Blogs from Sarajevo, East, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Europe - page 6

Today was another long day but was well worth it. Here is the day in a nutshell... Got pulled over about 5 miles north of Sarajevo for speeding. Maybe the big red van is a bit noticeable. Anyway, after getting lectured by the female policija in a language I have a tough time understanding and then getting chewed out in the policija car by her partner, he finally asked me where we were going. When I told him Srebrenica, he slammed his ticket book down and told me to slow down. He assumed I was going to Belgrade. After that, we arrived in a small town called Han Pijesak where officer #2 stopped us. This time he said the road ahead was closeD and we could either wait 3 hours or try a detour...of the many ... read more

Very lazy morning - I headed out to Old Town to wander more of the tiny streets. I also found myself in the middle of a flock (?) of pigeons... oh God they are everywhere here, and I just keeping thinking of the Animaniacs and their pigeon skits. (Ah, childhood.) Time for lunch already? Don't mind if I do! I opted for "burek" today - meat pie like things that are served with yogurt and are simply delish. Plateful for about $2... yeah can't go wrong with that!! After lunch I went in search of the other museum I wanted to see... imagine my face when I realized it was only 2 blocks down from the closed one I ventured out to yesterday. Oops..! Haha, ah well, it was a nice walk again. Once I found ... read more

10 June Nice day. At Sarajevo. Hostel had dining area and kitchen so able to do breakfast there. Went on a walking tour at 10 with Neno, who was a very enthusiastic guide, it was a free tour, just give a tip at the end! Got a great insight into the history, what an interesting city! Sad stuff happened in the ' 90s of course, learnt lots about that. So different and with such cultural and religious diversity - Orthodoxy, Islam, Judaism and Catholicism all co-existing together. There is a mosque, Catholic and Orthodox church and a synagogue all within the small city area. The influence of the Ottoman empire is very evident in the architecture of the city. Had lunch at a small self service place, very interesting food, we joined with a British couple ... read more

We hadn’t intended to stay more than a night in Sarajevo as we had been to the city in 2009 and we thought we had seen all we had wanted to then.However, when we were looking at accommodation between here and our first stop in Montenegro there wasn’t a lot to choose from on the websites and what there was, was too expensive for the BBA V2.So we opted for another night in Sarajevo to break the journey. As it turned out there were other things and places for us to see and do and basically fill the day in. The weather was still grey and overcast this morning but at least there was no rain. We dressed for a daytime high of 10C which at home would have meant thick jerseys and hats if you ... read more

I'm currently sipping an expresso in Sarajevo, thinking about the generosity and hospitality I have been shown by the people of Croatia, Serbia and Bosnia during the past two weeks. Despite the wars having ended more than 10 years ago, much destruction is still evident throughout this region. I have spoken to former soldiers of the conflict, met people who have lost their limbs and seen the devastation such wars can bring to the civilian population. Despite this, I can truly say that I have never experienced such a wonderful collection of people from all sides of the borders, who without a moment's notice will invite you into their homes and feed and water you. My story begins back in Budapest, where I was cleaning my bike in the grounds of the hostel on the day ... read more