Sarajevo, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Today's journey to Sarajevo was simple and really stunning. Check out my video compilation. It takes forever to load videos on this blog, so linking them from my The Traveling Baker Facebook page is way easier.
I arrived at the Sarajevo train station, which is straight from the communist era. I was told to take the red taxis, called Crveni. Of course, none were in sight, and I probably didn't search around the corner, and it was rainy, so the first man who approached me and said "taxi?", I was like, yep. He wasn't an official driver. I got in his VW and he said he would charge as I was expected, and he got me to the hotel just fine, so I wasn't too worried. The rain didn't help with my patience, either.
I got checked into Hotel Konak, which is simple and straight-forward, but in a great location, close to the Baščaršija, the old bazaar, and the cultural hub of the city. I walked around a bit, withdrew some cash, and then met my tour guide, Jadranka, to see the Tunnel of Hope, and receive a walking tour of the city.
Jadranka pointed out a lot of great things on our walk. Latin Bridge (where Archduke Franz Ferninand was assassinated), City Hall, the U.S. Embassy (probably not a bad place to note the location of), many mosques, Orthodox churches and cathedrals. She also pointed out the "roses" in the street, where all the artillery hit during the Siege of Sarajevo in the early 90s. This was when Serbians enclosed the city and had snipers all over the place. Food was scarce, as was security. So many of the buildings were destroyed. She also took me to the Tunnel of Hope, and I was able to walk through a section of it. Wow! It was a half mile long and so narrow. It was meant to transport food and supplies in and out of the city during the Siege. Jadranka said the cigarettes were popular. She once traded a cigarette for a hair cut.
After the tour, I went and had dinner at "Sak," which was recommended by Senad at the hotel, as having the best "burek." Burek is a pie with flaky crust and has different fillings, served with sour cream. Yes, it is as tasty as it sounds.
The cool feature about Bosnia, and especially Sarajevo, is that it was once ruled by the Ottomans, and then was ruled by the Austro-Hungarian empire. It's interesting to see the influences of this throughout the city, where "east meets west."
The next two days in Sarajevo should not have rain, which makes me super excited. I'm also not crazy about the smoking that is still acceptable in buildings. Jadranka and I went to a very funky coffee shop, and people were smoking. Of course, my sweater stunk like smoke, and fortunately, I brought some Febreeze.
Thanks for reading!
Jamie
Jamie
Michelle
2018-11-29
Looks like a great trip, Jamie
jmatczak
2018-11-29
It is! Really fantastic. Amazing history and awesome people.
Jadranka Šuster
2020-10-16
Excellent photos, Jamie! Regards from Sarajevo :)