Sarajevo – City of Young Trees – Part II

It’s a good job that I have always quite liked the sound of a Mezzuin’s call to prayer, as I was woken at 4.30am the following morning by one.  It’s something that reminds me of travel to other far-flung places, so I stayed awake listening for a while, and watching the shadows of the branches of the heavily laden cherry tree outside my window dancing on the wall…   Not long after, the tree’s guardian (a large and very noisy grey crow) also decided that it was time to start the day, so I gave up on going back to sleep and revelled in the thought of another day ahead in which to explore this wonderfully diverse city, whilst the sounds of Sarajevo collectively waking up gathered momentum outside…

After another huge breakfast, we set off probably earlier than expected in the direction of the Old Town.   Our hotel was just around the corner from Logavina Street, the bottom of which is on quite a steep hill.    As much as I enjoyed the walk down more than the walk back up, either direction was made special by the fact that we were usually serenaded by the sweet sounds drifting from the Music College on the street below.     Around the corner from here, lies a market square, a bright and vibrant place with displays that would give Munich’s Viktualientmarkt Fraus a run for their money.    We found out later that this was the scene of one of the biggest atrocities of the war.

We wanted to pack a few things in that day, and as we would need headscarves for a couple of the places we wanted to see, we made our first stop the bazaar for a bit of an enforced (but completely good-humoured) trying on session at the hands of an enthusiastic stall holder.    Having made our purchases, we went from there to Insider City Tours, to arrange a private tour of the city for the morning.  As we were unprepared in the prior research and guide-book department, we felt we owed it to Sarajevo to learn more about it properly, and I couldn’t recommend Insider enough.

I really liked the fact that our guide was only a few years younger than us as it gave us a completely different perspective.    She was exactly the same age as my daughter when the siege in Sarajevo started, and although the tour we had chosen focussed more on the ancient history of Sarajevo rather than the recent past, she did cover it.  Her description of what life was like during the 44 months the siege lasted was incredibly moving, and something she still obviously finds very painful.  Poignantly she said it is made all the worse by the fact that these situations are still taking place across the world today, as if no lessons had been learned at all…

Our first stop of the morning was The Gazi Husrev Beg Mosque.    Originating in the 16th century, and widely considered to be one of the finest examples of Ottoman architecture, its impressive courtyard is hard to miss being smack bang in the centre of the Old Quarter.    Apparently before it was badly damaged in the war, it used to be even more ornate inside, but believe me, the domed ceiling is quite something to behold…   Here we also learned about the different headstones.  In older times, you could gauge as to who was buried not just by the direction in which their headstone faced, but also by what they were topped with – an ornate scroll shape for a turban, or a smoother shape for a fez…   Check out the incredible Lunar Clock tower here too, you can’t really miss it.

From the Mosque we went to look at the City Hall.  It reminded me a little of Sarajevo itself style wise with inspiration taken from various different cultures.  But it wasn’t this that really had my attention, it was the sudden realisation that there aren’t many trees in the city itself, and the few that you can spot are not that old.   Our guide confirmed that most of the original trees were chopped down for fuel in the Siege, but after residents took turns to protect it, one huge specimen still stands not too far from here – a majestic plane tree – with a girth far too wide to hug properly!  To me it signifies the strength and dignity of the people of this city.

We covered a lengthy circle before the end of our tour that took in bazaars featuring blissfully shady courtyards (the perfect spot for whiling away the hours over a few cups of Turkish tea), together with the fascinating buildings overhead.   These vast and ancient rooms were once used to escape the heatwaves of days gone by (and to keep goods dry in winter), but are now predominately used by law firms if the signs on the door are to be believed.   We also  learned about various statues, admired town squares, and paid a visit to a few more religious buildings along the way – including the beautiful Orthodox Church.   On the way round, it was hard to ignore the red patterns set into the roads and pavements.  These are Sarajevo Roses, resin filled spots that mark important sites where people lost their lives.    Our guide said that nowadays they are too sad a reminder for many, and are slowly disappearing…

Our tour complete and with heads filled with thoughts, but with empty tummies, we decided on Burek for lunch.  What visit to this part of the world would be complete without a bit of Burek sampling?  Slighty concerned that I had just ordered a metre of the stuff (but thankfully the question actually referred to the filling – meat – rather than the length!), we ended up with two reasonably sized plates of a delectable spinach and feta version.   If that wasn’t sinful enough in terms of calories, later that day (having climbed to the small fort at Vratnik –  the views from which are stunning by the way), we paid a visit to the Brewery, home to Sarajevska Pivo, and well worth the walk.    Apart from its fascinating history (it supplied the whole city with water when domestic supplies were cut off), it is a really nice place to spend a couple of hours, plus the beer’s good and so’s the music.

We spent the rest of afternoon in one of those blissful shady squares, in a tiny bar that specialised in nargilas, and eighties rock songs (that seemed to  start with the letter P by all accounts).  The vast majority of our time spent concealing our amusement at these mannequins and their various “friends”  who turned up to inspect them closely from time to time…

Before dinner, we wandered the bazaar for things to take home.    Even amongst the “more interesting” souvenirs such as umbrella stands fashioned out of mortar shells, or pens made out of old bullets, you get the distinct impression that the feeling is from bad can come good, and from sadness, hope.   Yes, this is a city pockmarked with bullet holes and shell damage, but that isn’t the reason you should come here, there’s just so much more on offer.  This is a city with a unique feel, and now is the time to see it before the place becomes jaded with visitors… Sarajevo’s doors are open wide, and its welcoming people who are so proud of their city, are eager to show you how far it has come…

There is a Part III (which you might be pleased to hear is mostly a photo essay), and which will follow shortly once we have caught up with the aftermath of our (thankfully minor compared to others!) Bavarian flood – thank you Mother Nature!…