Sarajevo

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I arrived at the bus station in Sarajevo without more than a satellite image to tell me where to go. I had my hostel marked on the image, but wasn’t sure where I would be dropped off. I went with the assumption that the bus station would be at or near the train station, and luckily I was right. It was about a 30-minute walk from the center of the city, and the hostel was a bit closer. The first buildings I saw were a mix of older buildings which had noticeable damage in the form of bullet holes, burns, and other defacement with some modern all-glass buildings. The most appealing was the twist tower, or Avaz building. This is a blue-glass skyscraper with four sides. However, the sides do not go straight up and down, but gently wrap around the building, giving it a “twist”. I walked the main road which ran through just south of the city center, by the river. I passed cathedrals, orthodox churches, and could see minarets from mosques in the distance. I checked into the hostel and was given a pair of slippers to wear inside instead of my shoes. Now I’m really starting to feel the Eastern influence of this city. I watched the World Cup match that evening at a bar across the street, called Cheers. The sign featured a logo that looked exactly like that of the TV show. There I met with Laila, a friend I had met in Belgrade three weeks prior! She was working in the nearby city of Tuzla, and had come to Sarajevo for the weekend. We decided to meet the next morning to tour a museum and some of the city.

The next day we met up early and set out for the Sarajevo History Museum. We walked into the museum and went upstairs where the main displays were. On one side was the entire history of Sarajevo. Bosnia was under its own control and was a prosperous medieval state until the 15th century, when it was conquered by the Ottoman Empire. The Ottoman Empire ruled over Sarajevo for nearly 600 years. Much of the center city today is from that era. During this time many of the people converted to Islam due to increased taxes for Christians and Jews. Surprisingly, practice of these religions was allowed. It wasn’t until the 19th century that the Ottoman Empire lost control of Sarajevo to the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Almost half of the center city looks like Vienna because the buildings are from the time of their rule. After World War I, the Austro-Hungarian Empire was divided, and Bosnia was once again under its own control. Not much longer the country joined 5 other nations to form Yugoslavia. Yugoslavia prospered as one of few countries in Eastern Europe that was not under the control of the Soviet Union, even after World War II. This country was ruled by Tito, and apparently held the country together. After his death, the economy collapsed, and Yugoslavia divided into the former nations. Slovenia was the first to leave, followed by Croatia and Bosnia. However, Bosnia and Croatia held a large Serbian population, and Serbia was reluctant to let these countries go. Protesters gathered in Sarajevo in favor of an independent Bosnia in early 1992. This is where the first people were shot by sniper fire, and sparking the siege of the Sarajevo.

The second half of the museum was dedicated to the siege of Sarajevo, and held some of the most powerful depictions, articles, and testaments that I have witnessed. For nearly 4 years, the aggressive military forces cut all supplies, communication, power, and gas to the city of Sarajevo. Snipers sat in the mountains around the city and fired upon average, everyday citizens while going to the market, crossing streets, waiting in line for food and water, etc. The people of Los Angeles and DC felt in fear during the weeks that one sniper was on the loose in these cities. The people of Sarajevo were in constant fear of not one, but hundreds of snipers for 43 months. Tanks fired missiles at vulnerable targets. Massacres included a missile launched into a busy market, a hospital, and an elementary school. Many people did not leave their basements for fear that they would not return. I saw depictions of people preparing at intersections, then sprinting across the street in hopes to avoid sniper fire. Food was scarce, and the average citizen lost 22 pounds during the siege. Eleven-thousand people lost their lives. I remember seeing Sarajevo constantly in the news when I was in middle school, but I didn’t understand what was going on until now. In late 1995, after a NATO bombing campaign, a treaty was signed in Dayton, Ohio. The treaty divided Bosnia into two parts. One part was setup for the Muslim population of Bosnia, while the other half was setup for the Serbian population.

After the museum Laila and I explored the center city. A pedestrian-only main road runs through the center city. The path starts as nice tile amidst detailed, Viennese architecture. About halfway through, the path literally changes right under your feet from tile to cobblestone. The architecture becomes old Turkish style, and I felt as if I had walked through a wormhole. The city has cathedrals, churches, and synagogues, but has many more mosques than all of these combined. We stopped at a restaurant in the main square where I first tried cevapi. This is a meal of little beef sausages wrapped in a thick, fluffy pita with chopped onions. It is the popular food in Sarajevo, and is served practically everywhere. From the main square we walked up a hill to the north. On the way we passed a very large graveyard. At the top of the hill was an overlook where you could see the whole city. Sarajevo is in a long narrow valley where the river flows. The mountains tower over all sides of the city, and most of the houses are built on the slopes. I also could see many more large graveyards scattered through the city. A constant reminder of the recent tragedy. The old city hall was just east of the main square. It had been burned during the siege, but the outer walls remained, and the hall was being repaired. We then toured an old monastery on the hillside. The rooms were well preserved and very reminiscent of Turkish style. Each room was bordered completely by couch. The doorways were very low. After the tour, Laila had to catch her ride back to Tuzla.

