Sarajevo Bosnia

After the reality check of my first stop in Bosnia I felt I was a little more prepared for Sarajevo. Knowing that the majority of the war took place in Sarajevo I assumed that it would be in even worse shape than Mostar.

Our bus took us through the main street of Sarajevo which was also known as Snipers Alley during the war.

I was actually pleasantly surprised by the amount of reconstruction that had taken place since the war. For the most part the entire downtown area had been patched up or rebuilt.

Walking to my hostel.

Steve (my new travelling buddy from the UK) and I frequently stopped for treats like these.

Central Cathedral

Making use of the empty display stand in our hostel stairway.

Steve giving it a go.

Burek is a common local food often filled with meat, cheese, potatoes, or spinach.

Old town in the morning.

On a short walk from Old Town we came to this somber graveyard where thousands of soldiers and civilians were buried from the war. These graveyards were scattered all over the hillsides of Sarajevo. All in all, it is estimated that 100,000-110, 000 people died during the war. Some say that number can still grow by 10,000 due to the current mass graves that are still be discovered.

Looking down into Sarajevo from a nearby hillside. There are warnings signs not to walk in the woods due to landmines fields that have not been removed yet.

This was a great scene to absorb. Two men where playing chess while the 30 men around them were "back seat driving" and telling the moves they should make. If I were playing with 30 guys telling me where to move I would probably start throwing chess pieces at everyone. Needless to say this seemed like part of the game and was well accepted.

These structures were more prevalent the further you walked outside the downtown area.

The Avaz building was built from 2006-2009 and is the tallest building in the Balkans, until Serbia completes the Avala TV in the next few years. I figure Serbia is just going to bully Bosnia any way it can.

Friday afternoon rush downtown.

Sunset over Sarajevo with one of the many war cemeteries in the foreground.

And another....

Walking on the pedestrian street downtown

Steve and I walking to the bus station at 5:15 am to catch our bus to Belgrade Serbia.

The rolling Serbian countryside and authentic Serbian telephone pole.