Bosnian Cafe Culture 101

---

Geo: 43.8607, 18.4214

Cafe culture - in my short time here, that's what I've found to be the most interesting and vibrant part of Sarajevo. That's not to say there isn't incredible history here, because there definitely is - it's just that this city offers even more than that. As far as I can tell, there definitely is a method to partaking in Bosnian Cafe Culture - here's a quick little primer I've put together:

Step 1: Location - select the spot according to factors such as levels of shade and breeze (important in a hot country such as this), ambiance, comfort, price, and most importantly, views of the lovely Bosnian women. This final item is by far the most important factor.

Step 2: Refreshment of choice - hot or cold. If hot, go to Step 2a, if cold, go to step 2c.
Step 2a: Espresso, espresso with milk, cappuccino, tea, or Turkish coffee. Go to Step 2b.
Step 2b: Select a cake to go with the hot drink. Too many choices to list. Go to Step 3.
Step 2c: Iced tea, juice, mineral water, soft drink, or beer. Consider going to Step 2b, but that doesn't really go with these drinks, so skip to Step 3.



Step 3: Before taking the first sip, take a moment to acknowledge how lucky you are to be sitting at a cafe in an incredible place, about to enjoy a nice refreshment.

Step 4: Take a moment to survey your surroundings, and be thankful for Bosnian women. Be VERY thankful. Nod and smile to yourself in approval. Repeat Step 4 at least 3 or 4 times before going to Step 5.

Step 5: Have a sip of your beverage. Then have a bite of cake, if ordered.

Step 6: Survey your surroundings again and smile to yourself at how beautiful Bosnian women are.

Step 7: Have another sip of your beverage.

Step 8: Repeat Steps 5 through 7 as applicable, until the beverage and/or cake is all gone. Then go to Step 9.

Step 9: Tell yourself that you are a brilliant man for coming to this part of the world. Consider learning the local language, in order to chat with these fine Bosnian ladies.

Step 10: Laugh off that last thought, because Bosnia only has a few million people, and learning the language wouldn't be all that useful.

Step 11: Remember that Bosnians, Croatians, Montenegrins, and Serbians all speak essentially the same language.

Step 12: Decide to learn the local language, because it would be quite useful after all, making it easier to chat with the beautiful Bosnian, Croatian, Montenegrin, and Serbian women from the Balkans.

Step 13: Try and pay the bill. Wait at least 20 minutes for the waiter to acknowledge you. Immediately pay the bill or wait another 20 minutes for the waiter to return.

Step 14: Repeat Steps 1 through 13 until the day is over.

The above was repeated a few times today and was the bulk of my activities 😊

But there is some other interesting stuff here in Sarajevo - after an odd breakfast at the hostel (the usual toast/butter/jam/Nutella/cereal/coffee/tea mix, plus some processed cheese wedges, you-cook eggs (too lazy today), and surprisingly, little hot dogs), it was off to wander the old town and see some of it.

Sarajevo is a little bit rough around the edges, but incredibly striking, nonetheless. Like its culture and people, it's a city of contrasts - the cute little Ottoman-influenced old town complete with mosques and an ethnic flavour, the modern European new town with its churches and designer shops, it all sits side-by-side and presents a bit of a jarring image to the traveler. Such diverse elements are rarely seen together in such close proximity. The phrase East meets West comes to mind, and seems to be the exact idea the city planners had in mind when designing this amazing place.



Originally planning this trip, I had no intention of visiting Sarajevo - my idea was to visit some other countries in this region, and I thought it would be cool to visit Bosnia, if only for the reason of being able to say I visited the formerly war-torn country. Sadly, my ignorance of Western Balkan geography meant that I had no idea that Sarajevo was in Bosnia - upon finding that out, coming here was a no-brainer.

As a child, I remember Sarajevo for being the city that hosted the Winter Olympics in 1984, immediately before Calgary did in 1988. Fuzzy memories bouncing around in my mind, images from TV footage of the Olympic closing ceremonies in Sarajevo, where the Olympic flag was handed over to representatives from Calgary, were what made me want to visit here.

Sarajevo is also infamous for being one of the big battlegrounds during the war in 90s, but is probably most famous for being the site of Archduke Franz Ferdinand's assassination in 1914, the trigger for WWI. But think for a moment - though WWI was a pivotal moment in human history, did the assassination really affect our lifetime, having taken place so long ago? You might be inclined to say no, but think deeper for a moment.

What was one of the results of WWI? The map of Europe was re-drawn, and alliances were formed in the Balkans that perhaps didn't make much sense, but made more sense than the alternatives. The collapse of Yugoslavia and subsequent war in the 90s was a complicated affair, with many contributing factors, but the results of WWI were definitely one of them. Of course, my knowledge of history in the area isn't that detailed, so I could be mistaken ...

There aren't a great deal of must-see sights in Sarajevo, in terms of museums, palaces, etc., like you would typically find in the rest of Europe. The sights are largely spots where important moments took place, like the Latin bridge where the assassination took place, and sniper alley, where the Serbian army shot down civilians from the hills, when they tried to cross this road.



