Blogs from Bosnia & Herzegovina, Europe - page 10

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 ... read more

The hope that it would stop raining during the bus journey from Sarajevo was misplaced. It did cease for a while, but it was only temporary. We had a bit more luck with these bus tickets. After our last experience, we had the benefit of knowing which window would dispense the Mostar domestic tickets. Mostar is in Hercogovina - literally Duke's Land. The scenery was quite stunning as we made our westwards. Sadly, the Bosnian countryside does not offer the opportunity to explore it as fully as you might wish. There are still plenty of suspicious little signs, that indicate you might receive more than you bargain for in the shape of a landmine should you go off the beaten track. The journey took 2 1/2 hours and was once again littered with impromptu stops to ... read more

The football business temporarily over in Belgrade, we were up at 5 am and down to the Bus Station for the 6.15 express to Sarajevo. The bus company was called Kondor, which was quite appropriate as we would be going over the high ground into Bosnia. We already had our tickets and I had the little tokens to get on to the platform secured. There was no sign of any seat numbers being employed on the bus - at least nobody came up and said move - so we settled down to early morning departure heading intially north out of Belgrade past the airport. The early scenery was not memorable - the flat agricultural land only interupted by the occasional feature incluing the West Balkan branch of the family diesel engine firm. We re-crossed the Sava ... read more

The JAT Airways turboprop from Belgrade to Sarajevo took only forty minutes, even if it did sound like a Lancaster bomber. The first thing we did when we stepped into the arrivals hall of Sarajevo Airport was to change some British pounds into the local currency, the convertible mark. Then we caught a cheap taxi to our hotel. From the taxi, we noticed how hilly Sarajevo was. It was on these hills that snipers hid during the Bosnian War. We also noticed the abundance of mosques. Minarets were everywhere, a distinct difference from the Orthodox Christianity of Serbia. "Look," said Michael, pointing at a dilapidated building we were driving past. It was pockmarked with bullet holes. The driver noticed us looking. "From war," he said. The Siege of Sarajevo lasted for almost four years. It occurred ... read more

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