Balkans Day 11 - Sarajevo

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We get up and go for breakfast. Hotel Lula is a unique place. I can’t quite decide if the décor is shabby chic or just shabby. The stains on the carpet have almost sold me on shabby, when we descend into the basement dining area. Along one wall is the breakfast buffet. The other 3 walls consist of a fake cottage, a fake woodpile and a fake forest. Running right through the middle; a fake tree.

After breakfast we set off to explore Sarajevo. We start at the Yellow Bastion which offers a great view of the city (ie involves a long uphill walk). It’s next to a huge war grave, one of many you can spot from the top of the hill.

Next we visit the beautifully restored City Hall with its ornate interior and stained glass roof. The basement contains a museum with interesting displays covering the key events of the city’s history.

We continue along the river to the assassination spot of Franz Ferdinand. Here there is a (very small) museum which includes wax figures of the archduke and his wife who you can join for a bizarre photo op.

Final destination is the 1984 Olympic complex, scene of Torvill and Dean’s gold winning Bolero. It’s a bit forlorn nowadays.

We walk back along the river, past the art gallery and the eternal flame (a memorial to those who fought in WW2) and stop for a beer in a bar where a surly waiter seems quite angry that people are ruining his afternoon of drinking and smoking by wanting stuff.

We spend our last evening in Sarajevo is the Bascarsija; the cobbled pedestrian area in the heart of the old city. We have dinner; the local favourite – Cevapcici mini kebabs in a flatbread with onions) and shop for souvenirs amongst the myriad of stalls. After blowing our last few Marks on beer, it’s time to pack ready for tomorrow’s long drive to Split.

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