My announcement that I would be spending my summer in Bosnia met with bemused silences. "But why?", they asked - "Be careful" or "Good for you". My neighbour told me "be sure to take a headscarf with you, it's a Muslim country y'know."
So many concerned family members asked me if it was safe, that I began to have doubts. After watching the film "Welcome to Sarajevo" and reading graphic books about the conflict in an attempt at researching this forgotten corner of Europe, I felt even more unsure.
My worries were to prove unfounded. The hijab I didn't pack proved to be unnecessary, and ironically, I felt safer in Bosnia than I do at home in Birmingham.
I discover a country that is simultaneously familiar and foreign. Glamorous young people frequent the city bars, but one Bosnian girl tells me "we can only afford one coffee, which we chat over for hours." Internet cafes have become common, but connections are snail- slow, and the Cyrillickeyboards confuse me.
I find a country recovering from its wounds from the Balkan conflict of the mid nineties. "Yes, there was a war, but we don't want to talk about it all the time, it is the past", one young student tells me.
Sarajevo is a beautiful city, surrounded by mountains which played host to the 1984 Winter Olympics. "Come skiing in Sarajevo this winter", tour guide Sunny encourages. "We have world class facilities, you just have to slalom between the landmines."
Bosnia has a real need for tourism, to attract investment and move on from its past. It has a lot more to offer travellers besides a standard sand, sea and fish and chips type of break. Bosnia is a good destination for both backpackers, as well as the adventurous older traveller, but not suitable for young families or those seeking luxury. There is a Mediterranean climate, and stunning landscapes ranging from dramatic cliffs and canyons, to rolling hills and gently bubbling streams. The extreme sport lover can paraglide, raft and climb, all at a fraction of UK prices.
Sarajevo has obvious Turkish influences, from the Ottoman period. Calls to prayer from the towns mosques compete with one another, echoing off the surrounding hills.
Approaching the centre of Sarajevo, through its sprawling suburbs, I was greeted by the sight of rows of communist blocks peppered with bullet holes, neighbours to a former government building now just an empty shell.
Daily "war, history and tolerance" tours are run in Sarajevo, from a small tourist office frequented mostly by international backpackers. For 10 Euros, the dry humoured guide, Sunny, takes groups around the hotspots of the city in a minibus. These 'hotspots' include a market where 59 people were killed by a bomb, and a Jewish cemetery overlooking the city where Serb snipers picked out 'targets' in the streets below.
Sarajevo offers a wealth of history, the most recent of which can make visitors feel uncomfortable and intrusive. As the tour bus drove past the market, it is full with Bosnians getting on with their daily lives. I wondered how they felt about buses taking tourists to gaze upon their previous miseries. The tour was interesting and informative, but I couldn't help feeling a little voyeuristic.
I ate a kebab with a Turkish boy and a Finnish girl in "pigeon square", at the entrance of the Turkish quarter. The winding cobbled streets are lined with shops selling leather good, jewellery, and even used bullet cases left over from the conflict.
There has always been a lively arts scene in Bosnia, which has flourished since the war ended, with annual festivals such as the Sarajevo Film Festival, numerous art galleries and national dances.
In the morning I buy yoghurt and crackers from a market, and proceed to eat them on the steps of the city's grand Catholic cathedral. A local dwarf man invites me to drink coffee with him. I decline politely, but he is insistent. I wished I had learned the words for "sorry, I'm married."
I didn't know before I went to Sarajevo, that the first world war started after Duke Francis Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated in Sarajevo in 1914. A small plaque marks the historic spot.
Grenade indentations in the pavements have been filled in with red rubber and are known as "Sarajevo roses", a sight both disturbing and strangely beautiful. A scarlet hijabbed woman strolls along the pock marked pavement, hand in hand with her husband, avoiding stepping on the "roses" with her heeled feet. Walking the narrow streets, and going for coffee are the main pastimes here.
The bus to Banja Luka takes me away from Sarajevo along 'Snipers Alley', past the familiar bright yellow Holiday Inn which was home to international journalists during the conflict, one side of which is covered with the scars of war. Facing Snipers Alley are modern office blocks. The local government plans to pull down all war damaged buildings and completely rebuild the city, in an attempt to move on. The next time I visit, the view may be very different.
Fact File:
There are no direct flights from the UK to Bosnia, but it is possible to fly via Austria
There is plenty of accommodation available in Sarajevo, from £5 a night hostels, to plush hotels
The currency is the convertible mark, which you can change at banks, or get out from cashpoints
It is possible to take daytrips to Sarajevo from Croatia
That review was very good! I like your writing style. I have never visited Bosnia but would love to! We have some friends who came over here as refugees in about 1992 and they are the kindest people. They have proved good ambassadors to the country. I am determined to go soon- possibly this summer as I feel every tourist will help rebuild their economy.
Plissken 20.02.2005 17:20
Thanks very much for such a helpful review! I visited Mostar last year, and recieved similar puzzled comments from friends and family, and now I'm fascinated by the country. It's difficult finding good info on the country, so your review has definitely helped me in my planning for my upcoming trip to the Bosnian capital. Cheers, Plissken.
Lush1 17.12.2004 18:25
It really is a fantastic place, did you notice the Italian influences in Savajevo too?
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Dec 16th, 2004
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