Sarajevo

*my apologies in advance for this long post

One of my favorite aspects of the Bridge Year Program for Serbia is the opportunity to travel to other Balkan countries. Our first excursion beyond Serbian borders was to Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina from October 20-23. The six of us (as well as our driver, Željko) crammed ourselves into a mini van and spent six hours en route to Sarajevo. When we finally drove down into the valley that nests the city, I could immediately sense a different atmosphere than that in Novi Sad. I couldn’t exactly put my finger on it, but I was excited to use the next couple of days to explore the city and to discover the difference.

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Day 1 (really just a night)

We started the trip off with a bang! Ceca brought us to this restaurant called Avilja with décor that was essentially an outdoor garden indoors: it was beautiful. The food, the people, and most especially the atmosphere were all fantastic. Throughout the evening, there were two men playing traditional Bosnian music that eventually led to diners clapping, singing, and dancing (sometimes on tables). The joy and the merriment in Avilja were clearly a celebration of life and culture and the type of welcome that any foreigner would be lucky to experience.

Day 2

Truly, a day for a tourist. The day’s festivities began with a city tour by foot led by local tour guide Amir –who was friendly, entertaining, and informative. He showed us the religious buildings (mosque, cathedral, Orthodox church, synagogue), the city’s fountain (drink from it, and you come back to Sarajevo), the historic quarter of the city with the best places to eat ćevapi (Baščaršija), the intersection where Gavrilo Princip assassinated Franz Ferdinand (appel quay), the cemetery from the war, among other historical and political buildings.


BYP Serbia was mad for the mosque. We even got to watch and listen to a traditional prayer calling the following day.



Looking forward to going back to Sarajevo!




street in Baščaršija




primarily Muslim cemetary that was serene and beautiful

The tour ended in front of Sarajevo’s university where we started the second half of our jam-packed day: discussions. The first discussion was with one of the university’s professors named Ugo who spoke with us about Bosnia’s cultural and political history over the past two decades (ethnic cleansing, discrimination, state and nation disputes, lack of central government). The second discussion was with a local NGO that works towards improving post-war Bosnia through trainings and other projects, presenting another opportunity to hear a different perspective about Bosnia and its past two decades. Due to my lack of understanding of the war, these discussions were hard to follow at times. However, both made it clear that what happened to Bosnia in the ‘90s has greatly influenced the tensions and discriminations that exist there today. It was definitely something to think about while we had dinner at Inat Kuća afterwards. Post supper, we were free to do what we wanted. All of us met up with Yentli’s Bosnian friend Sanda and her friends at a café –after wandering the city aimlessly– and just hung out. It was cool to spend time with people our age and to experience the café culture somewhere besides Novi Sad.

Day 3

The first half of this day was spent going to museums that focused on the Siege of Sarajevo in the ‘90s. We visited the tunnel that was used during the war to smuggle weapons, food, and resources into and out of the city, then we visited a museum with an exhibition about the siege. There were artifacts and vivid photographs that made the war seem so surreal. There were times I just couldn’t believe that this was what happened, especially during my lifetime. Visiting these museums was so enlightening and helped me grasp an understanding of the war and the consequences that Bosnians still deal with today. 

There were some pretty cramped quarters
in the 1.6m wide 800m long tunnel. I can't even
imagine how they managed during the war.

Many posters like this one implied that
Bosnia needing aid was an understatement.

The rest of the day was free, which only meant one thing: shopping! Between the hand crafted goods in the Baščaršija and the products sold at the bazaar, I think it’s safe to say that I left Sarajevo with some good buys. After dinner, we had hot chocolate and desert with Sanda and asked her about her memories of Sarajevo during wartime. There were few she remembered (like her father using the tunnel we had seen earlier that day), but what she had to say was riveting.

Day 4

Unfortunately, we had to say goodbye to Sarajevo. Of course we did not do so without trying some of Sarajevo’s pita and buying some baklava. Despite our short amount of time spent in Sarajevo, it was such a gnarly trip! I hated to say “do viđenja Sarajevo!” but I did look forward to coming home.

What a last impression to have of Sarajevo!

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Considering Sarajevo’s history, two full days were barely enough to grasp an entire feel for the city. However, from what I did have the chance to experience, I think I can determine what it is about Sarajevo that made me immediately sense the difference between it and Novi Sad. Firstly and more obvious, Sarajevo is definitely a tourist’s city –numerous tour groups, countless tourist shops, etc. Secondly –after delving deeper into the past of the city, Sarajevo is still suffering the consequences of the war. Besides the physical scars on buildings and sidewalks left behind by the heavy artillery, there are emotional scars that stifle the progress of Sarajevo (and Bosnia in the bigger picture) either because they are too painful to deal with or because people outright choose to ignore them. Thirdly, Novi Sad has become my home. Throughout the entire trip I kept wondering “What if we were placed in Sarajevo as opposed to Novi Sad or Niš?” I can’t even imagine that situation, regardless of how it would’ve turned out, because currently my roots are in Serbia. It’s funny how a minor international excursion within a major international excursion has made me realize this. Nevertheless, Sarajevo will definitely be a trip to remember.