bosnia: sarajevo

Medical tourism is a thing, but for the longest time I never thought I would travel for this reason. Then I did just a little research into something I wanted to have done, and how much it would cost if I had it done in the States. The numbers were not happy numbers for my wallet, to say the least.

I didn't do anything else for several years, until I saw a social media post from a friend, who had gone to a dentist in another country, and was really pleased with both the work and the price. I messaged him for details, and started planning a trip.

What ended up happening was a trip to Bosnia, staying in Sarajevo for most of the time. I made an appointment with the same dental office, happy to finally have a solution to what I wanted to do. Since Bosnia was a country I'd wanted to visit for quite a while, this was absolutely perfect.

The cheapest flights had me spending most of the first travel day in Vienna, before arriving in Sarajevo very late in the evening. I'd made sure to download directions to my accomodation so I'd be able to figure out what I was doing even though I wouldn't have the ability to use my phone.

My first in person experience in Sarajevo was amazing. I found the bus stop I needed (a 15 minute walk from the airport,) and only had to wait another 15 minutes for the bus I needed. I had no idea how much the bus cost, but I handed the driver the smallest bill given to me by the ATM in the airport, 10 BAM.

I think the driver asked me if I had anything smaller, I said I didn't. The man behind me in line realized I was not local, and spoke to me in English. He said he would pay for my bus ticket, since the driver didn't have change for a 10 BAM bill, as the ride was only 1.8 BAM. I was absolutely floored by this kindness, it was totally unexpected and very much appreciated.

When I got to my accomodation and checked in I fell asleep within 10 minutes, as it was now after midnight.

Sarajevo is the capital, and biggest city in Bosnia, with 275,000 residents within city limits. 

If you take into account the entire metro area, the number goes up to more than 550,000 people. Bosnia is not a big country, and almost immediately I realized the capital city didn't feel like a big city. Sarajevo mostly lies within a valley, you can see most of the city if you climb up some of the surrounding hills.

Wikipedia tells me people have been living in this area since prehistoric times, though 'modern history' of the area doesn't begin until the 15^th century. At that time, the Ottoman Empire ruled the area, and Sarajevo was one of their stronghold cities.

Perhaps the most (in)famous moment in modern Sarajevo history took place on the 28^th of June, in 1914. This was when Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria was assassinated, which was the start of WW1. When this happened, Sarajevo was part of the empire of Austria-Hungary. After the war, the city became part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, which then became the Socialist Republic of Bosnia-Herzegovina in the second Yugoslavia.

From 1992-1996 Sarajevo was one of the focus points of the Yugoslav Wars, being under seige for over 1400 days. This fighting is probably what most people think of when they hear the name Sarajevo, or Bosnia. I learned a lot about this war during this trip, but a lot of it still confuses me. The fighting was between several groups of people, with different desired outcomes. There were religious groups, as well as 'ethnic' groups involved in everything. To figure it all out, you have to sort through who was involved, and what they wanted in regards to every other group involved. 

From what I understand, some of the religious tensions are still

quite high, more than 20 years after the official end of the war.

One other historical event might come to mind when people think of Sarajevo: the 1984 winter Olympics. The facilities for these games were built on the hills that surround the city, so you don't see many reminders when you're wandering through the city center.

The first place I visited was City Hall, which has massive moorish influences in its architecture. There is an entry fee of 10 BAM, but that allowed me to wander all over the building, taking photos to my heart's desire. (Lots of photos, obviously.)

The ceiling was stained glass, absolutely lovely. There were amazing stairs, and a walkway on the second level, and very few other people wandering around. Yay!!

From city hall, I made my way to one of the main streets running through the city center. Just walking down that street I got to see a few bakeries, an Orthodox church, the Sarajevo Cathedral, and a memorial with an eternal flame. I didn't buy anything in any of the bakeries, as I was too hot to have an appetite for any of it.

My visit to the dentist's office was a success. I was thrilled with the work they did, and the price I paid. Awesome.

