Welcome to Sarajevo

Id have to say that Sarajevo has been my favorite city so far.

When I had talked to other travelers about Sarajevo they were like "Wow your going there?" So I guess its really off of the backpackers trail. When I got on the train I was expecting to not see any other travelers but actually there was an American couple and four American college girls traveling there. In my car was also a lady from Croatia, Julijana, who ended up giving me a lot of advice on what to check out (Cevapcici!) an expect as well.

The train ride ended up not being too bad and overnight besides the several stops at borders for customs guards was uneventful. The worst part actually was that my allergies finally kicked in overnight and by the time I arrived in Sarajevo in early morning my eyes were red and puffed up and I was full of phlegm. Not a preaty sight.

But Sarajevo was. It is surrounded by picturesque mountains on almost every side and looked rather inviting.

The train station was a communist relic and when I got off the train there was a lady for a hostel pushing her card at me. Another American tourist was going to check it out as well, and they offered a free ride into the city. So I took up the offer.

When I got there I decided I didn't really want to stay at a hostel so I asked about the private rooms and the lady showed me a room in a building not too far. It was great. I had a huge room to myself, located right next to the old town, and a nice older lady as the owner all for 15 euros a night. It was great.

After getting a few hours of sleep I took a tour around the city which took us up into the mountains and also showed us the a tunnel that the people of Sarajevo used when they were under seige from 1992-1995. It went underneath the airport and was the only lifeline to the outside world.

The scars of war are still everywhere in Sarajevo. Where ever you look there are still buildings that have bullet holes in them. If you just wander around there are also burned out hulls of buildings right next to a lively cafe.

From the hills you could still see the buildings that had been destroyed by the constant shelling as well as where the serbian snipers took position to shoot down citizens from the surrounding hills.

As a photojournalist I had to visit the Holiday Inn where the international media were staged during the seige.


But even with all the scars its evident that Sarajevo was and is and will be a beautiful city. At night if you walk down the main pedestrian boulevard of Ferhadija couple and families and tourist enjoy the stroll while the warm summer sun sets walking past rows and rows of openair cafes where people enjoy cappicino's and the local beer.
At sunset the muslim call to prayer fills the air, across from the Bill Gates Cafe.



I wish I had more pictures and I wish I had more time to check out the city but unfortunately my time backpacking around is starting to grow short. I have to be back in a week in Germany to get ready for the World Cup and still have to make it to Dubrovnik and Rome.