June 28-30
Hotel: Apartment Alifakovac 40 euro a night. Great location and very dog friendly apartment. Our only issue was that it was closer to the eastern side of the old town which happened to have more strays. If traveling with a dog I would stay closer to the western side of the downtown. The apartment was clean, bright and had a great view. Free parking and WiFi.
Currency: Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark
Dog friendliness: Medium. The people were overall very welcoming to our dog. We sat outside when we were with her and people would walk over to say hello. There were people that would walk a little out of their way to not walk next to her more so than in other countries, but no real issues. The stray dogs, on the other hand, were an issue for us. The strays that hung out alone, aka not in packs, were fine; whereas the dogs that were in packs would show their teeth, bark, follow, and were very unwelcoming in general. The packs, while they seemed to be afraid if a human approached them or yelled at them, made us nervous and so we ended up leaving Reesey at the apartment until we were going to the western part of the old city [we didn't see any packs in the western part, just solo dogs]. I would recommend staying in the western side of old town if traveling with a dog.
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| View from our apartment |
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| View from our hotel |
Our first afternoon had some on and off rain so we spent that time walking around between rain spurts. According to one website, Sarajevo is known for three things; the 1984 Winter Olympics, the assassination of Franz Ferdinand in 1914 [the heir to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian empire], and for being the city under the longest siege in modern history from 1992 to 1995/6
Sarajevo was practically demolished during the 1990s and has now become a lively area to explore and relax. There are cafes, restaurants and shops filled with handmade goods. It looks like a little Istanbul or similar to the old bazaar of Skopje. It is considered the 'Jerusalem of Europe' and is filled with an awe-inspiring religious diversity unlike anywhere that I have ever been. The city is filled with Orthodox and Catholic churches, Mosques and Synagogues all within a short walking distance from each other.
The city is architecturally divided into the East and West. There is a plaque that states 'Marks the space which symbolizes peace, coexistence and tolerance' next to an area of pavement where it is written 'Sarajevo Meeting of Cultures'. The East embraces the history of the Byzantine and Ottoman empires while the West is a mix of the Roman, Venetian and Austro-Hungarian empires.
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| East |
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| West |
The most recent war ended in 1995, but remnants of bullet hole ridden buildings and mortar markings in the pavement still exist. Many of the mortar markings have been filled with pink plastic to preserve the shape, and are known as 'Sarajevo roses'. Some buildings have yet to be renovated or demolished which leaves a sadness in the streetscapes. By the time the Dayton Peace Accord was signed [1995] 100,000 people had died and a million were displaced. NATO and humanitarian efforts then entered Bosnia to try and help reconstruct the country.
To the East…
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| Seher-Cehajina Bridge |
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| Baščaršija mosque |
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| main square Baščaršija |
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| main square Baščaršija |
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| Sebilj |
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| Kazandžiluk |
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| Turkish coffee |
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| Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque |
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| Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque |
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| Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque |
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| Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque |
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| Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque |
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| Kuršumlija medresa |
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| Kuršumlija medresa |
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| Tašlihan |
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| Sarajevo clock tower |
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| Fakultet islamskih nauka |
To the West…
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| Ferhadija |
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| Ferhadija džamija [mosque] |
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| Ferhadija džamija [mosque] |
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| Ferhadija džamija [mosque] |
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| Cathedral of the Sacred Heart |
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| Cathedral of the Sacred Heart |
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| House of the Armed Forces |
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| Locals playing chess |
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Episcopal Church of the Nativity
of the Holy Virgin |
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Monument multiethnic man
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| Gradska tržnica |
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| Maršala Tita |
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| Eternal Flame |
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| Novi hram |
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| Almost the 4th - celebrating with Uncle Sam |
Sights along the River
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| Centar Skenderija |
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| Ars Aevi - Renzo Piano |
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| Miljacka |
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| Festina Lente bridge |
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| Latin bridge |
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| City Hall |
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| City Hall |
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| City Hall |
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| City Hall and Seher-Cehajina Bridge |
Views from the Avaz Twist Tower:
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| View from Avaz Twist Tower |
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| View from Avaz Twist Tower |
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| Avaz Twist Tower |
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| View from Avaz Twist Tower |
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| View from Avaz Twist Tower |
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| View from Avaz Twist Tower |
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| View from Avaz Twist Tower |
The Memorial to the Murdered Children of Besieged Sarajevo [below] is dedicated to the children who were killed by the Bosnian troops during the 43 month siege of Sarajevo. More than 12,000 people were killed, of which 1,600 of them were children.
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Memorial of the Murdered Children of
Besieged Sarajevo 1992-1995, Maršala Tita |
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Memorial of the Murdered Children of
Besieged Sarajevo 1992-1995, Maršala Tita |
Random photos from around town.
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| Bullet holes |
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| Train station |
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| Sarajevo City Center |
Below are photos from atop Jekovak cliff.
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| View from Yellow Bastion |
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| View from Yellow Bastion |
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| View from Yellow Bastion |
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| Šehidsko Kovaci Cemetery |
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| Šehidsko Kovaci Cemetery |
PJ and I enjoyed our time walking through the streets of Stari Grad [Old Town] as well as along the outskirts. The food was great, the streets were filled with new things to discover and the views of the surrounding hills and mountains were beautiful.
Something that we missed that I wish we had time to see was the War Tunnel Museum. It isn't in the downtown so a car or other mode of transportation is needed.
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