Crap! It was 835am..I overslept. I was overly ambitious. I slept at 3am and planned to wake up at 6am to climb Marjan Hill. Scrambled to my feet and got ready in a gusto. Ran like a headless chicken to the bus station. I had to pay extra 40kuna to secure a bus ticket to Sarajevo. The bus is empty except me and another Bosnia young man who just returned from Europe tour and reached Split via ferry from Ancona.
The bus journey was very long...lasted 7 hours. I struggled to stay awake because the view is breathtakingly beautiful. Croatia is reknown for its coastline. Sapphire blue sea dotted with rugged rocky mountains looks amazing in every photo shoot. The stretch between Mostar and Sarajevo is also memorable. On arrival to Sarajevo bus station, I walked to the railway station to get a free pickup to my hostel in Baseskije. Sarajevo is beyond my imagination and expectation. It is a remarkable city, with heritage from Ottoman-Turk and Austrian-Hungarian mixed with scars from the recent Balkan war. It is tragically beautiful. I walked along river Miljacka admiring the bridges and the buildings. On Mula Mustafa street, one can see a mixture of Catholic church, Jewish and Orthodox church and mosques. Unfortunately, the beautiful City Hall is under renovation. There are evidence of bullet holes in some of the buildings. Along Ferdahija are the posh and modern buildings that were built postwar.
After sunset, I searched Bascarsija for local food. Ate in Dzenita Restaurant and had sarajevski sahan (stuffed vegetables with meat), loza rakija( local fire spirit) and baklava. All in a very affordable price. Bascarsija is a fun place to explore at night. Lots of lovely cafe and shops selling trinkets and stuff. It is sad that I do not have enough time for sarajevo. I really wanted to visit the Tunnel Museum. The tunnel which is also nicknamed Tunnel of Life is the passage below the airport where people headed for safety during the war to escape the snipers.
Back in hostel, I met Tokiko. She is a nurse back in Japan. This amazing woman actually climb the hill in Medugorje in heavy rain. She has travelled around Africa alone. We chatted a bit before retiring early.
The bus journey was very long...lasted 7 hours. I struggled to stay awake because the view is breathtakingly beautiful. Croatia is reknown for its coastline. Sapphire blue sea dotted with rugged rocky mountains looks amazing in every photo shoot. The stretch between Mostar and Sarajevo is also memorable. On arrival to Sarajevo bus station, I walked to the railway station to get a free pickup to my hostel in Baseskije. Sarajevo is beyond my imagination and expectation. It is a remarkable city, with heritage from Ottoman-Turk and Austrian-Hungarian mixed with scars from the recent Balkan war. It is tragically beautiful. I walked along river Miljacka admiring the bridges and the buildings. On Mula Mustafa street, one can see a mixture of Catholic church, Jewish and Orthodox church and mosques. Unfortunately, the beautiful City Hall is under renovation. There are evidence of bullet holes in some of the buildings. Along Ferdahija are the posh and modern buildings that were built postwar.
After sunset, I searched Bascarsija for local food. Ate in Dzenita Restaurant and had sarajevski sahan (stuffed vegetables with meat), loza rakija( local fire spirit) and baklava. All in a very affordable price. Bascarsija is a fun place to explore at night. Lots of lovely cafe and shops selling trinkets and stuff. It is sad that I do not have enough time for sarajevo. I really wanted to visit the Tunnel Museum. The tunnel which is also nicknamed Tunnel of Life is the passage below the airport where people headed for safety during the war to escape the snipers.
Back in hostel, I met Tokiko. She is a nurse back in Japan. This amazing woman actually climb the hill in Medugorje in heavy rain. She has travelled around Africa alone. We chatted a bit before retiring early.
Sebilj in Bascarsija
Sarajevski Sahan
Bosnia countryside
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