Moja posjeta Sarajevu (i obilazak Mostara)

Back in 2020, I had decided that I was going to go to Montenegro and as part of that I would do a day tour to Mostar to see the famous bridge and city ruins there.

Spoiler: I didn’t get to go because of Lady Covid and her wares.

Bosnia & Herzegovina slipped off my radar at that point – that is until January 2024 when I saw that Ryanair was opening a route there in April of 2024.

Gung-ho I booked my ticket and played the waiting game. The long waiting game.

The day finally arrived and I made sure I had a way to get to and from the airport too. I left booking NX to the last minute and, in doing so, it cost me a fiver more than it should have.

I had everything packed a few days before today and I did a quick double check after I showered and then headed to the bus station to wait for the bus.

It was nice to finally feel ‘normal’ again when travelling. My last couple of trips have been abandoned because of my crappy mental health.

I got to the airport about 4 hours (because of timings) before we were due to leave so I went through security as quick as I could and then went and got a couple of meal deals and then headed to the gates that overlooked the runway. I can’t tell you how busy it was at 05:15. There were so many people at the airport already. It was madness. No bother though, I was going to sit overlooking the runway for an hour or so. In the 90 minutes I sat there I counted about 25 take-offs and landings. It was nice to see it busy again.

I went to see if the flight to Sarajevo was showing on those boards and to my surprise it was. No need to make up a story about how the app gave me the wrong gate.

I sat and waited for boarding. It was crazy. Only a couple of people in priority had been scanned and they were asking for the other non-existent people in the priority queue. I said the queue was empty and they let us loser-folk go. It was mad at the bottom of the escalator. There is not a lot of space and it was beginning to fill up quickly and they finally realised they should probably shut off the escalator. It still took the gate agent another 15 minutes to open the doors so we could go board. I got a window seat and just parked myself and slept for a little. Before I did, the pilot started talking and said the flight would be smooth and there was no turbulence anticipated en route. How happy I was to hear that I tell you.

It was a fairly smooth flight and I slept for about half of it. I woke up partway through and was confused because it looked like we had flown longer than the route was. I finally realised it was because the clock had changed due to GPS kicking in.

We got off and getting across the border was quick and straightforward. I went and got some cash (£6 for the privilege too. Ouch). Oh well, it is all part of the travel list these days.

I had to get some change for the bus but the shop said they couldn’t change a 50. I had to ask at the cafe and they helped me out. I then managed to get change from the shop. I asked tourist info where the bus was and I was pointed in the direction but couldn’t really tell where it was. I asked a couple of other people.

I talked with some people on the flight and then the bus turned up for the city centre. As it turns out, the bus takes cards. Grrrr. The journey to the city centre was long and hot. There was no AC and at one point the driver opened the back doors and just drove with them open so we could have a breeze. I got off at the stop I needed and found my way to the hostel. I was able to check in a little earlier and it was very welcome. I put my stuff away and set off on my adventure.

Sarajevo

Konjic/Mostar/Kravica/Pocitelj/Blagaj

Day 1 › Sarajevo

I left the hostel and then started walking towards where the fortress was. I went and got some souvenirs but the shop wouldn’t take one of the hundred bills I had because it had a tear in it. I was hoping it was just a one-off at this shop. I gave the other hundred I had and then headed to find somewhere to change the note but the change bureaux wouldn’t do it. I found a shop to get something to drink and they changed it for me. Thank goodness I wasn’t going to be stuck with this torn bill.

I went to put on my DJI but I couldn’t find my J mount for it. I was so angry as I knew I had packed it. I started to walk up the hill and stopped by the Islamic cemetery and then decided since I couldn’t do a timelapse I would just head back to the hostel to charge my phone and have some food. I found my J mount and left the hostel after about 30 minutes and then found the supermarket. On the way I found a church I wanted to go inside and look but there was an entrance fee for foreigners only so I decided against it and just walked along the river and crossed a couple of the bridges. The water is so clean in this river. It reminded me of Japan.

I got some great shots of the mountains and some of the buildings along the river. I saw the cable car and decided I would do that on Monday or Tuesday (the days without rain where I didn’t have much planned).

I then headed to get something else to drink and then popped on my DJI and took a timelapse of the walk up to the Yellow Fortress. For some reason it stopped recording close to where the entrance was so I didn’t get that bit as part of it.

I sat in the fortress for about four hours and just enjoyed the view. I saw 2 of the people I had seen on the bus and just sat with them.

I managed to get some good pictures from atop the fortress and I got a good panorama

I also managed to get a timelapse of the sunset. I hope it was a good video despite people walking in front of me recording.

As soon as the sun had set I left there and headed back to the hostel via KFC. I wanted some hot food so got some fries.

