The Balkans in a microcosm
Trip Start
Apr 08, 2007
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63
144
Trip End
Oct 01, 2007
Sarajevo,
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Monday, June 18, 2007
The bus up from Jajce the other night turned out to be a longer ordeal than anticipated
01: Restored medressa near my lodgings
. The guidebooks put the trip at about three to three-and-a-half hours, but four-and-a-half turned out to be more on the mark. It was baffling to me why the bus driver felt we had to pause at most stations for 10 minutes (or more) on top of a 15-minute break taken only an hour out of Jajce! The seats were already mostly full when I got on, though not necessarily by people. Instead, at least half of the passengers had staked out two seats for themselves, leaving one for their bags and the other (generally the aisle one) for them to sit on. Most people had hopped off for a cigarette or drink upon arrival in Jajce, so I had to do a little guesswork on which seat was unoccupied. My guessing wasn't all too good though as about 10 minutes later a cranky middle-aged Bosnian woman came on with her feathers all ruffled that I was in her row. Not being the friendly, sharing sort, she immediately sat down on the aisle seat to make sure that I couldn't occupy the other one (which she for some reason had to reserve for a mostly empty plastic bag).Fortunately a guy a few seats back generously offered to let me sit in the unoccupied seat next to him (actually, you'd think MOST people would think that reasonable, but hey. . .). It turned out to be even more fortunate that he spoke a bit of English and was eager to befriend a foreigner, as he ended up helping me out once we finally arrived in Sarajevo
02: National Library along the Miljacka
. Since I didn't have a place arranged to stay, the first thing on the agenda upon our 9:30 arrival was to remedy that. He and his girlfriend ended up letting me borrow a phonecard so I could get in contact with an accommodation's agent (basically a hostel), and then showed me to the train station where someone could come pick me up. Thanks to that, I was in town and at a local homestay within half an hour, with no extra money spent. It pays to meet the locals while you travel!I've had the good fortune of being located right smack in the middle of Sarajevo's most historic district, Basčarsija. The main nerve center at Sebilj is just five minutes' walk from where I'm staying, so there's loads of atmosphere all around. From my room I can hear the call of the muezzin at neighboring mosques - audible enough to distinguish the sound, but quiet enough that it doesn't wake me in the morning. I spent the first morning the way I usually like to in a new city: walking up to a high point where I can get an overview of everything. Moving on past the imposing Vijeænica - formerly the City Hall, but better known as the National Library - I hiked up the steep hill across the river to the cemetery of Alifakovac. From there the whole city opens up, so I was able to immediately take in the beauty of the valley and surrounding hills. I ended up timing things extremely well too; while it was sunny with scattered clouds when I went up, it was growing dark and threatening rain by the time I descended
03: Old bridge over the Miljacka
.I managed to get another view of the town from a hill on the opposing side of the river before the storm moved in much. With conditions as they were though, I decided I was better off returning again later on. Even still, the cool breeze was nice after all the huffing and puffing it took to get up there. I managed to get back into the old Turkish quarter just as it started to rain and ducked into a locally famous ćevapdzinica (ćevapi restaurant) before it got too heavy. The place was packed out, but I managed to get a seat at a table with a young Bosnian guy who was living in Düsseldorf. That made for an enjoyable conversation over the delicious æevapi and yogurt and it was certainly better than slopping through the pouring rain outside!
By the time I got back outside, it had calmed considerably, so I started a slow walk around town with my umbrella while it tapered off. The main drag of Sarajevo is the lively Ferhadija, which begins as an Ottoman-style street and then gradually becomes a leafy shopping artery lined with grandiose Austrian buildings. Along the way, and off on the sidestreets, are numerous historic religious buildings: the Gazi-Husrevbey Mosque, the Catholic Cathedral, the old and new Serbian Orthodox churches, the Old Jewish Temple and so on
04: Alifakovac cemetery in the eastern hills
. Just walking through here gives you an impression of the city's long history of tolerance - a tradition strained to near breaking point by the recent war.They've patched up the town pretty well in the last 12 years though. Sure, there are plenty of pockmarks around still, but most of the heavily damaged or destroyed buildings have been restored since then. Even the famous "Sarajevo roses" - spots of shattered pavement made by shells that were painted red to symbolize the casualties inflicted - are pretty hard to find anymore (I haven't found any, in fact). One easily gets the impression that Sarajevans are trying hard to put the past behind them and move ahead. Certainly the beauty and grace of the city have come back in full force.
I spent the rest of the day yesterday walking along the river and seeing the other important sights of the city, most notably the Latin Bridge where World War I was set off so many years ago. Gavrilo Princep's footprints were apparently removed back in 1993, so there's little to recall the events on the site currently. From what I've read though, they're supposed to put a bust of the archduke there in the near future. After a brief rest in my room and a bit of internet, I then had dinner at a lovely historic restaurant set on the south bank of the Miljacka river, sampling some of the local Sarajevsko beer along with some tasty Begova čorba and a gigantic burek
05: View over Sarajevo from above Alifakovac
. A perfect end to a busy day of taking the city in.I started today with another jaunt up to the hill opposite Alifakovac cemetery. This time the rainclouds were far away, so I was able to take in the view in all its sunlit glory. After that I returned to Basčarsija to wander through and see the things I missed yesterday. After a kebab lunch (once again!) I then took a long walk out to the newer area of town towards the bus station. This was where some of the heaviest loss of life occurred, fully exposed as the area was to the Serbian snipers in the hills. The big yellow hulk of the Holiday Inn - where all the international journalists huddled up during the war - still sits there, but it's since been fully fixed up. Only a few pockmarks remain to remind of the conflict. Even the heavily devastated building across the way, long a photographer's favorite for documenting the war damage, has been thoroughly redone. Like I said, the war is gradually becoming part of history.
I've really enjoyed Sarajevo. It's easily among the most interesting and multifaceted cities I've visited. The place is like the Balkans in miniature, with the blend of cultural influences and conflicts all there for the visitor to see. It's great to see it coming into its own again too, escaping the dark shadow of the early-to-mid 90s. Hopefully one day it will again become the contented, tolerant and multiethnic haven it once was.
