Vrelo Bosna

We decided that a trip on the tram to Ilidza on the outskirts of Sarajevo would be a welcome breath of fresh air. From Ilidza there is a 3 kilometre walk along a tree lined path to Vrelo Bosna, a gorgeous park where the River Bosna rises.

That magnificent swan,Vrelo Bosna, Sarajevo

We bought our tram tickets from the kiosk and jumped on the number 3 tram that took us on the 12km ride to Ilidza. We passed through some of the outlying suburbs of Sarajevo and got off when the tram terminated in Ilidza. We had no idea where to go when we got off and it struck us that there is not a lot of tourist infrastructure here in Bosnia yet. Perhaps there had been before the war but if so then little remains. Public toilets, for example are virtually non-existent and cafes and cheap eateries tend not to have toilets either. Signage is very limited and signage in English is rarely to be found. All of this is made up for by the people who are, by and large, warm and friendly and mostly have very good English. So the answer is normally just a question away.

Enjoying he cold, Vrelo Bosna, Sarajevo

And so it proved for Vrelo Bosna. Jess approached a woman running a newspaper stall who was engaged in an animated conversation with a friend. Pointing to the book and using sign language, Jess conveyed the message that we were after some directions. Hoping that she would point to the correct way, she responded in near perfect English 'take this path, go straight on, cross a bridge and then go straight'.

We followed these directions, passing an interesting 'steaming stream' that gave us an indication of the thermal springs that Ilidza has been known for since Roman times. We found ourselves on a long straight path lined by plane trees. It was Saturday and quite a number of Sarajevans were enjoying a weekend amble along this walkway. We passed by some grand houses, mostly burnt out wrecks but some that have been restored to their former glory and others than have been newly built. Apparently this was a battleground where the Serbs were holed up, and they burnt the buildings as they left. Snow was lying in the fields and the girls had fun playing in the snow and fossicking in the leaves and sticks.

A snow throne, Vrelo Bosna, Sarajevo

The path went for quite some time and took us about an hour to walk along. We were hoping to find something at the other end that had made this walk rewarding and we were not disappointed. There is a wonderful park with wooden bridges traversing meandering streams. Small waterfalls tumbled down and ducks and other waterfowl swam about making bit of a racket. We spotted a magnificent swan swimming in a pond and then decided it was time for some lunch. Lucky for us there was a café open in the middle of the park. We went in and there was a welcoming open fire in the centre of the room. We took a seat beside it and ordered some soup and some cevapcici, a traditional Bosnian meatball.

Feeding the ducks, Vrelo Bosna, Sarajevo

After lunch we walked around the park some more and found a man who had set up a stall in the middle of the park selling drinks and chocolate. We bought some chocolate to sustain us. We spotted a horse and carriage and then found that we couldn't face the long walk back. We asked the driver how much to take us back to Ilidza and he told us it was ten convertible marks (about $9). I don't know if he expected us to haggle over the price, but I accepted on the spot this tremendous bargain. We climbed onto the carriage and got underway. The driver turned around and asked if the girls would like a turn behind the reins. Maggie took up the offer and spent the rest of the journey up the front. The driver sang to Maggie as we headed back up the path.

Maggie in charge, Vrelo Bosna, Sarajevo

We reached the end of the ride then walked back to catch our return tram ride, marvelling at the excellent day we had enjoyed.

Another carraige awaits, Vrelo Bosna Sarajevo