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Published: August 21st 2010
Train ride to Sarajevo...
Despite all the brainwashing by Nicola, I learned that a Frenchman and an Italian can, in fact, engage in civil conversation without it ending in a snarl-fest... Fascinating!Last night, I took the overnight train from Zagreb to Sarajevo. Sarajevo has been on my hit-list of must-see destinations since I was a wee one... stemming from watching the war unfold in Bosnia on TV growing up in Germany. Now that the war is over, I wanted to see how the city has recovered from the rubble that I had always associated with it. More recently, I have also been intrigued by the unique history of this city as the cultural meeting ground between the Austrian-Hungarians and the Ottomans.
Between the vicious mosquito attacks and the temperature fluctuations, there was little sleep to be had, but I was in good company in my compartment. Besides, even in the sleep-deprived state, seeing the Bosnian country-side emerge as the sun rose was simply spectacular. Amidst the beautiful scenery in the picturesque landscape were scattered shells of homes, leaving a hauntingly surreal reminder of those same images we grew up with seeing.
Making our way to the hostel, I could already tell Sarajevo is going to be all that I hoped it to be. After dropping of my luggage and a quick shower, I took a quick look along the Ferhadija into the
Turkish quarter. Here, East literary does meet West, with the Austrian-Hungarian styled buildings lining the broad cafe-filled pedestrian boulevards abruptly turning into a cobble-stoned bazaar. The hustle and bustle of both are discreetly interrupted by a Catholic Cathedral, an Orthodox Church, a mosque, and a synagogue (one of only three cities to have all these places of worship within short-distance, or so I've been told... the bells tolling at the church within moments of the call to prayer at the mosque). I took a quick respite at the mosque, where I fell into a deep discussion with the most adorable little old Bosnian man, him in Bosnian and me in English - not quite sure what he said, but the one thing I'm sure he asked me was whether I am Chinese. He'd never seen an Indian person before 😊.
Afterwards, I met up with Adnan and his cousin, who extended Bosnian hospitality to treat me to a soft-drink. (This is truly amazing to me - even a Fanta affords you luxury plush seating!) From them, I gained further insight into the city... most importantly, what and where to eat. So, that's where I'm off to now.... (and, Pippa, I
tried but haven't seen anything that even remotely resembles a vegetable).
Awe-inspiring moments in Sarajevo:
1) Overlooking the panorama of the city while hearing the call to prayer in the distance
2) Footage of Sarajevo during the war at the tunnel built to bring in supplies to the city while it was under siege.
Strange moments in Sarajevo:
1) I was walking down the stairs of my hostels, when I tripped down a few of them, dropping my map and other papers in the process. A guy coming behind me says... ˝Are you okay - brief pause - you must be Maya.˝ I mean, it turns out he´s one of my yet to have been unseen room mates at the hostel, and our beds are labeled with our names.... However, while I am known to fumble down stairs back home, I have not yet established such a reputation in the Balkans. Curious.
2) When I walked into the post office to mail some postcards, the clerk sized me up and then proceeded to address me, without any hesitation, in German - as if it´s the most natural thing in the world to assume that someone who looks like
me would speak German.
3) Tour-guide impassioned about his city: Americans, Germans, Spaniards, Italians... thank-you. French and Brits, shame on you. Awkward for anyone on the tour who may have been either French or British.
On to Mostar...
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Pippa
non-member comment
Another great one!
Sarajevo looks incredible. Tell me we'll go there one day - even if we only ever talk about it. =) (Name the movie) -- I know how you love guessing games and I am not there for our amazing guessing game marathons. And please for the love of god keep seeking out vegetables!! haha. Can't wait for the next one my dear......