So it's not what i expect - it really is a little big town. We take a tram ride pass the bridge where Arch Duke Francis Ferdinand was shot (ring a bell?) and find a room in a locals house - a local who we call Auntie from then on (she keeps lending us slippers and coats and things).
Sarajevo has hills/mountains on many sides - helping to keep Sarajevo in a siege for over 3 years. Where was i when this was happening? - Ah, University, so that explains why i know nothing about it - i was in a bubble. The whole town was under siege in dreadful conditions, continually bombed and shot at, their only means of transportation was a tunnel they built over several months near the airport under the watchful eye of the UN. I went on a tour for once - i hate tours as a rule (full of sheep) and i know that is mean thing to say, but i look at tour groups and jut see them herded about, occasionally bleating and the like. I saw a video of the siege, how the tunnel was made and used and heard many stories of that time from a girl who was shot in the leg while trying to escape. i keep an open mind about these things, after all I'm only hearing one-side. there is no denying however that atrocities occurred and that for several years what the Sarajevo people went through was terrible.
on a lighter note i went to see the film Borat (Ali G). Talk about non-Hollywood, a tiny screen showing a film that starts with no adverts or warnings and you have to listen to hear it. It was an unusual experience with a Bosnian audience and Bosnian subtitles - it made us all laugh though, and then they all applauded at the end, which made smile :)
Sarajevo has a mixture of Islamic mosques and Orthodox churches, open markets and many stalls in the old town and generally has a nice feel to the place. it does however often have a layer of smog over the city due to the mountains and the inversion effects. Did you know however that it has some of the best water in the world?
Jan and i part company - me for Belgrade and her for Skopje. The Duo becomes just me :(