After the dentist I went to the Museum of War and Genocide from 1992-1995. Sarajevo has a number of museums dedicated to the different aspects of the Yugoslavian War, all of them are really intense to visit. I was mentally and emotionally exhausted by the time I walked out of the museum. There were photos and information about all that happened during the war, much of it beyond the pale of acceptable behaviour. How people can do things like that to other people is beyond me.

I had dinner at a random local restaurant, and stopped at a grocery store on my way home. There is a river running through the middle of the city, with several bridges crossing the water. I crossed on a bridge that had been designed by students in design school, there was a loop de loop in the middle.

The next day I didn't get moving very quickly. Eventually I started my day with a hike. It was steep, and I had to stop more than once to catch my breath. Thank goodness I'd brought water with me, because sweat was pouring off me. I climbed toward the White Fortress, on top of a hill at the eastern end of the city. 

Wikipedia tells me there are several stories about the history of this fortress, but whicheva is right didn't matter to me. The place is in ruins, but has amazing views looking both east and west.

Despite Sarajevo not being on flat ground, the city used to have entry gates and city walls. From the White Fortress I walked to what remains of one of the gates, Visegrad gate. Nothing particularly impressive, but I'm always a fan of visible history, so I was glad I'd seen it.

I followed various twisting roads a little down the hill to the Yellow Fortress. Though the spot still has the name, there is almost nothing left of the fortress other than the great view over the city. Very pretty, and quite peaceful. Further down the hill I found one of many cemeteries in the city. Photogenic, but at the same time, very sad; especially when you think of how many of these people should still be living, and how old they would be if still alive. 

I walked up the hill on another side of the city to visit Svrzo house. This is a house that was owned by an upper middle class during Ottoman times. The house is separated into two sections, as homes were back in the day. One section is the public section, where visitors came, and the men spent time. The other part was for the women and family only.

Even though there was no air conditioning, the house was still quite cool, even in the middle of the afternoon on a hot day. Most rooms had windows, and/or balconies. There were low 'couches' around the edges of each room in which people hung out, and the wood tables all had intricate carvings all over.

After that I went to another intense war museum. This was the War in Childhood Museum. There are 50 objects on display, each one from someone who was a child during war. Most of the objects are from Bosnia, from the war in the 90s, but there are a few from places like Syria, where the war is still taking place. Intense in its own way.

This was a day of museums, as I went to yet another one after the Childhood Museum. The Jewish museum is located in an old synagogue. The history of Jews in Bosnia is quite long, and sadly, there aren't nearly as many Jews in the country as there used to be. As with other countries during WW2, the local Jewish population has never recovered.

This museum had photos of Jewish life back in the day, as well as items in daily and celebratory use. There were also propaganda posters from WW2, which were obviously very anti Semitic.

I went to one final museum as my last sight in the day. 

I suppose it was more a photo gallery than museum, but all the photos were from the war years in the 90s, so it felt like a museum, and was just as intense as the other museums I saw in Sarajevo.

The photos were blown up to very large sizes, with captions and descriptions for a few of them. It was completely quiet inside, none of the visitors were talking.

My dinner that night was at the same cafe as the night before, but felt almost like a relief after the emotions of the museums of the days.

The next day I again took my time getting moving, but that's what holidays are all about, right? I followed my phone to get to the bottom station of a cable car that would take me up the mountain on another side of the city. There were round trip and one way tickets; I seriously thought about walking down the hill, but as hot as it was I knew I wouldn't be in the mood to do so.

I rode the cable car to the top station, which lets you out at a spot where you have fantastic views of the whole city. The reason I rode this cable car was to see a sight of a completely different sort than what I'd seen the past two days.

The luge and bobsleigh track from the 1984 winter olympic games was not far from the cable car station. The track has been abandoned since the games, and has been covered in graffiti for years; the art is redone regularly. Parts of the track are falling apart, with mold growing in some spots. There are leaves and other dirt in areas, you can see nature is slowly trying to take back what humans have created.