I’m getting an early night as I have an early start for the tour to Mostar et al tomorrow.

Today has been a good day and I’m glad I decided to visit.
Total steps: 15,854

Total miles: 7.38

Below are some pics from today
Day 2 › Mostar Day Tour
Today was an early start as I had a tour of Mostar and various other towns/cities in that region planned.

I woke up in plenty of time and went for a shower and the water was freezing. I was beginning to worry that I wouldn’t be able to shower and make it out in time for the tour. Luckily there were showers on another floor that had hot water. I will just have to tell the staff when I get back tonight that there was no hot water and get them to fix it.

I headed to the office of the tour company. I opted for a hostel pick up but they messaged and asked if I could have round to their office as it was just around the corner from the hostel. I didn’t mind at all. It took about 3 minutes to get there.

I got there and had a wait of about 30 minutes before we left to start the tour. The guide was called Ayoop (probably spelt horribly wrong!) and he gave us a brief itinerary of where we were going and what we were going to see.

The itinerary was as follows:

Konjic (to see the old Ottoman bridge)

Mostar (to see the old town and the old bridge)

Kravica (to see the waterfalls)

Pocitejl (to see the old Ottoman self-contained town)

Blagaj (to see the Dervish house and to have food)

Ayoop gave us a lot of information about Bosnia & Herzegovina on the drive but a lot of it has escaped my brain. There was so much information. It was cool though. It was nicer to hear the passion and to get information from someone like that.

He said that the country was effectively two places: Bosnia and then Herzegovina. They are both ancient places – we are talking at least 1300 years.

He said that Bosnia is considered the north of the country and Herzegovina is considered the south. One thing I did notice was the climate change almost instantly as you went through the tunnel that separated the two regions. It was really weird. The north is a lot cooler and the south has a Mediterranean climate – not surprisingly since it has a coastline on the Adriatic.

We stopped at our first stop in Konjic after about an hour. Here we were dropped off at the top of the hill and were told about the cemetery there that had headstones of soldiers, Christians and Muslims. He said you could tell the headstone was a soldier as it had a lily on it. He also showed us two tombstones that depicted what the person did by the inscription on the front. A lily for a soldier and a sword for a soldier too.

I walked down the steps and was just in awe at the view. A river, a cool bridge, mountains, cool buildings, and several mosques. On the way down, a couple of the people I met on the tour asked if I would take some pictures – I was happy to oblige and they did the same for me too.

We had about 30 minutes here to walk around. I walked across the bridge to see what was on the other side. There really wasn’t much aside from touristy shops. I had to indulge – of course I did.

I got my bits and bobs and headed back across the bridge stopping in the middle to get the obligatory water and mountain and tree shots. It really was a cool view. The bridge itself was destroyed during the wars and was rebuilt with the help of Turkey (or Türkiye).

You can tell it was a rebuilt bridge as the stone at the bottom is the original grey and the stones above are a newer brown colour. You can see this in the pic below.

We went to the spot where we were supposed to meet our guide but he was nowhere to be seen. We also couldn’t see the other couple that were on the tour with us. We were wondering if he had left without us and not said anything. We then saw the couple and were relieved that we hadn’t been left behind. Ayoop turned up about 15 minutes late and profusely apologised and then we were on our way to Mostar.

The drive there was really pretty and scenic. We stopped along the way for a picture of the canyon and Ayoop did a really good job of capturing pics for us. He got a panorama with each of us in it. You can see that below.

We left here and then carried on our way to Mostar. He was telling us about the King of Bosnia and how the royal family were buried in sarcophagus placed vertically to signify that even in death they would stand with their people. He said that King Stephen of Herzog was where the name of this part of the country came from. He married a German woman and was bestowed the title of Herzog.

From here the story goes a little hazy for me as I was constantly looking out the window at the scenery and looking for the next photo opportunity.

We arrived in Mostar about 45 minutes later and parked up and had a walk into the old town. Despite the heat, it was a really nice walk. I wanted to capture a timelapse with the action camera but the camera had other ideas. It stopped recording because of the heat. I gave up and just put it away. I couldn’t be bothered to deal with it.

We came to the old town and it was heaving. So many tourists. The guide said that the previous day it was even worse with the amount of tourists there. It seems like today was the better day to go.

We walked to where the Crooked Bridge was and he said the architect built this in preparation for the bigger bridge he was ordered to build. He said he was ordered to build it or face execution. The builder, Ćejvan Ketoda, was convinced the bigger bridge would fall so prepared himself for death. It turns out, though, that the bridge stood for another 500 years before it was destroyed in the war of 1995. It was rebuilt with the help of Turkey, The Netherlands, and Italy to what it is now.

