Thursday, 15 May 

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina 

Hotel Marriott

Weather - Cool morning, warm afternoon - 21c Max

It was a great day walking around Sarajevo. We left the hotel with our excellent guide, Boyan, at 9.30am and we returned at 5.00pm knowing a lot more about the vibrant, busy city. It was ideal weather to be walking around the city. We first strolled alongside the banks of the Miljacka River which runs through the city with Boyan pointing out the signicant buildings and the many bridges which cross the river. There was a stark contrast between the Austro-Hungarian style buildings built during a forty year period from the 1880’s to the stark functional buildings erected during the President Tito’s period. 

Mid morning Boyan took us to the Sarajevo Market Hall, a beautiful building that was built in 1895. Its exterior looked more like a theatre than a market. 

Inside we were immediately hit with the strong smell of smoked meat. The market was busy with many shoppers buying meats, cheeses and eggs. A tasting board was organised with one of the local market shops and we tasted a range of delicious smoked meats and cheeses. Boyan did comment that being a vegetarian or a vegan in Bosnia was a poor choice. They do love their meat and cheese. 

As we walked through the streets we could see the reminders of the war with buildings that had many bullet holes, Sarajevo Roses and there is the Museum of Crimes Against Humanity and Genocide. One Sarajevo Rose was the place where 21 citizens who were lined up buying bread were killed the day after a cease fire was put into place. Boyan reminded us a number of times that the war was not a religious one but a political one. 

We were soon in the Old Town with its busy markets and the Gazi Husrev Beg’s Mosque which was built in the sixteenth century. During the war it was constantly under attack and was hit by artillery and mortar more than 100 times. After the war a large reconstruction took place and a new interior was applied. The women in our group had to don scarves and we all had to take our shoes off before entering the mosque. 

At lunch Boyan took us to a local restaurant where we were served local Bosnian dishes. They were tasty and once again a great nod to meat. Even the onion and cabbage leaves were filled with meat. It was good to have the 45mins break out of the sun. 

Following lunch we visited the site of the assassination of Archduke Franz Fernidad of Austria and his wife in 1914. It was one of the key events leading to World War II. Outside the small museum dedicated to the assassination is a replica car which the Archduke was riding in. The original is in Vienna.

It was now getting quite warm and Boyan took us to a fourth generation coppersmith. He aptly showed us his craft. He was also working with shells of all sizes from the war.

The last thing we did with Boyan before he left us at 2.30pm was to take us to a snug brandy bar called Bakija Bar. We were served two types of locally made brandy, a plum one and a cherry one. They had 40% alcohol content and were very strong. It’s an acquired taste. The bar had 15 varieties on offer. Boyan and Sanda, our two guides, are in the front of this photo.

For the rest of the afternoon we were left to our own devices and wandered back through the Old Town markets. Henk, Brian, Julie and I decided we needed an icecream. 

On a whim we went on the Sarajevo cable car from the Old Town to the top of Trebevic Mountain which is 1600m high and has excellent views over the city. 

During the war the cable car was completely destroyed and the new one opened in 2018. We met up with two of our group, Gary and Jossie, and sat in the warm sun having a coffee on the terrace overlooking the city. 

When we returned to the Old Town we called it a day as it was 4.30pm. As we had a large lunch we went searching for Boyan’s recommended Baklava bakery so we could purchase some for dinner to have with coffee at the hotel. We let the sales assistant choose the varieties. 

There were so many photo opportunities whilst walking through markets as we headed back to our hotel.

We met in the hotel’s comfortable lounge at 7.00pm to enjoy the Baklava and coffee. It was a long and enjoyable day. We loved Sarajevo with its positive energy and its diverse cultures.