Yesterday was a busy day in Sarajevo. Although I am still a little under the weather with a cold, I was determined to see the city, and what an interesting city it is.
At 10:30 am, I, and a few others from the hostel, walked over to the free walking tour of Sarajevo. The guide was most passionate, as he was a child when the bombings of Sarajevo happened, (Between 1992 and 1995). I learned that the bombings happened because after a fair election, Bosnia and Herzegovina voted to break off from Yugoslavia to become an independent nation. Religious Serbs wanted B&H to remain part of Yugoslavia-so when they didn't get their way, they declared way on B&H and the capital city, Sarajevo. The guide remembers not having enough food to eat as a child (food was rationed and delivered by the UN). He also said his father was injured in the war, and he and his family lived in a basement for something like 44 months to escape the shellings.
The tour group actually passed by a memorial commemoration; August 28, 1995 was the day when 43 people we're killed on a particular street in Sarajevo, and as the 20th anniversary of the bombing, there was a big commemoration, where the names of the departed we're read. It was most touching. As I said yesterday, something told me to be in Sarajevo immediately (rather then going to Novi Sad first), and maybe this is it.
We also saw the market where 63 people we're killed, and parts of the street where concret scars left mortar shells, where at least 3 people we're killed (called Sarajevo Rose).
Among other things, we saw the place where Franz Ferdinand was assassinated. He was the heir to rule the Austrian-Hungarian empire, and when he was assassinated by a Serb, World War One began.
The Austria-Hungarians only ruled for about 40 years, and before then the Ottomans ruled for roughly 400 years. While the Austria-Hungarians modernized the city, there is still much Ottoman influence-the population of the city is over 85% Muslim, with over 200 Mosques, and resembles the middle east in many ways, with small shops selling crafts, and the call to worship being played 5 times a day.
After the tour, I had lunch with one of the guys at my hostel, a 28 year old Brit. Then I took a nap for a few hours. As said, I am feeling under the weather so I am trying to get plenty of rest.
After the nap, I took a walk to a fortress on a hill overlooking the city. Actually, it looks quite imposing from the city center, but upon walking up to the it (which was about 1/2 an hours walk-I walked up allys, streets past old houses, and small paths), it is just a burnt out shell with a lot of graffiti. That said, it was a great place to sit on the rocks and watch the sunset over the city. I talked to others who we're there, including a couple from Australia who we're touring Europe, another pair of woman from Ireland who we're hitchhiking, and some others.
After sunset, I walked back down the hill to the old town and to the hostel, had dinner at a small shop (some cheap bread and sausage which I usually don't eat, a frozen yogurt, and fresh potato chips), and went to bed.
