September 16, 2022 – Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina

Took the cable car up Trebevic Peak south of Central Sarajevo. The views were good up there. The mountain was the site of the bobsled course in the 1984 Winter Olympics which was held in Sarajevo. The mountain was also used by the Croats and Serbs for shelling the city during the ugly war of the early 90’s.

Sarajevo has some friendly people but it’s also had an ugly recent history. In the early 1990s Yugoslavia was breaking up and some didn’t want it to.

The result was war, a really ugly one. There were massacres, ethnic cleansing and atrocities galore. The cylinders display the names of children killed during an almost four year siege on Sarajevo. 13,952 people were killed.

Serbian snipers and artillery stationed on the surrounding mountains picked off civilians and destroyed buildings. There are still landmines in the area.

This stuff makes visiting Sarajevo a little depressing because markers and memorials are scattered throughout Central Sarajevo. I wasn’t expecting Disney World though.

For the foodies… this is a Bosnian dish called burek. It’s rolled up phylo dough with fillings. I think it’s baked.

There are fillings like ground meat or spinach and cheese both of which I tried. It’s good stuff.

And, for the McDonald’s fans, here’s one for you in Sarajevo.

This is in Bascarsija, Sarajevo’s center of trade and craftsmanship for centuries. It’s a bazaar really. If you want something authentic Bosnian, you come here. I bought a refrigerator magnet probably made in China.

There’s also a couple of photos here of a mosque. I didn’t take any photos inside. It’s disrespectful when people are worshipping, as was the case.

And, had roasted chicken, rice with sweet paprika, and flat bread that the owner/cook called somun. It’s a yeast raised flat bread common in the Balkans. Meal cost $6.