Sarajevo- 9.21-9.24

From Dubrovnik we caught a bus to Sarajevo. It was another beautiful ride through rolling hills covered in trees, some of which had started turning for the fall. We were speechless when we arrived in Sarajevo... it is breathtaking.

In Dubrovnik Amanda and I noticed ourselves getting angry at gawking tourists who would stop right in front of us without any warning to look at some building or statue. We realized that we had become jaded. We have both been fortunate enough to have traveled through Europe on several occasions and after awhile the architecture and feel of European cities starts to become familiar- like walking through Pike Place Market on a Saturday morning. You still enjoy it, it just doesn´t have the same novelty as the first time you saw it.

Sarajevo is the first city in awhile that has truly awed us. The city is built in a valley that is completely surrounded by mountains and the houses are built up onto the lower slopes. It took half a day for me to realize that I hadn´t taken any pictures because I was too busy taking everything in with my eyes. Everywhere around you are buildings covered with bullet and grenade holes. Some buildings are ruined beyond repair. It is unbelievable that this war ended so recently, but on the other hand the amount of damage still present after 13 years is also unbelievable. I was 9 when the war started- looking around the city at people our age, it´s hard to imagine how they lived through the war for 3 1/2 years as they seem so "normal" living their everyday lives. How long does it take before you feel safe going outside after your city being under seige for so long- with no heat, no water, no electricity, no modern communication and being under constant sniper fire?

We took a tour to make sure we got all the facts.... First was the tunnel museum. You can go here to see a map of the city while it was under siege http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/view?hl=de&q=map%20of%20sarajevo%20under%20siege&lr=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wq#5149844307021545986 (sorry for the long link). The Federation (Bosnian) Army worked non-stop for a little over 4 months to build a tunnel from the free zone, under the UN airport, and into the city. This tunnel was used to transport weapons, food and refugees. It also had a telephone line to connect them to the outside world as all such communication had been destroyed within the city.

Next we went to the mountain where the 1984 Olympics were held. We got to run around on the bobsled track which is now in chunks as it was partially destroyed. When our tour guide started to take us off the paved road and into a grassy area of the mountain we panicked a little as the warning from Wikitravel popped into our heads. "Sarajevo's surrounding hills offer fantastic views over the city, but some landmines from the war still exist on some of them. To be safe, stick to paved roads and sidewalks and do not walk into fields, grass, or wooded areas." Our guide just smiled and motioned us forward. We gingerly followed him making sure we placed our feet exactly where he stepped. It was after we ventured off the road that he told us there were over 1 million land mines in the hills and only half had been removed. "See, take a picture!" he said as he pointed to a marked mine 20 yards in front of us.

Lastly we went to the sniper bunker which looks down sniper alley. Up on the mountain the entire city was wide open and you could see just how vulnerable they were during the war with the Serbian forces surrounding them in the mountains. Walking back to the van our guide asked us who died as we were all so glum looking. He was trying to be funny but it was hard to laugh. In Sarajevo alone 11,000 people died during those 3 1/2 years. Our guide´s humor is testament to the Bosnian people´s resilience.

Aside from the history, Sarajevo presents a unique mix of east and west that we haven´t seen anywhere else in Europe. Walking around the open market you can buy such goods as Turkish coffee sets, hand made jewelry, hookahs and shirts that read "Don´t Panic, I´m Muslim." A walk through the market is made even more exotic by the Muslim call to prayer that echoes off the mountains and throughout the city several times a day. In addition to the many mosques in the city, you can also pass by an orthodox church, a catholic church and a synagogue in a short stroll.

To top it all off, we had the most amazing food of our entire trip in Sarajevo. Klepe- mini pierogis- were just as delicious as my Babcia´s. We also enjoyed cabbage rolls, stuffed onions, veal and cevapi- pita stuffed with little sausages and onions.

We were definitely sad to leave and have declared Sarajevo our favorite city of the trip. If I wasn´t Polish I would want to be Bosnian. And Amanda says that if she wasn´t a mutt she would want to be Bosnian as well. If you are ever presented with the opportunity to go to Sarajevo, don´t pass it up. The pictures do not do it justice.

Our three drinks in honor of Kerstan: expired boxed wine, Sarajevsko beer, and Viagras.