Bosnia-Sarajevo

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I'm officially in love with Sarajevo

It's basically like travelling to Morocco without all the shit parts of Morocco, plus all the great parts of the Balkans.

Utterly incredible.

And even though I'll probably have frostbite somewhere by the time I leave, I couldn't be happier.

So, the tour was very interesting. There was me, 3 kinda snobby Slovenian girls, and a very keen Asian guy. We drove to the tunnel museum that was used to smuggle in food and supplies to Sarajevo (and smuggle people out) during the war. It was kind of one of those Anne Frank-house experiences for me: too huge to effectively take in. We got to walk down through the little stretch that is still there, way up in the mountains. You can't even imagine people going up there with all their supplies, about to be snipered at any minute.

After that, we drove to the Olympic village in the mountains (it was seriously, really cold up there ... my feet have yet to recover), where there was a nice lookout over the town. Sarajevo, however, isn't as nice from high up as it is from the ground. It was absolutely fantastic up there driving around because there is snow on the dark green trees, and some of the leaves are yellow, so it makes a beautiful contrast. We also saw signs warning about landmines, and the Olympic luge swooping over the road.

I'm really impressed with the way that Sarajevo embraces and discusses its war history, unlike Osijek or Vukovar. The Sarajevo roses (haven't seen any yet), this war tour, plaques on the National Library that the Serbs burned down, and a plaque on the bridge from where Franz Ferdinand was assassinated to start WWI (poor Sarajevo... what a truly shitty history it has).

I wonder if Dubrovnik is at all similar? It's a good thing, I think, because it ensures that people won't forget what happened (as Slavenka Drakulic says is the problem in Croatia). And I feel comfortable (horrified, but comfortable) with it, plus a bit disappointed and outraged that this went on not that long ago in these beautiful countries and did we just stand back and watch, or what? Of course, I recognize the place names, but why don't I know more, since this was kinda my war too?

On the tour, we also saw the yellow Holiday Inn where the journalists camped out during the war. Mustafa (our tour guide) dropped us at the hostel reception and I had a wander through the old town markets, in the Bascarsija area. Lots of people and smells, a Mosque in the middle, windy alleyways and narrow streets. Just what I wanted today, to walk around in a peaceful area, away from exhaust fumes!

I'm now in the pefect Baghdad Cafe, just finished a delicious Latte Macchiato, and I don't want to move for an hour. If it were five degrees warmer, life would be even more perfect than it is right now.

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