Ayoop told us that there are jumpers that will jump from 150m high into the water below. This stretch of water is really narrow and is just a few metres deep. He said some of them said they felt the sand at the bottom when they jumped. The guys who jump these days collect €50 and then will jump. Nobody knows why this arbitrary amount but they won’t jump until they have that amount. Ayoop said as soon as you see them pouring water over themselves they were ready to jump. I found out later that this water was to help prepare the body for the coldness of the water below. Sadly we didn’t get to see any jump.

Ayoop said that Red Bull jumpers jump from here also. If you wanted to do a jump yourself, you had to be tested jumping from the various platforms and given the green light before you could jump from the height of the bridge. You can see the platform below.

From below, there were a whole load of people just focused on the jumpers. Ayoop wanted to get us good pictures and he told them they weren’t going to jump until they poured this water and the crowd dispersed and it made for some good pictures for our group.

We went back up the steps to the (allegedly) second oldest coffee shop (Najstariji Kafić) in Europe. We also got some good views from up here too. A few of us went walking for about 45 minutes. We had some free time here to do as we pleased. It was nice to walk around and just chill and do whatever without having to worry about anyone else from the group (namely the older couple who were slow and demanding).

I got some good shots of the river and surroundings from up here.

We met up again with Ayoop and continued to the waterfalls at Kravica. These waterfalls are amazing. If you are ever in this part of the world you HAVE TO GO. It costs 30KM to get in but the fee is worth it. We were lucky in that we could take the minibus almost down to the bottom as it was off-season. When I say almost down to the bottom I mean to the top of the water (but it wasn’t much further down to water level).

The sound and smell of the water here was amazing. It was also lovely and freezing cold. I got out my trusty flannel and soaked it and just pressed it against my forehead and then neck. It was amazing.

A few of us carried on down to the bottom of the falls and the views were just wow, wow, wow. I love water and could have spent most of the tour here just sitting with my feet in the water and enjoying the sights and sounds and smells of the water. Have a look below to see what I mean.

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We left to go meet Ayoop and as we did he was driving off but motioned for us to wait. We were really confused. It turns out he helped someone back to the top to get some meds for his family member who wasn’t feeling good. I went and sat by the water and soaked my trusty flannel again.

Ayoop turned up and we then had a 45-minute drive to Pocitelj. He was telling us on the way there that this was an old Ottoman town and had everything to be self-sufficient. It had a watchtower (for obvious reasons), it also had a clock tower (presumably to know when it was time for prayers and mosque), it also had a mosque and right next to the mosque it had a madrassa attached to the mosque, it also had a hammam right across from the mosque – this is so the people could go and clean themselves before going to pray. They had to do this 5 times per day. In Islam, it is believed that both the soul/mind and body have to be clean before going inside the mosque to pray.

All but the mosque is not in use anymore.

At the top Ayoop said we could either go back to the minibus with him or walk down and meet him at the bottom. I wanted to walk down to capture more views. The 2 girls in the group joined me and we had a nice walk down. Oh yeah, one girl is from Norway and the other is from Taiwan.

The views from atop were amazing as you can see below.

We got down to the bottom and it was time to get back in the van for another 40-minute journey to Blagaj and food. Ayoop asked what we wanted on the way so he could order it and have it ready for us when we got there.

He also told us about the Dervish house that we would visit whilst there. The Sufis (these are Dervishes) dedicate themselves to god and seek to be in a state of purity and one with god. They are similar to monks. Ayoop said they generally don’t instigate talks about religion but are happy to talk about religion with you if you ask. He also said they don’t judge and ultimately believe that god is the only one who can judge another. The older couple in the van were muslims from the UAE and you could see they weren’t really comfortable. They didn’t want to eat either as they had eaten before they left to meet the tour (at 08:00 I might add).

We went to the restaurant to eat and Ayoop told this couple where they could go for some good pics over the river. Who knows if they went that way though.

We got our food and just enjoyed sitting by the river eating and enjoying the sights and sounds. Ayoop started somewhat of a trend by filling his glass from the river running not too far from our table. A group of young adults saw this and were perplexed and he told them it was good. One guy tried it and liked it and the others tried the water and liked it too. Then another table did the same. I wanted to try it but I wasn’t sure if my stomach could handle it. I would probably have liked it just for the temperature.

We were going to leave but we couldn’t see the UAE couple and Ayoop went to find them but couldn’t and he had to call the office to have them call them to see where they were. They were at the minibus. Ayoop went to get them but they said they weren’t comfortable seeing the Dervish house (surely they could have said that before we sat down to eat!).

We crossed the bridge and went to the Dervish house. This is a working Dervish house and they turn up every Friday to do their rituals. We were able to go inside and have a look. The girls had to cover their hair and we had to take our shoes off. The guide at the house showed us around both the downstairs and the upstairs.

