Sarajevo

Trip Start Jul 02, 2008
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Trip End Jul 30, 2008


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Where I stayed
City Centre Hostel, Sarajevo
(Sarajevo hotels)

Flag of Bosnia and Herzegovina  ,
Saturday, July 12, 2008

A long hungover rickety bus ride, but across stunning scenery from belgrade. The bus came into the serbian suburb about 12 km away and the scars of war are abundant - bombed out buildings and bullet holes everywhere still. City centre incredibly vibrant given tragic recent history. Has a real Eastern feel about it with a Mosque on every other corner. Also very relaxed feel to the place. The locals looked on in bemusment as a few of us on the way back to the hostel reenacted the assassination of ArchDuke Franz Ferndinand on the street where World War One was sparked in 1914.

Took a trip, via what was sniper alley, to the excellent tunnel museum - which tells the (Bosnian side of the...) story of the war. During the siege of Sarajevo these 800m long tunnels under the UN controlled airport were used to get arms and food in and out. Guide had signed up to the Bosnian Army at 15 and a half years old and worked the tunnels quite a bit. They kept referring to the pride within the city of hosting the 1984
winter olympics and how in eight years it had become a living hell. The UN and global community don't come out of this one particularly well either.

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