Shortly after I arrived into Turkey we had a week-long holiday called Bayram, or Eid, depending on where you are in the world. It is a festival of sacrifice for followers of the Islamic faith. For those of us that are not Muslim, it was an opportunity to have one last holiday before we dug into the work of educating students. As I had spent my summer in Mongolia procuring my Visa for Turkey and fighting to finalize my divorce, I had not traveled. I decided to enjoy a brief holiday during this new-to-me holiday break.
Twenty years ago I served in the U.S. Army as a photojournalist and was stationed in Hungary for nine months in 1998 and 1999. This included repeated travel into Croatia and Bosnia as part of SFOR–or the Stabilization Force. It was the multinational peacekeeping force created to support Bosnia in the aftermath of its horrible civil war in the early 1990s. SFOR was a NATO-led mission and my unit’s deployment forever altered the path of my life.
In October of 1998 I visited Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia, twice. It was only for a few days each time, but the way the city, the destruction, and the people etched themselves into my memory has been eternal. Of all the places I have visited in my life, Sarajevo was THE one place I most dreamed of returning to.
And so, I have. It was just as lovely as I could have imagined.
I rented an AirBNB whose owners immediately felt like family. Hugo picked me up at the airport. He carried my suitcase to the car, and handed me an umbrella to use for the afternoon shower which immediately presented itself. On the drive to the rental he pointed out the nearest money exchange place and drove around Old Town. He acquainted me with the apartment and had a map and calendar of events on hand. His wife, Dzeny (pronounced Jenny), answered various questions during my stay via WhatsApp, and ordered a taxi for my return trip to the airport at the end of my stay.
Despite having had 20 years pass, the Old Town part of Sarajevo was very close to what I remembered. The picture and map I had created in my mind was yet correct. I remembered it well. While I did see evidence of the siege that occurred for over 1400 days 25 years ago, there was also significant evidence of what had been rebuilt, as well as new growth and construction. There were memorials for the past, and exciting new restaurants and sites.
I should note that this was also my first true solo traveling trip. I had opted to book myself for some tours. As I arrived on a Sunday I spent the afternoon and evening walking the city, enjoying a local brew, watching people, and taking in the sounds and smells of this beautiful city. My rental was a 30 minute walk from the downtown area so I was able to walk to most everything. The tours I booked provided the transport necessary to get to the countryside sites.
On Monday I took a tour that revolved around the Bosnian War. This was what had brought me to Sarajevo the first time. It captivated me then; it yet captivates me. I went on a tour with Elvin of Toorico Tours and can recommend him without hesitation. He provided pre-tour information–background information about the war, as well as a guide to his favorite restaurants and pubs in the area. This included prices and specific dish recommendations. Our first stop was the Tunnel Museum. We then went on a trip into the mountains that surround the city and from where the Serbian Army kept Sarajevans under siege for nearly four years. We visited the location of the 1984 Olympic ski jump events, as well as the remainder of the bobsled track. I had been to the bobsled track years ago as well.
Tuesday took me deeper into the trauma that the Bosnian War wrecked on this nation. I visited Srebrenica, the site of the largest ethnic genocide since WW2. This was a somber day. I traveled along with one other person (new friend Priscilla from Singapore!). For a quick explanation of what the Srebrenica Massacre was, watch this brief BBC Video. There isn’t much to share from this site with photographs. It’s a place to feel by walking amongst the memorial graveyard and the Factory which had housed many of the Bosnian Muslims who had moved to Srebrenica because it was considered a “safe zone.” Men from multiple generations in a single family were murdered during the days of the massacre in July of 1995.
Here’s the thing–I want to understand how something like the Bosnian War could have occurred. Or the Holocaust. Or any other example of genocide or ethnic cleansing from the history of humanity. But…..I don’t think I ever can or will. It is beyond the ability of my mind. And what perplexes me also, is to see how easily time and life MUST go on, despite tragedy and horror. It all comes down to the reality of what each of us must do, if we choose to move forward in life. If we wish to survive. We must make a living somehow. We must acquire food. We must stay warm. We must have love and hope. And there is the crux. In the midst of horror, these equally human conditions prevail, somehow. I go to Sarajevo to try and comprehend the horrors that have occurred in the past, but in the end I leave with no real grasp of how the past occurred, but I do see the hope, the rebirth, the beauty of humanity.
For my last full day I traveled to Mostar and finally got to see the infamous (rebuilt) Mostar bridge, originally built during the Ottoman period. I was fortunate again to be on a small personalized tour. Just myself, a married couple from Malaysia, and our guide for the day, Amer. On this day we also visited Kravice Waterfalls and Citadel Politej (built in the 14th century and unscathed by the conflict in the 1990s).
I had a final morning in Sarajevo before transporting to the airport to catch my flight home to Turkey. I visited my favorite coffee cafe on Pigeon’s Square and chatted with its manager–a father of three who was only 28 years old! I journaled some, enjoyed a double Bosnian coffee (I confess that I prefer it to Turkish coffee), and then headed over to the Sarajevo Brewery Museum for one last tourist stop on the itinerary (It had been closed on Monday afternoon when I tried to first visit it).
One of the things I do when I travel, like most travelers, is try the local recommended drink and food. I ate cevapi (skinless, tasty sausages served with pita-like bread and fresh onions) in a restaurant recommended by Hugo. I ate meat pies (essentially Turkish borek). I did taste Croatian beer while at the Falls, but each and every day had me drinking Sarajevska beer from the brewery in Old Town–and preferably the dark one (pictured below).
Something I’ve learned about traveling alone is that while I love my solo mornings, and have no hesitation to tour sites and museums on my own, I do, in the evenings, wish to chat and debrief with other human beings. I met two lovely American gals at the restaurant attached to the Brewery on the Monday evening that I went. They had just arrived to the city and only had a day or two explore. I was happy to point them in the right direction. They went later that night to Galerija 11/07/95, a memorial museum/gallery which offers a moving exhibition about the Srebrenica Massacre. It’s located right down in Old Town, between the Church and Pigeon’s Square. Additionally, with the SIM card I purchased via BH Telecom I was able to have plenty of data to share my adventures with friends and family around the world. While there IS free Wi-Fi at many establishments in Sarajevo I found the speed to be VERY slow and it sucked a lot of battery juice.
In summary, I thought that this return visit to Sarajevo would be the closing of that chapter or book. And it did provide a feeling of completion–I made good on that internal and personal promise to some day return and see it again.
However, it was not enough. There are still many museums and sites I didn’t make it to this time around. I want to sip more Bosnian coffee in Old Town, drink more Sarajevska beer, eat more cevapi, and wander more of Sarajevo’s charming streets that are adorned with architecture from a variety of time periods and influences–the Ottomans, the Austro-Hungarian empire, and the new and modern. I want to hike in the mountains that surround the city and visit the graveyards that honor those souls lost in the War. Perhaps next time I can share a meal with my AirBNB hosts and hear more about their lives.
Yes, I expect to return again to this beautiful city. I can’t explain why or how–but a piece of my heart remains there. This is a mystery I accept that I will never solve–how a Place can mystify and enchant a person. We all have them, I think. Sarajevo is mine! Or at least one of them and at the top of that list.
What cities or countries or sites have left you enchanted?