Sarajevo was a pleasant surprise. The city is packed full of history. Not least because of the Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian and Yugoslavian influence in the area. Next to this bridge, Franz Ferdinand was assassinated triggering the start of WW1.
There really isn’t a shortage of things to do here. Somewhere between the great food, night life and history, I managed to get my own little coffee pot made for me.
Welcome to the street where they make all the copper things in Bosnia.
No more broken Italian coffee maker. I’ve gone Bosnian. Slash Scottish. The guy was pretty bad at drawing bicycles to be honest but after about three or four scribbles on a bit of paper he was good to go.
It’s nice to have something handmade. Kind of a rule now that I don’t buy or accept any souvenirs that are not in some way useful too. It’s just annoying struggling over hills and realising you’re carrying something utterly pointless. Last time I checked, digital photos were pretty light. They make pretty good souvenirs.
I even went to see a ballet (wild). Though we couldn’t understand the lengthy monologues in Bosnian. Since when was there talking in ballet?
The city is the same kind of interesting blend between Islam and Christianity I’ve found across the country. Around 50% of the population identify themselves as Muslim. Though I have to mention the Islam practised here is not as radical as that in Morocco. For a start, most of them drink beer.
Smoking is a big problem here. One in two people smoke, and many kids too. BIH ranks 8th in the world in terms of smokers per capita (!). And cigarettes are cheaper here than anywhere else in Europe. Apart from a very small minority, you can smoke in any bar here.
Hostels here are different from further west. The staff always seem to be so kind, and the guests seem to be a bit more adventurous. Somehow I can relate to them more easily. So it has been quite nice sharing some meaningful conversations over some beer. It’s also quite funny that you often run into the people you’ve met before in various other hostels in the area, as most travellers follow the same sort of route. I’ve met over ten people I met in Mostar, between the bars in Sarajevo.
I’ve been trying to get a sleeping bag here, because I know I’ll need a new (and better) one as it’s pretty cold already. My current sleeping bag was bought as an afterthought…a cheap, no-brand piece of fluff from before the beginnings of my travels. The plan is to buy a new, light sleeping bag, and put it inside my old one during winter for extra warmth. I have no idea if this will work. Then after winter I can give the old one away to some poor soul (or just burn it) and keep the new one for summer next year. The problem is, after visiting all the camping/sporting shops in Sarajevo, not one has any sleeping bags.
Sarajevo. Doesn’t. Have. Sleeping bags.
The biggest city in Bosnia.
I’ll just have to wait until Serbia.
Cheerio.
An amazing mixture of sights and no doubt sounds. Very good.
BTW it was WW1 not WW11
Ah I’ve just noticed that, thanks. I updated it.