The first room had what they called a salon and this is where they greeted their guests and was like a waiting room. The next room was where they would pray and there was a side room that was used as isolation. It wasn’t a punishment isolation but was a room for people to reflect. They would be sent there on the recommendation of the Dervish Council. They could be there for up to 40 days. Sometimes this room was used as punishment isolation though – for things like mental illnesses, sexual orientation, and general troublemaking.

We then saw the kitchen which was used to also heat the Hammam upstairs and to make it warm for those that needed to use it. We then went upstairs to see a couple of other rooms (I didn’t get to hear what these were as I was looking out the window for some good shots).

The light was just right for the Hammam though. I got a good shot of the stars on the roof of the dome and the colours of the stars.

One of the last rooms we saw was a burial room and they had 2 coffins in there that they said Dervish were buried in. I’m not sure if they were just replica coffins or if there were actual bodies in there.

With that done, we headed back to the minibus and then headed back to Sarajevo.

All in all, today was a really good day and I didn’t realise how photogenic Bosnia & Herzegovina really are. I’ve seen pictures of Mostar and the bridge but didn’t really appreciate how beautiful they are actually being there.

You can see our entire route in the map below. We were out for about 12 hours in total.

Total steps: 11,592

Total miles: 5.41

Below are some pics from today
Day 3 › Sarajevo
Today was the day I did the first of the walking tours I booked here. Thankfully I didn’t have to be up as early as yesterday – which worked out well since I woke up in the middle of the night feeling really sick and really bad stomach cramps. I was up for about 40 minutes but I luckily was able to sleep some more and finally got up at 9 – the tour didn’t start until 10:30 so I had plenty of time to just have a relaxing start to the morning.

The tour was with the same company I did the tour with yesterday – meaning I knew where the meeting point was which was good.

There ended up being about 20 of us on this tour and that was fine with me. I spoke with a guy from Belgium and a lady from Canada during the trip. It turns out the Belgian guy is in the bed above me at the hostel. Weird.

The walking tour itself was only an hour and 45 minutes. A lot shorter than others that I have been on. I think the tour itself was also only just over a mile – again shorter than others I have done. It was cool though. I wasn’t feeling a hundred percent so this was a welcome relief.

The tour itself was based on the religious side of Sarajevo and Bosnia. We went to the central mosque and this was the first mosque in the world to have electricity. The Bosnians/Serbs/Croats were really resourceful and ahead of their time. They had running water before most in the world too. The Ottomans decided they wanted this too so copied the people here and did that throughout their kingdom.

The guide then took us to the absolute centre of the city and told us that the streets here (as everywhere most likely) were named after the profession that was performed there.

We then went to the area of the city hall (thankfully he told us this story in the shade – when I left the hostel it was already 22 degrees). He was telling us in the war of 1992-1995 that the city hall was destroyed by fire and it took them a day to extinguish the fire. The way they have rebuilt it is pretty cool.

We then crossed the street to get some good pictures of the city hall and then carried on walking down to the Latin Bridge. He then told us about the assassination of the Arch Duke Franz Ferdinand of Austria and his wife Sophie. The members of the opposing side in this conflict were Bosnian Serbs and the archduke was assassinated by Gavrillo Princip across from the Latin Bridge. Earlier in the day a member of the group tried to assassinate him with a hand grenade but this bounced off the car and didn’t detonate. This guy then tried to kill himself by swallowing a Cyanide pill but this was out of date and its effectiveness wasn’t good enough to kill him. It was said that if things fail in the assassination they were to kill themselves rather than go alive – to not give them any information.

The Archduke and his convoy went to the city hall where he gave a speech and then said he needed to go to the hospital to see his injured soldiers from earlier in the day. He was advised against it but still wanted to go. He was given a driver but the driver didn’t get the correct instructions of where to go and turned down Zeleni Beretki but realised they were going the wrong way but, by this time, it was too late and Princip was able to shoot him and Sophie and they both later died from their wounds and this started the fall into war.

We then carried on to the Orthodox Church here in Sarajevo and then continued to the Olympic Square/Street. The guide was saying stuff but we couldn’t really hear him so I just smiled and nodded along. When there, the guide talked about the Winter Olympics of 1984. I said to him, as we were walking to the Sacred Heart cathedral that he forgot to mention that Torvill & Dean scored a perfect 10 from each of the judges – the first and only couple to receive such scores. He said that they were in Sarajevo for the 40th anniversary of the Olympics.

We then carried on to the synagogue and then ended our tour at the office. I wasn’t going to go back to the office but decided with the Canadian lady that I would. I’m glad I did. We found out about another tour that they did that went to the Tunnel of Hope and then up to the abandoned bobsled track. From there we were told we could reach the cable car – I wanted to do that so we both decided to do it. It was only about £20 for me.