The whole thing is really photogenic. Instagram gold, if you will. It is super easy to walk up and down the track, taking photos of all the different bends in the track.

After walking down to the bottom of the track, I walked all the way back up, then over to another section of the mountain. That section gave me more views over the city, better than I'd seen from the White Fortress or Yellow Fortress.

From the cable car on the way back down I saw a bell tower, so when I got to the bottom station, I headed in that direction. It wasn't that hard to get to St Anthony's monastery. The main church was open, so I walked in and enjoyed the atmosphere for a few minutes. I'm always a sucker for stained glass.

After the church I walked back across the river, and made my way to the main walking street of the city center area. Along this street is a mosque that has history stretching back to Ottoman times. The clock tower tells time according to a lunar clock, which was neat to see; the numerals were Arabic. Thank goodness there was a sign explaining how to read the clock, I was completely clueless until I read the sign.

I wanted to go in the mosque itself, but I was wearing shorts, and felt that would be inappropriate.

The next day I made sure to wear a long skirt, and made my first stop back at the mosque. There is a washing spot in the courtyard, as washing your feet (and hands?) is a traditional part of prayer in Islam.

I could see people praying outside, on one side of the mosque, but the door going inside was closed. At first I thought that meant the entire mosque was closed, but then I heard a tour guide speaking in English, and the guide was taking the group around the side of the building. The guide took the group in a side door, I followed.

There is a small area sort of fenced off, this is the only area in which visitors are allowed. I don't know how often Muslims pray inside, or if the inside is only seen for the most part by visitors.

Further down the street is the current version of a market that also stretches back to Ottoman times. At one point I think it was quite similar to the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, but now it's a kitchy market, with souvenirs and other items geared almost entirely to tourists. It's listed as a place for tourists to see, but I was not at all impressed.

I walked all the way to the end of the pedestrian area, and kept going. At that point I was on a street that was called Sniper's Alley during the war in the 90s. You can still see bullet holes on many of the buildings. Amazing, and really sad. Life during those years must've been absolutely terrifying for everyone.

I walked all the way to a block that has two museums. I was too late to visit the National Museum, but the Historical Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina was still open. It turned out to be very small, and quite lame. Part of the museum seemed to be under renovation, and unless I'm mistaken had only two rooms of items to see. Totally not worth it.

The next day was my day trip to Jajce, when I lost my camera.

After that was my last morning in Sarajevo. I packed up and checked out, taking my backpack with me. Despite the tiny Jewish community in Sarajevo, the main synagogue is plenty big, and open for visitors.

Even though the synagogue is open for visitors, you still have to ring a bell in order for the locked door to be opened from inside. Jewish facilities around the world have more security than other religious facilities because anti-Semitism is world wide.

Someone gave me a quick tour of the synagogue, I was interested to learn that the current congregation is so small that it doesn't have a full time rabbi. I think they gather from time to time, and bring in a rabbi for bigger holidays and celebrations. If I remember correctly, there are less than 2000 Jews in the city now.

After the synagogue I walked to the nearby bus stop to catch the bus to the airport.

The first part of my trip went as planned, woo hoo. I had a much shorter layover at the airport in Vienna going back to Moscow, thank goodness. 

My flight from Vienna to Moscow was supposed to arrive back in Moscow at 0200 or so, I originally planned to hang out for a few hours before taking the train back into the city center to get home.

Not long after I arrived at the gate I heard an announcement saying the flight was overbooked, asking for volunteers to be bumped to the next flight. Rewards for doing so would be 300 euros and a food voucher. I knew I would rather hang out in the Viennese airport for an extra three hours than the Moscow airport, so I made a beeline for the desk at the gate.

I ended up being bumped to the next flight, I was the only one who got bumped. Yay! That was the first time I've ever been able to take advantage of that sort of situation.

I would love to go back to Sarajevo, and I'd love to see more of Bosnia in general.