"Travel in the sense, to guide us toward -
a better balance of wisdom and compassion
- of seeing the world clearly,
and yet feeling it truly."
- Pico Iyer
a better balance of wisdom and compassion
- of seeing the world clearly,
and yet feeling it truly."
- Pico Iyer
We travel to slow things down and take things in. We came here very unfamiliar of what the country has to offer and we have no expectations at all. We are happy that we had blank minds when we came here because Sarajevo painted our memories with the most beautiful views. We read some articles but reading is not the same as actually traveling to a place. Especially coming from the bold and hard city of Belgrade, we actually thought that Sarajevo would probably be the same city-like atmosphere. As we approached Sarajevo, we were like "Where's the city?" because all we saw was just curvy road along the mountain and the GPS was saying that we are arriving soon. As we slowly approach an opening, we saw the red-roofed houses and greeted us with spectacular views. We did not expect that Sarajevo was surrounded by mountain ridges and the city is prickled with minarets.
Sarajevo is a vibrant city that exemplifies East-meets-West ambiance with lingering remnants of war. During the 1990's, Sarajevo was at the brink of destruction, with the infamous longest siege in the history of modern warfare, that shocked the world. Today, you can still see the bullet holes on the buildings. In the heart of the city, several cemeteries are scattered around, a testimony of those terrible years. It is sad to see that most of the people buried here died during the period of the war, from 1992-1995.
On the other hand, during Austro-Hungarian period, they built European style architectures contrasting with the Ottoman Turk's mosques and bazaars, hence giving each visitor a unique vibe. We are totally surprised by Sarajevo, or better yet, smitten by this intriguing contrasting histories that somehow jive.
Sarajevo is a vibrant city that exemplifies East-meets-West ambiance with lingering remnants of war. During the 1990's, Sarajevo was at the brink of destruction, with the infamous longest siege in the history of modern warfare, that shocked the world. Today, you can still see the bullet holes on the buildings. In the heart of the city, several cemeteries are scattered around, a testimony of those terrible years. It is sad to see that most of the people buried here died during the period of the war, from 1992-1995.
On the other hand, during Austro-Hungarian period, they built European style architectures contrasting with the Ottoman Turk's mosques and bazaars, hence giving each visitor a unique vibe. We are totally surprised by Sarajevo, or better yet, smitten by this intriguing contrasting histories that somehow jive.
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This is the Latin Bridge, where Archduke Franz Ferdinand was shot, an incident that started World War I.
This was the famous Holiday Inn Hotel wherein reporters stayed during the siege of Sarajevo.
This is the Tunnel Museum. Serb forces surrounded the city of Sarajevo during the siege. They needed to supply the city with food and weapons that is why they built this hand dug. Many had perished and died because of this tunnel.
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Socialist-era buildings.
The Turkish Quarter or Bascarsija is as charming as you think it is, it has inviting restaurants, trinket and jewellery shops and mosques that will make you feel like you are in Turkey.
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We are not leaving Bosnia without eating Burek. Burek is a filo-pastry that are cylindrical, filled with minced meat and they often are wound into spirals. Down below is a pita pie with kajmak and cheese. We stumbled upon this very busy place on our first day in Sarajevo. Brock, who loves food, of course, wanted to go back here the next day to taste the food, and so we did. Well, it turned out great for our starving bellies!
Overall, Sarajevo is a surprising city and we give it a two thumbs up! Despite what people's connotation about Bosnia, despite the indelible mark of the war, we think the country has moved way passed that. People should not be scared of visiting this country, it is safe, it has history, it has charm, and definitely a country that you have to put in your list of places to visit especially if you are looking for an off-the-beaten path destination in Europe. Sarajevo, has it all. War torn country is definitely a thing of the past.