We headed to get something to drink and eat and then went back to the office. We found a restaurant and I had some local beef soup that was really delicious. I just hope I don’t end up paying for it in the night. That wouldn’t be good at all!

We got back to the office and my hope that the tour would just be us two didn’t go to plan. There were four other people with us. One of them decided he wanted to ask as many questions as possible – frustrating the rest of us and the guide (he was the same guide we had on the walking tour). This tour was in a minibus and I am so glad as the Tunnel of Hope was about 8 miles out of the city.

Our first port of call was the Yellow Fortress. The views are stunning (as you already know by now). The guy kept asking a lot of questions and it was infuriating. Eventually, the guide told him he would get to his questions.

This tour concentrated on the 1992-1995 war and the siege of Sarajevo. From the fortress, the guide pointed out buildings that were used during the war. There was an armament and barracks behind us. He then pointed out the radio tower and the government buildings in the distance. He then pointed out Sniper Alley (which we couldn’t really see – or at least I couldn’t – from this far away). He said that we would be going down to that area on our way to the Tunnel of Hope so he would point them all out again. It was good that he did as I was able to see them.

The drive to the tunnel took about an hour because of traffic. I was ready to be out of the van at this point.

The tunnel costs 15KM to get in and you can only pay in cash in Bosnian Marks. He took us to watch a video about the construction of the tunnel and then we saw some pictures from the city and the siege and then we walked through a replica of the tunnel. It was only 160cm in height so I had to duck all of the time. It was good to see it and to see what they went through to keep control of their city and to keep the Serbs out.

We left the tunnel and then drove for about 40 minutes to the bobsled track. We had a 10-minute walk to this and then were given a brief history about it and how the war led to the ruin of it and they decided not to fix it up because it would be too costly to do that now.

We met another lady on this tour who wanted to do the cable car and all three of us set off on the 5-minute (YEAH, RIGHT MR GUIDE) walk to the top to catch the cable car. I had to sit for a couple of minutes to catch my breath. I was also conscious of the time. Luckily we were almost at the top and still had 40 minutes. We saw a viewing platform overlooking the city. It had some gorgeous views as you can see below

We went to go and get tickets and I took the lift. I couldn’t climb any more stairs. My legs and feet were aching.

We were told to just get into the car and then we would pay at the bottom.

We got in and I was freaking out. I hate heights and I hate cable cars (but they are worth the risk for the views). I got some good views from the cable car.

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During the ride down there was a gust of wind and it rocked the car as I was taking pictures of the ladies. I gasped and had to sit back for a couple of seconds and then I carried on taking pictures. I’ll be known as the grown man who was scared in the cable car and the guy who takes good pictures. To be honest, it was a welcome relief from the tough information we had on the tour.

We got to the bottom and just headed to the river and walked along it and took one of the ladies to her hotel and me and B walked along the river taking pictures as we went. One of those can be seen below.

We crossed over and headed back into the old town. I decided on KFC and a drink from the supermarket and B headed back to her accommodation.

It was a really good day today and it was also good (if you can say that) to learn about the war.

I need to get some sleep and mentally prepare myself for tomorrow as I am doing a walking tour about the war and then I will go to the museum about the Srebrenica massacre – so it will be a really heavy day emotionally tomorrow.

The Srebrenica massacre took place during the war when the Republika Srpska leader – Radovan Karadzic – committed genocide by rounding up all the Muslim men and summarily executing them. There were 8000 in total. Slobodan Milosevic was also charged with aiding the genocide by failing to prevent the genocide and also aiding the hiding of those committing the genocide.

I will talk more about this after I have done the visit tomorrow. It is a lot to go into and a lot happened during this.
Total steps: 15,403

Total miles: 7.22

Below are some pics from today
Day 4 › Sarajevo
Today was a later start than usual. I realised last night that the walking tour didn’t start until 16:00. It’s just as well really as I felt really sick again in the early hours. I tried to sleep it off and I did until about 06:00. My stomach was hurting way too much for me to try and sleep.

Fast forward to about 10 and I got up and showered and then headed to the Museum of the Srebrenica Genocide.

I was in here for about 3 hours. But for the walking tour, I would’ve spent a couple more hours in here as there was so much to see and do. It costs me 15KM for the entrance and then 5KM for the audio guide. I highly recommend getting the audio guide as it goes into detail about the genocide and you would not be able to appreciate it just on your own without audio.

I looked at the first two pictures of the exhibit and then found a computer that had maps (not maps in the literal sense but a timeline map) about the days leading up to the overtaking of Srebrenica and the events that occurred before, during and then after it. It is really harrowing and humbling and shows that history has taught us nothing. I will go back tomorrow to see more of it as the ticket gives you a 2-day entry. I want to finish the timelines as I didn’t have time to complete them because I had to leave for the walking tour. I have about 5 more days of the timeline to finish.

