.
. Bo nia-He egovina has a much larger land mass than Montenego, and includes more arable land. There are notable wines from this area

(and drank many of them).
7. Most of us know Sarajevo from hosting the 19 4 Olympics the capital city’s most proud accomplishment. This lovely city is ringed with

mountains. One of their slogans is “Olympic City 19 4; Surrounded City 1992-199 .”
. Bosnia still carries many scars of the 1992-199 war. A large number of buildings throughout the country have bullet holes in them. Some

structures have barely one wall remaining. Economically, it has not recovered, as of the educated young are unemployed and there is
no real industry.
9. The old, fortified cities are beautiful. But with the beauty comes the knowledge that much of them had to be rebuilt due to the wars.
1 . Wonderful place to visit, hike and explore! (see more on Socialcast)chaos, it was a weekend to remember!

Bay of otor, Montenegro Bay of otor, Montenegro almost jord like Black Lake, Montenegro (Durmitor mountains)

Me in Highest occupied village in Bosnia Souvenirs made from shell casings, Sarajevo iew of old town Dubrovnik, Croatia (fortified city)


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