East or West? How about both?

After a pretty long and winding road from Banja Luka, we arrived in Sarajevo on a late summer evening. It had probably been raining in the afternoon because the air was thick and heavy when we got off the bus. The tiny bus station was reasonably close to the apartment we had booked so we decided to walk (as we usually do). When you arrive to a new place, you usually feel lost - that is absolutely normal, but in Sarajevo it was somewhat different.

I was born exactly 3 months ahead of the Siège of Sarajevo. By the time I was going to high school, I believe this piece of history was already in the history books, but one thing is reading about the war and another thing is actually seeing the damage it has done. Yes, the wholes made by the bullets are visible on the facades of the buildings. They are still there and life goes on in those buildings.

Someone came up with the idea of filling a few of those wholes with some sort of red concrete to remind passers-by that too many people have lost their lives during those years. Those spots are called “the roses of Sarajevo”: beautiful and bloodcurdling at the same time. By now, the city is utterly pretty. And it would be even prettier without all those “white stains” on the hills surrounding the city. If you climb towards any of the hills, from the top you will see cemeteries, too many of them.

Views from the top are the ones I enjoy the most so one day we decided to pay a visit to the abandoned bobsled track. You can easily reach it from the city centre, but it’s a steep hike (make sure you bring enough water because you won’t find any places to fill in your bottle on the way).

We followed these pretty detailed instructions.

Once there, you can basically walk through the whole track: it is still pretty well preserved and some parts of it are nicely decorated with graffiti. Tall trees that offer shadow will surround you and you’ll easily find yourself wondering about how the Olympic village must have looked like back in 1984.

On the way back, you can take the cable car (though it is a bit expensive compared to the average prices in BIH) that will drop you off opposite the marvellous Vijećnica – Sarajevo’s City Hall.

When back in the city, it’s a good idea to stop by the Inat Kuća, a local restaurant with an intriguing history. Needless to say, the food is delicious! Plus, they offer vegetarian options 😏

Regardless of where your accommodation is, you will naturally find yourself transported by the narrow streets of Baščaršija, by far one of the most charming old town I have ever visited. When in Baščaršija, you will immediately have the feeling you have travelled East on the world map, even if you have never been to that side of the world. And as soon as you will be a few steps away of the old town, you will be West. It’s not exactly a contrast between the old and new district of the city, it’s a lot more than that. It’s about the ambience, the smells, the colours and the pace of life.