If you can do it over 2 days I would say do that as it is a lot to take in and process.

It takes you over the UN having control of Srebrenica and having it designated a safe zone so that refugees from Bosnia could go there. The refugees were mainly Bosniaks. The country is divided between three ethnic groups:

Bosniak – These are Muslims
Serbs (not to be confused with Serbians) – These are Orthodox Christians
Croats – These are Catholics

There was a huge influx of refugees because of the designation as a safe space. The Republika Srpska leaders said that they would be safe there and nothing would happen (where have you heard that rhetoric before I wonder). Of course, this was not the case. They had the women, children and elderly sent away from the town. They rounded up the muslim males between 16 and 70 and these were sent to camps to then be sent on for execution.

The leaders of Republika Srpska advanced on the town and ensured that the Dutch UN peacekeepers retreated. Some were allowed to go free, some were held hostage, and one was killed. They were told the hostages would be killed if air strikes started. The UN didn’t strike because of this.

The whole chain of command seemed to not care about the peacekeepers and the advancement of the army and their plans. The peacekeepers pleaded for air defences but were always denied right up until the last minute and then it was too late.

A column of men were trying to leave the territory of Srebrenica and the Serb-held land but were entrapped and ambushed and then led away to be executed. It was awful. They were buried in primary graves and then buried in secondary and sometimes tertiary graves. To this day, not everybody has been found and some of those found were only partial remains and the parents opted to bury them in case the rest of their skeleton was never found. At least this way they had some sort of burial and could lay their loved ones to rest. In total, over 8000 men were massacred in the genocide. It was agreed by the UN Security Council that this was indeed a genocide (as if it could be called anything else since those rounded up and killed were Bosniaks).

It was really sad to sit there and hear and read these harrowing accounts.

After here, I went and got something to eat and drink and to rest at the hostel for about 30 minutes because my head was hurting from all I had just seen and heard. It really is a heavy visit and it absolutely should be made mandatory. If we keep ignoring this stuff, it will just be repeated (as happened in Bucha, Ukraine in 2022).

I stayed at the hostel for about 20 minutes and then headed out for a wander before meeting the guide. I had seen a couple of places from the bus that I wanted to see (I also wanted to see them before the wind and rain started).

I went and saw the memorial to the murdered children of besieged Sarajevo. The second picture has the names of the children killed in the war.

I then headed to the river and walked along there to go and meet the tour guide.

The group for the tour was a really small one – five of us – and this was about the war in Bosnia (particularly Sarajevo).

The guide told us about how the city was encircled from the mountains but the Serb forces never entered the city. They wanted it to be a siege to mentally and physically drain the city of energy so they would surrender – this never happened. They couldn’t go into the city to fight as they would lose a lot of soldiers and they had the upper hand by having the city encircled.

You can see on a lot of the buildings that there are still shrapnel holes as the city can’t afford to fix them. The latter picture also includes bullet holes as this was in the line of sight of the snipers.

The guide also told us that his mother is a Bosniak and his father is a Serb. He said his father stayed in the city to fight with the Bosniaks against the Serbs. He said that the weapons they would get would be smuggled through the Tunnel of Hope so they could stand some sort of chance of fighting in the war.

NATO had control of the airport so it was a neutral zone and thus not a target in the war. It worked out well as the tunnel went under the airport and the runway.

One of the places we stopped at was a monument in remembrance of a father who shouted to his child that he should surrender to the Serbs as they wouldn’t do anything to harm them. It turns out this was untrue and they were both killed. The BBC did a documentary called “Srebrenica – A Cry from the Grave” about this aspect of the war. You can see that below. Warning: It is not an easy watch

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We then went by the monument to the murdered children and he said that the fountain had footprints representing the children and it is made out of bullets and mortars and shells from the war. It was also in a circle representing the siege of the city.

Where the names are, you can rotate them and they make a sound as if the children were outside playing.

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He said of all the people killed in the siege, 1600 (some 10%) were children.

He said on the ground they had the “Roses of Sarajevo”. These are memorials to where at least three people were murdered. The rose is on the original concrete and has a border around it and then the current street covering. He said there were 100 of these around the city.

The guide also told us that some people set up “Sarajevo Safari” where people would come and be snipers just for the hell of it. He said there is a documentary about it called Sarajevo Safari.

He also showed us the hotel where the journalists stayed and that was also not a target in the war. You can see the difference between then and now in the picture below.