The next day I spent with some guys from Switzerland. They had driven in a large van prepared for camping with a full mattress laid out in the back. We went to the Skakavac waterfall just north of the city. The road there turned to gravel as it wound up the side of the mountain. We estimated we were getting very close, when we encountered a cow blocking the road. At first the cow started moving, slowly, up the road, but eventually stopped. We made some attempts to get it to move, but nothing seemed to work. Since we weren’t sure how much longer we needed to go, we started backing up to find a place to turn around. The cow started following us, and became very interested in the van. We waited until it had walked around to the back, then took off ahead to continue towards the waterfall. We parked and took the hiking trail to the waterfall. I guess I was expecting a distant view. To my surprise, the path led us to practically right underneath the waterfall. The waterfall was thin, but very long and very active. Water poured over the top and continued down a steep river. A bridge crossed the river, but I still got wet crossing it because of the spray from the waterfall. The hiking trail continued around and eventually led us back to the van. After the long hike we went to the nearby thermal baths. These were very relaxing, but I wasn’t nearly as impressed as I was with the thermal baths in Budapest. The hot tubs were not that hot, and the pool felt no warmer than a normal pool on a hot day. Still, it was a great way to relax after the long hike.

That evening the Swiss guys had bought some cevapi ingredients. As they began preparing, the hostel owner walked in saw what was going on. He then offered to cook the cevapi for us, which we couldn’t turn down. He showed us that once the meat is cooked, to cover them with a pita, so that the pita soaks up the flavor from the steam. He also said the proper way to eat it was to tear off a chunk of the pita, then use it to pick up a sausage and some cream cheese. The onions were to be eaten separately. The cevapi was excellent, and with Swiss carrots as a side dish the meal was quite unique. That night we went to a hookah bar where we ordered some vanilla nargila. It was good, but I think I may have been spoiled by my hookah experience in Istanbul. I didn’t find this to be nearly as flavorful, and a bit more harsh.

On my last day I took a tour of a tunnel made during the siege. The tour guide was a reporter who had lived during the siege. She was only 16 when it began, and provided some very good insight and detail. She first gave her background of the siege. Using a map of Sarajevo, she showed us where the aggressive forces were located around Sarajevo, the airport, and the small nearby town on the other side of the airport which was not under siege. Though the map labeled the aggressive forces “Serbian”, she said she did not agree with that, which I found very impressive. She said that these forces were paramilitary troops working for hire, and that she would refer to them simply as the “aggressive force”. I also believe in the separation of a government from its people, and so, especially since I had such a great time in Belgrade where I became very fond of the people there, I have used this phrase as well. She explained that the aggressive force cut off all supplies and utilities for 3 months. After 3 months, the UN negotiated control of the airport, where supplies could be flown in. However, the deal was that half of the supplies would go to the aggressive force. The UN provided supplies, but did not allow transportation from Sarajevo, and did not allow crossing into the small nearby town. The city gathered engineers to form a plan to dig a tunnel from the small town, underneath the airport, to Sarajevo. For 4 months people dug on both sides 24/7 until the tunnel was complete. The tunnel was 1 meter wide and 1.6 meters high. Power, gas, and communication lines ran across the top, and people constantly carried supplies back from the small town. Food and eventually weapons and munitions were brought into Sarajevo to defend itself. The tour guide said there was frequent flooding in the tunnel, and that wading through the water with power lines overhead was a pretty uncomfortable experience. I’d have to agree. On our way back she gave some more personal experiences from the time during the siege. She said on her 18th birthday she received gifts of eggs and chocolate. Her father took the battery temporarily out of the car and connected it to a radio so she could listen to music on her birthday. She met her husband and got engaged all during that time.

That evening I went out with 4 guys from Quebec who were all in celebration mode. Apparently at midnight that night it would become St. John’s Day, a holiday in French Canada. These guys were traveling in pairs, and did not know each other before coming to Sarajevo. So they were having a good time talking to each other, in French, about Quebec and the rest of Canada. I asked them to explain the significance of St. John’s Day, but the best answer I got was that it was just another excuse to celebrate. We closed the bar and had arrived at the door of the hostel when another group asked us if we wanted to continue to hang out at their hostel. We bought some more beer at the only market still open and hung out at another hostel with a Norwegian girl until about 5 in the morning. You can bet the sun was shining on our final walk home.

Sarajevo is a very interesting city. Some parts are beautiful, some parts are shocking, but I found it all very interesting. The city is definitely not lacking character, and is full of diversity. I think this is the most unique city I have visited during this trip. I would recommend it to anyone who thinks that they have seen everything. The people are friendly, and I felt very safe while here. It is hard to believe the city has suffered from such a recent tragedy. Though the city is scarred with shelled buildings and large graveyards, it has proven very resilient. It features many new buildings and a lively atmosphere. I will certainly return someday to see how the progress continues.

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Photos

Marketplace
Site of a missile attack during the siege.

Memorial
to the Children that died during the siege

Sarajevo
View from the Hilltop.