Sarajevo was supposed to be some down time for me - I find that too much human interaction gets to me after a while, and I end up needing a few days largely kept to myself, spent either reading or writing, quietly tucked away from others. That didn't happen, as there were a number of good people staying at this hostel - a new guy, Richard, showed up today and we decided to grab a drink in the evening. Coming back from a day of sightseeing, Richard had a cold beer waiting for me - you can't beat that!

Richard is definitely an interesting guy - a military man and quite the traveler, he was traveling through Egypt and Jordan with his girlfriend before she went home, and he came here. He definitely has a different perspective than the typical traveler I encounter - as we walked through the old town, he was commenting on how military strategy would likely have been employed during the war.

After a couple of drinks, we headed back and decided to have one last beer, since it was so cheap at the hostel. We ended up chatting with David, a chef who was last living in Portland, and ended up talking about molecular gastronomy - not exactly the type of conversation you would expect to have at a hostel! The hostel was great, in that it had a nice chilled-out vibe with super good people staying here. The beautiful receptionist was also a nice touch - I think the Balkans are starting to compete with Spain, in that regard!

Balkan Chino Count: 24. The count is over - returning to Croatia means us Asians will once again be commonly seen everywhere. Based on my extensive research and a 10%!s(MISSING)afety factor, we can conclude that there are only 27 Asian people traveling through Montenegro and Bosnia over a one-week period. It's a fairly scientific study I've conducted, right?

---

Photos

d
One of the best examples of contrast in Sarajevo - a mosque's minaret right next to a traditional European-looking bell tower.

c
Parts of the old town are so cute and charming - it looks like something that cities like London try and copy with their Christmas markets.

f
Quite a few shops in the old town specializing in the manufacture of grills - the secret behind their excellent grilled meats! I think the lidded pans are used for slow-roasting meats, by putting coals on top.

g
I think this was the Gazi-Husrevbey Mosque.

i
I have never traveled to a place in Europe where both European and Islamic culture and people were so integrated before.

l
Pigeon Square - a fitting name. There were tons of kebab shops around here - a backpacker will never go hungry in Sarajevo.

zb
David Villa - one of the heroes for Spain during the World Cup!

b
The Latin Bridge, where Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated. I expected some type of monument to be erected nearby, not just a little information board posted nearby.

v
Corn vendor - people in the Balkans have a love of burnt corn on the cob, for some strange reason.

zc
The National Library - years after the war, it is still being reconstructed. Like Dubrovnik in Croatia, it was not targeted because it was of any military or strategic importance, but because it was a symbol of national pride. Its collection included many one-of-a-kind Bosnian books and documents.

zf
My first attempt at Bosnian cafe culture - cake and a nice cappuccino at a place called Sport, in the old town. Layers of chocolate cake, chocolate mousse, and vanilla mousse - pretty average, it did not taste very fresh, as the mousse was a gooey blob. All fo only $2 CAD!!!! I think I have identified the intricacies of the artistry known as Bosnian Cafe Culture.

zh
Sarajevo 1878-1918 Museum - thought it would be focused more on the assassination given its location just a few steps from the Latin bridge, but it seemed quite disjointed, and was all over the place. It was a bit disappointing not only for its lack of focus, but also for its relatively paltry collection of artifacts that seemed irrelevant, for the most part. These are photos of the funeral procession of Archduke Franze Ferdinand, and a monument erected in his honour.

zi
The guy on the left was the assassin, and I think one of the guys on the right was a previous unsuccessful assassin.

o
Sarajevo's cathedral.

t
I loved the architecture in Sarajevo, it was a bit of everything.

za
Reminders of the war in the streets.

zk
Gotta love it - mild trademark-infringing logos and names.

zm
My second attempt at Bosnian Cafe Culture - Baklava, not so crisp, but only 50 cents CAD! I am slowly getting the hang of it.

zn
My third attempt at Bosnian Cafe Culture, a cappuccino at Cafe Cordoba. Though I finally mastered the art, Richard and I later made two further attempts at night in the old town, to ensure I never forget this beautiful skill. And coincidentally ... Cordoba is a town in Spain renowned for having the most beautiful women in the whole country, so I take it was yet another sign to one day return there. The waiter told me to go inside if I wanted to use the Wi-Fi, but I stayed outside because the scenery was too nice. The cappuccino was relatively expensive, double that of the old town at 2 Euros.

zo
Trg Oslobodenja - there was a festival of some sort as part of Ramadan. All kinds of vendors selling all kinds of yummy-looking food.

zp
These two plums cost me 5 cents CAD!

zq
Tomato/feta salad - the feta was very soft, and not too salty.

zr
Excellent crisp, chewy and soft bread. The veal steak was juicy, but lacking a bit of flavour. Killer cevapcici - wonderful flavour. Nice to see some veggies on the plate. Awesome value at this place.