The Light At End of The Tunnel

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The sun was still shining on our last full day in Sarajevo. We finally took to the old battered trams that ply up and down the valley. If ever there was a public transport upgrade required, it is here. We had avoided the trams in favour of our feet to get towards the Old Town, partially due to the congestion that was evident on them as they passed. Supply clearly did not match demand. We were going against the flow on our journey to Ilidaz on this trip, but it was busy enough.



We alighted at the Iladiz terminus. Franz Ferdinand had similarly alighted here on his ill-fated visit to Sarajevo, but there was no sign of any old centre where he had received his initial reception. We opted to give our legs some more hammer and headed off to locate the Tunnel of Life. When the siege was in operation, there was obviously limited access to bring in supplies and the like. A tunnel was constructed, which ran for approximately 800 metres under the existing International Airport. The airport looked quiet away to our left, as we negotiated our way from our sketchy map. The key sign to turn left seemed to have disappeared, probably at the hands of those who would not encourage you to find the place on your own. In the end and after a small backtrack, we found the house which was the start of the tunnel.



The front of the house was decorated with bullet holes and signs indicating mines. The entry fee was 10 BM – “we do not accept Euros”. We duly paid and received our tickets. The Bosnian mentality seems keen to produce nice souvenir type tickets of which I whole heartedly approve. The guides were almost paramilitary in appearance, complete with gun. A brief overview was provided, which pointed the various photographs and newspaper siege related material for you to study, invited you to watch the film about the tunnel and then go down the remaining section.



We had been Sarajevo a few days now, but not until you see the maps at the tunnel do you get a full grip of exactly which side held which bit of territory. It also explains the location to an extent of the cemeteries. The 800 metres of tunnel has now shrunk to a mere 25 metres “to protect the airport”. The tunnel ran it’s original course under the main runway, so I guess it wasn’t safe for all concerned. The remaining section is now dry, so it is difficult to get of sense of pulling an ammunition box through it’s full length in muddy water. It was definitely worth a visit though and do not be put off by it’s lack of proximity to the main public transport. We probably walked it in 20 -25 minutes from the tram terminus.



We headed back to the tram terminus and treated ourselves to a beer in the sunshine. The tram stop has barriers, so you definitely need a ticket in advance from the news stand. We rode to the Old Town near the Latin Bridge. I had this vision of climbing for a better vantage point. The Man in the Middles was not so sure, after yesterday’s hike to Princip’s grave and the Olympic Stadium. The chosen route was again possibly not the optimum, but we ended up via a cemetery at a restaurant overlooking the valley and the main road we entered the city heading towards Lukavica. The weather remained in our favour, so we sat and admired the view ………… with another beer naturally. A series of other customers lined the terrace and a prospective wedding party came to check out the scene for some prospective festivities next summer. The Man in the Middle liked the walk down far better than the walk up.



It was to be an early start back to Belgrade in the morning, so we retreated to our behind the cigarette factory base.

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