This area was known as sniper alley and everyone was a target here. It was obvious who was a civilian but the Serbs didn’t care. They would just arbitrarily shoot. He told us the story of a woman who was with her son and she was shot through the stomach and the bullet left her body and killed her son. It also killed her unborn child. The horrors are just way too hard to comprehend.

He also said there is a video that can be found of a cyclist riding down Sniper Alley and getting so annoyed at being shot at that he flipped the bird to the snipers.

We went by the river and that was really close to the frontline of the war. The Serb forces used a Jewish cemetery as the base for the snipers. Such cowardice. In the picture below it is the building with the black roof just above and to the right of the yellow house.

We then ended the tour at the not-so-but-subtly-so-up-yours-to-the-UN statue. It was of a tin of canned beef that was provided by the UN and, as was often, out of date and disgusting.

Once this was done I then jumped on a tram and headed to KFC to get something to drink and back to the hostel as the rain was starting and will do so until sometime tomorrow afternoon. It seems everyone else has the same idea too. Sometimes hostels are not fun – and this is one of those times.

Today was a really heavy day mentally and emotionally and it needs to be so. This stuff needs to be remembered and never forgotten.

I told the guide at the end of the tour that I was 16 when this war ended and I was close enough to Bosnia for it to feel real and I said how I was watching it on the TV too. He asked about other generations. I said generations older than me would probably remember Sarajevo for the 1984 Olympics and Torvill & Dean. I said the generation after me would probably know Sarajevo for the cheap flights to the rest of the Balkans and somewhere cool to visit.

During the tour, he talked about the current governance in the country and it seems really messed up. It has a 3 person presidency representing the three ethnic groups. He was also saying that when it came to presidential elections it was a really messed up system. In the Federation of Bosnia & Herzegovina, you could only vote for the president of the Croats or Bosniaks. In the Republika Srpska, you could only vote for the Serb president.

He also said in school in Mostar that the Croats and Bosniaks have different history lessons but everything else is combined.

When the country was divided between Republika Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, RS got 49% and BiH got 51%

He said that inside Sarajevo the HVO (Croatian army) fought with the Bosniaks. Outside of Sarajevo, the HVO fought against the Bosniaks. It’s really strange. I still don’t have anywhere near enough of a grasp of this war and the complexities of it before, during, and after. I need to read more about it.

I didn’t realise how much of a separation was still in existence here. It’s really crazy.
Total steps: 10,925

Total miles: 5.03

Below are some pics from today
Day 5 › Sarajevo
Today was my last full day here in Sarajevo. I didn’t have anything I needed to be up early for. I decided I would just lie in and not do a whole lot until the rain had passed. It was due to pass around 15:00. I know, a long time to be sitting in the hostel.

I decided to look out the window to see how bad the rain was and it turns out it wasn’t raining but SNOWING. I haven’t gotten out of bed so fast in a while.

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The video above is what greeted me when I looked out

I had a shower and decided I would go out and enjoy the snow. I was going to go to the Srebrenica museum and finish off that but the snow redirected me.

I wanted to go somewhere that I could get some good views of the city in the snow and the only place I could think of was the Yellow Fortress. I borrowed an umbrella from the hostel and made my way to the fortress. I did get some looks from people as I was in a T-shirt and shorts. I don’t even care. I was comfortable and I was enjoying the weather. I must admit that my arms were a little cold but it was worth it for the snow and the views.

One thing that was concerning me was the walk up to the fortress. It was a little steep and the steps weren’t concrete but a marble-like surface so I was worried I would slide down or fall down. Luckily neither happened and the surface wasn’t slippy at all.

I took plenty of pics on the way to the fortress and atop the fortress and on the way down. A couple of them are below.

Once I had reached the bottom I was a little hungry so I decided I would go to the supermarket and get something quick to eat and then head to the Srebrenica museum.

I got to the museum and luckily someone was finishing on the computers that detailed the events leading up to, and of, the massacre in Srebrenica.

It was really harrowing because this far into it they had eyewitness accounts and showed videos of the men being killed. I had to leave because it wasn’t fun to watch – and nor should it be either!

I went back to the hostel and just had a lie down for about 90 minutes so I could eat and drink and just clear my head from what I had just seen.

I decided that I wanted to go to the area of the city that showed the flags of Bosnia throughout the ages. The pictures below are from the first flag to the present-day flag.

Yep, I took a 30-minute tram ride specifically for this. It’s what I do. Deal with it!

Once I had seen this I noticed some kind of memorial across the road so I decided I had to go look at it. It was a memorial to the soldiers killed in the 1992-1995 war for the liberation of Bosnia & Herzegovina.

