a better balance of wisdom and compassion
- of seeing the world clearly,
and yet feeling it truly."
- Pico Iyer
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.