The Wandering Chocoholic

Sarajevo is one of those larger-than-life names, with so much attached symbolism that it’s hard to just think of it as a city. But it is just a city, and a pretty cool one at that.

I crossed into Bosnia and Herzegovina on Saturday and spent a night in Mostar. The city was almost completely destroyed during the Balkan war, but massive reconstruction efforts there are starting to bear fruit. A divided city, with the (mostly Christian) Croatian side to the West and the (mostly Muslim) Bosnian side to the East, the city’s famous symbol is the Stari Most or Old Bridge. It was destroyed by the Croatian army during the war but has been rebuilt and opened again to much fanfare last year. With throngs of tourists walking across it every day, and restaurants and souvenir shops lining the streets leading up to it on both sides, it’s hard to believe that just over a year ago, it wasn’t possible to walk across. Many people see the re-opening of the bridge as a symbol of reconciliation, though that’s up for debate.

I walked across and visited a photo exhibit next to the bridge, showing what it looked like in 1993 after it was bombed. Everywhere in Mostar, there are ruins of bombed-out buildings and just about everywhere has bullet holes in walls. So different from walking around Northern Europe, where the war history usually discussed goes back 60 years. Here, it has only been a decade, and the scars are sure to take much longer than that to heal.

Yesterday, I took the beautifully scenic train ride to Sarajevo. When I got to the hostel, I jumped on their city tour. We first visited the tunnel museum, showing a preserved section of the tunnel that ran under the airport during the siege of Sarajevo. It was the only way in and out of the besieged city, and the main way that the Bosnians were able to bring in supplies, people and weapons. There is now a museum in the private family home where the tunnel’s entrance is located, and the museum’s guide actually is part of that family and lived there during the war. Several times while he was explaining things, he looked like he was going to break down in tears, and the bitterness he and most people in Sarajevo hold against the U.N. in particular is very evident.

Afterwards, we headed to the Jewish Cemetery. Located on a hill overlooking Sarajevo, it was right behind the front line during the war and was the main area used by Serbian troops to snipe at the city. Up there, it’s easy to see why; there is a view of the whole city from the hill. Reconstruction of the cemetery is underway, but most of the headstones still have bullet holes in them. The cemetery also has a rebuilt synagogue right next to it (one of two in Sarajevo) and a memorial to the Jewish people who perished during World War II.

Next we visited an overlook of the entire city. Next to it is a Muslim cemetery where people who died during the siege are buried. Nearly 11,000 people were killed during the siege, including 1,500 children. From the lookout, we could see the Olympic Stadium and Park from the 1984 Olympics, the major event that Sarajevans are proud of.

Sarajevo likes to refer to itself as the “European Jerusalem” thanks to its history of religious diversity and tolerance. It seems ironic in light of the war, but this really is a multicultural city, and the people are warm and friendly. There is a decidedly Turkish influence here that isn’t found in most of Europe, thanks to centuries of Ottoman rule, and the old town is lined with Turkish cafes and places selling filigree silver, sheshbesh sets, and handmade crafts. There are dozens of mosques everywhere – some are open to tourists – and five times a day, the call to prayer can be heard over the loudspeakers. Sarajevo is one of the only cities in the world where mosques, a Catholic church, an Orthodox church, and a synagogue can be found in the same block.

My hostel is great and is located right in the old town next to what the locals call Pigeon Square. There are tons of cafes, bars, shops and sights around. After the city tour yesterday, I meandered around the streets. Today I took a tram out to the Holiday Inn and the destroyed Bosnian Parliament (currently under reconstruction) and also visited the Sarajevo History Museum. I have to admit that this has been one of the most fascinating stops of my trip thus far. Tourism is still at a manageable level and I hope the city doesn’t get too overrun too quickly, so people can still appreciate it.

Onto Zagreb tomorrow and then to Slovenia. Hard to believe I only have a week and a half left. Oh, and since it’s just a few hours from Game 7, go Oilers!