The third weekend in Split we traveled to Sarajevo and Mostar, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Sarajevo is a 4 hr drive from Split. We left a bit late in the evening and trusted googlemaps … About 10pm in the pitch black, I am driving a tiny, manual car over gravel roads in the steep mountains. In one of my attempts to avoid a flat tire from a pothole, I got a bit close to the edge. Laura in the back seat looked out of the car and suggested I stay farther from the edge, as it was a sheer drop and there are no guardrails. The stars were absolutely gorgeous, according to my companions in the car 🙂
We arrived safely and went on two walking tours in Sarajevo. The first (East meets West) had been so fascinating that we unanimously decided to go on the second (War scars and new times).
The street in the old town our apartment was on. The building was built in 1904 and newly renovated.
An early morning walk in the old city.
The theatre we met in front of for the walking tour. During the 44 month siege, the citizens of Sarajevo continued to have theatre productions in the basement.
The spot from which Gavrilo Princip assassinated Franz Ferdinand and his wife, Sophie.
The post office (the farther yellow building) was the first building bombed by the Serbs that set siege to Sarajevo in 1992.
A statue given by Italy to Bosnia and Herzegovina, showing a man putting the world back together.
There are several chess boards throughout Bosnia and Herzegovina, supposedly all given by the Swiss government to promote community. This one, however, was sponsored by a lawyer in Sarajevo. It is in front of an orthodox church built during the Ottoman empire with support from the government.
Lunch in a traditional restaurant. We met fellow travelers from Catalonia and Budapest.
After lunch, coffee in a beautiful cafe. The dessert that Brian is taking a picture of is baked apple filled with walnuts, covered in honey and topped with whipped cream.
Walking out of an old market building.
A monument to the children killed during the siege. It represents a mother trying to protect her child and is built with layers of glass, one for each child killed, almost 1600.
“Roses of Sarajevo” represent where bombs exploded in the city and killed.
On the way back to Split, we visited Mostar:
The famous bridge.
Closeup of market on bridge.
A life-size statue of Bruce Lee in a park. It was erected because in the ’80s, all children, no matter what ethnicity, loved Bruce Lee movies.
A monument to the children killed during the siege. It represents a mother trying to protect her child and is built with layers of glass, one for each child killed, almost 1600.
