What to See and Visit for the Best Experience
I have a feeling, that when a person is going to travel abroad, they always want to see the national capital. Well, it's the case with me at least. But I can't always get there. Usually that's due to distances. We usually get someplace and the capital is too far of to go there for a cup of coffee in the main square or a quick souvenir.
I often visit relatives who live in Bosnia and Hercegovina, but have never had a chance to visit Sarajevo. Finally I made it my goal to visit the city. I planned a few days city break and started looking for the best way to get there and where to sleep. I quickly realized there are several buses a day, taking you from Tuzla to Sarajevo. So I decided to visit my relatives in Tuzla first. I left my luggage with them and may a day trip to Sarajevo, saving some money on the way.
But the plan changed and I didn’t have to take the bus. My mother was visiting the family in Gradačac a few day before and she decided to take me to Sarajevo and grant me my wish.
After three hour’s drive and a bit more, with no motorway, we reached the 160 kilometre removed capital. As each capital wherever you go, here too, you should be more careful. We quickly found a parking place that was just a kilometre away from Baščaršija. So we started walking the capital exploring and discovering surprising things – and the first surprise was my cousin we met, working in a shop in the very heart of the city. Next was my first meeting with my cousin, which whom I was related through my biological father. Those are priceless moments.
I did all my duties and then headed forth. First I quenched my thirst with the water from the “česma,” known by its slogan: “Who drinks the water from Baščaršija even once, will never find a way to leave Sarajevo.” Next I had chevapchichi in the most famous restaurant in Sarajevo – “kod Želje” – which are supposed to be the best in the city. And you can only get them like this in Baščaršij.
Next I rode the tram. This was a good way to get to know the city. The lady next to us said, we should watch out for pickpockets and that it’s best to take a day pass which costs 5KM (that’s 2.5€) and you get a combination of city buses and trams. A single ticket otherwise costs 1,6KM (0,80€).
As always when I travel to a place I haven’t been to before, I check out what are the attractions I want to see. Sarajevo is among the most important cities on the Balkans that became known around the world in 1914 when the assassin Gavrilo Princip shot the archduke Franc Ferdinand Habsburg. This event triggered the First World War, with Austro-Hungarian Empire declaring war with Serbia and then each of the allies took sides. I also heard a story about the Winter Olympics, which took place in Sarajevo in 1984. On the very evening when the games opened there was no snow and the ski courses were dry. It was a verge of catastrophe, but the snow started falling that very night. This got to be known as the miracle of Sarajevo as it was the event that ensured the very successful Olympic games. Otherwise, I can honestly say that today Sarajevo is evolving into a modern European capital with a lot of potential.
One of the things I really loved in Sarajevo was the cathedral of the Heart of Christ, with the statue of pope John Paul II at the entrance. The pope visited the city in 1997 and blessed the cathedral which has a richly decorated roseate. I also liked the watch tower standing next to the Beg’s mosque and the famous building of the Central bank of Bosnia and Hercegovina, which is near the “Eternal flame.” There are two interesting statues in front of the buildings you better see in the picture.
The eternal fire is a monument to all the military and civilian casualties of the Second World War in Sarajevo. The monument was erected on April 6th 1946 at the first anniversary of the freeing of Sarajevo from the German occupation. The monument stands in the centre of the city between the street of Marshal Tito and Ferhadij. During the siege of Sarajevo the monument was destroyed as they ran out of fuel to keep the flame alive.
With the many hours of walking I wasn’t even as tired as usually. This just goes to prove the city is well worth a visit as it’s really interesting – even if you go there only for a day. Naturally the weather helped as it was just perfect for the occasion.
I’d also like to ad that Sarajevo represents a miniature Bosnia, as you get to see the country’s diversity in just one place. In a small area of the town you’ll get to see religious objects of three different religions (an orthodox and catholic church and a mosque). You can see modern and rich buildings, poor houses, flats and historical structures. You get to see that poor people live here as well as the rich, that intellectuals live with physical labourers and that they all share the space with many other kinds of people. And by taking just one walk through the city you get to know a lot about the history of the whole country.