They all died between 1992 and 1995. The youngest I had seen was 13. It was awful to see how young these soldiers were. It was crazy to see that it was all not so long ago either. I had also seen the names of some that were 15/16/17/18. War is truly horrible. I somehow feel an affinity to these soldiers and I think that’s because it was pretty much in our backyard and within my lifetime and I had seen it unfold on the TV and I can still remember bits of it. That’s not to minimise the other wars going on right now either.

Once I was done here I was really cold so decided to get back on the tram and head back to the hostel via the shop for some more food.

I stayed at the hostel for about 25 minutes and then headed back out. I wanted to go see the #sarajevo sign across from the city hall. I wanted to see it lit up.

I crossed the Latin Bridge and took a walk along the river. It was flowing faster than I had seen it and it was really brown. I’m guessing all the crap from the roads was washed into the drains and then into the river.

I walked up to where the cable car entrance was so I could get some more pics of the city in the snow. I went back down and the sign still wasn’t lit up. I only had to wait a few minutes and it was. I took some pics here and then decided it was cold enough to head back to the hostel to get some warmth.

I stopped by the supermarket to get some stuff to take home to people and some stuff for dinner (it was all junk food though but I don’t care). On the way to the supermarket, I had to walk around a bus and the driver was on the phone and almost hit me because he wasn’t paying attention. Grrr.

I got back to the hostel and packed as much as I could so I could have as long as lie in as possible tomorrow (when I get home I go straight to nightshift so it’s gonna be a long day).
Total steps: 11,593

Total miles: 5.40

Below are some pics from today

I woke up today with a really bad stomach and I genuinely now think it is because of travelling and some sort of unconscious anxiety. It’s weird. Who even knows.

I decided that I would just shower and finish my packing so I could at least relax before I needed to head out for the bus. I just sat at the hostel for about an hour and chatted with some people there and then headed out to get the bus to the airport. It was nice to sit outside in the sun and I was there for about 15 minutes before the bus. One of the workers at the hostel said if the bus says a certain time to turn up about 10 minutes early because they never run to timetable.

I got to the airport with 3 hours until the flight was due to leave. I just pottered about and then went to go to security. It was really weird. I had to go through a web check-in desk first to get my documents checked. I then went to security and I didn’t have to take anything out. It was nice not to have to separate anything (except a power bank).

This went pretty fast and I then went through duty-free to see if they had any water and I found a cafe that did. I asked the price and they just said 3. I questioned if this was Euros or Pounds or Marks. It was Marks. I got a water and Fanta and that cost me 10 Marks (a fiver).

I just went and sat until it was time to start boarding. I got in the non-priority queue and waited – they were letting those without priority board so I don’t even know why they have the two queues. Anyway, I got through boarding and waited in the queue. Someone behind me was being signalled by someone ahead and I didn’t let them through. The woman ahead called me a ‘Fat Brit’ because I wouldn’t let the person through. We all have to queue. After a minute I turned around and asked if they wanted to go ahead. Grrrr.

We actually left on time and I slept for about half of it. I had an aisle seat and the middle was free. It was nice to have some space. The guy in the window seat was going to take a picture but he still had the selfie camera on and was embarrassed when he got me in the pic and apologised. I thought it was funny.

The only issue with this flight was coming in to land in Stansted. It was really bumpy. Not my idea of fun at all. Thankfully we landed without issue.

It was fairly quick getting across the border (for a change) and I went to BK and spent a tenner on a burger. I was going to get some Pepsi Max – but not at £3.19 for a 500ml bottle when they are only £1.20 out of the airport.

I sat on the platform of the station for about 90 minutes until the train was due to leave. I started to get really cold and I was glad when the doors opened. It was manic on the train. People were sitting wherever they wanted and not moving for people when they were in the wrong seats. We were about 10 minutes late leaving and about 10 minutes late the whole way back to Peterborough.

It was raining as we got into Peterborough so I hot-footed it back home as I was cold and I needed to get to work. As I approached home I saw 6 fire engines with lights flashing and water hoses out and people looking. I was worried something was happening in the building. I asked a fireman and he said it was a test. Thank goodness for that, I was desperate to get to the loo and then to work.

Bosnia and Herzegovina is a really beautifully picturesque country. I can highly recommend it. Find some flights and go!

Total steps: 71,531

Total miles: 33.38

You can view all of my Sarajevo pics here

You can view all of my Konjic pics here

You can view all of my Mostar pics here

You can view all of my Kravica pics here

You can view all of my Pocitelj pics here

You can view all of my Blagaj pics here

chris | Saturday April 20th 2024 | Travel| Blagaj, Bosnia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Europe, Herzegovina, Konjic, Kravica, Mostar, Pocitelj, Sarajevo, Srebrenica, Travel, War | 0 Comments

Moja posjeta Sarajevu (i obilazak Mostara)

Sarajevo

Konjic/Mostar/Kravica/Pocitelj/Blagaj

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