Bosnia and Herzegovina: Sarajevo

Sarajevo, Bosnia: en route to sarajevo
see all photos »

We took the train to Sarajevo (there are literally only four trains a day from Mostar to anywhere), as we were told the scenery was outstanding and far superior to the bus ride.  The trip was only a couple hours, but the views were as expected - spectacular.  In our cabin we had an attractive young Bosnian and an older heavy man with a mustache, short hair, and short shorts.

To our surprise the old man spoke English quite well and had an entertaining conversation with us.  He couldn't understand why we would visit Sarajevo.  He felt we should be in Florida instead.  Not Chicago though, because "Chicago is the crime capital of America - I've seen it in movies.  Al Capone.  Lots of crime in Chicago.  How can you go to Sarajevo when you have Florida to visit."

Sarajevo Hookahs

Sarajevo, Bosnia: en route to sarajevo
see all photos »

A very funny man for sure.  However, he did explain to us how crazy the war was in Sarajevo, and how he had to fight against the Serbs because he had no other choice.  It was a sad story indeed, but he lived to tell the tale whereas many others did not.

As the conversation went on, covering subjects from MTV to marriage to Bosnian cuisine and nightlife, the mountains and rivers we passed by distracted us with their beauty.  Every two minutes I would have to get up and snap a photo from the window because the scene was too good to be true.

Sarajevo, Bosnia: mosque on the way to sarajevo
see all photos »

In a couple hours Sarajevo came into view.  The bleak high-rise apartment buildings of New Sarajevo beamed with light against the bright purple sunset.  We were excited to come into Sarajevo, scene of the longest city siege in the history of modern warfare.

Our hostel bookers picked us up from the train station, along with a couple other backpackers.  We took an eventful ride into the city in two beat up economy cars, with our driver explaining to us the names of the bombed out buildings along the way.

Sarajevo, Bosnia: out train companion
see all photos »

Rachel and I got hooked up with a sweet apartment right outside the historic old Turkish quarter.  We had a large bedroom with an old school television and decorations, as well as a kitchen and shared dining room in addition to another bedroom and a raised bathroom with a horrific shower and no curtains to hide yourself from the outside scene.

It was already late so we went into the Turkish quarter for a little nightlife.  We hit up a cool bar, Havana, with live music and then found an absolutely hot hookah lounge that recently opened.

Sarajevo, Bosnia: valley on the way to sarajevo
see all photos »

Although we were beyond exhausted, the apple flavored tobacco tasted yummy.  We knew it was time to go home when we began falling asleep on the comfy couch.  Good thing it was a short walk back to the crib.