We take another excellent drive to a campsite a few kilometres outside Sarajevo, the capital city of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In many ways, Sarajevo symbolises religious tolerance; within the (mostly Moslem) population, there are orthodox Christians, Roman Catholics and a small number of Jews. There are Orthodox Christian churches of note, a small Synagogue and a Roman Catholic Cathedral in addition to the foremost Mosque in the country. The people and guides we have met here seem to mirror the tolerant attitudes we have already encountered in Mostar, with a pride in their multicultural stance - not fully tested that, of course.
Gazi Husrev Mosque
Synagogue
Roman Catholic Cathedral
Orthodox Church
And, of course, a London Bus masquerading as an Irish Pub...
We take both a group guided walking and coach tour of the city and a trip back in on our second day under our own steam, using the somewhat dilapidated but still functioning pre-(1991) war trams.
By far the most moving part of our tour is the explanation of the Siege_of_Sarajevo, when the Serbian army surrounded the city and continued to shell it while under UN supervision. The guide was ex police with scars to show for the horrendous experiences of risking life to bring in essential supplies to the beleaguered citizens. We see the tunnel under the UN held bridgehead that they constructed in order to achieve this. The death toll was extremely high and we wonder if the atrocities committed can ever be forgiven. It is almost as if the pride in tolerance and multicultural attitudes is seen here as a proud rebuttal of the genocide and torture so recently experienced.
The stories of each country we visit are startlingly different; more on this later.
'Roses' .. grenade explosion site with red painted 'petals'
The tunnel of hope
We force ourselves to visit the Museum of Crimes against Humanity and Genocide to understand more. It is a deeply, deeply moving experience for us but something we are glad to have done.
.......
Stepping back from recent history, however difficult, we find a really relaxed city with a vibrant cafe culture that we really like. Yes, tourist shops abound but many of these are fed by workshops at the back, where goods such as Bosnian coffee sets are manufactured.
We have become somewhat addicted to these..
We spend some of our own time to see the Gazi Husrev Mosque and Museum, the Eternal Flame and the place where the Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated (thus starting WW1) in addition to time spent browsing the shops, cafes and people watching. There is so much to do here, we are in danger of exhaustion..
WW1 started here
The Mosque at Ramadan
The Eternal Flame
OK, that will do, I think. We're moving on to Jajce tomorrow - still in Bosnia Herzegovina. That's another post then...
In many ways, Sarajevo symbolises religious tolerance; within the (mostly Moslem) population, there are orthodox Christians, Roman Catholics and a small number of Jews. There are Orthodox Christian churches of note, a small Synagogue and a Roman Catholic Cathedral in addition to the foremost Mosque in the country. The people and guides we have met here seem to mirror the tolerant attitudes we have already encountered in Mostar, with a pride in their multicultural stance - not fully tested that, of course.
Gazi Husrev Mosque
Synagogue
Roman Catholic Cathedral
Orthodox Church
And, of course, a London Bus masquerading as an Irish Pub...
We take both a group guided walking and coach tour of the city and a trip back in on our second day under our own steam, using the somewhat dilapidated but still functioning pre-(1991) war trams.
By far the most moving part of our tour is the explanation of the Siege_of_Sarajevo, when the Serbian army surrounded the city and continued to shell it while under UN supervision. The guide was ex police with scars to show for the horrendous experiences of risking life to bring in essential supplies to the beleaguered citizens. We see the tunnel under the UN held bridgehead that they constructed in order to achieve this. The death toll was extremely high and we wonder if the atrocities committed can ever be forgiven. It is almost as if the pride in tolerance and multicultural attitudes is seen here as a proud rebuttal of the genocide and torture so recently experienced.
The stories of each country we visit are startlingly different; more on this later.
'Roses' .. grenade explosion site with red painted 'petals'
The tunnel of hope
We force ourselves to visit the Museum of Crimes against Humanity and Genocide to understand more. It is a deeply, deeply moving experience for us but something we are glad to have done.
.......
Stepping back from recent history, however difficult, we find a really relaxed city with a vibrant cafe culture that we really like. Yes, tourist shops abound but many of these are fed by workshops at the back, where goods such as Bosnian coffee sets are manufactured.
We have become somewhat addicted to these..
We spend some of our own time to see the Gazi Husrev Mosque and Museum, the Eternal Flame and the place where the Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated (thus starting WW1) in addition to time spent browsing the shops, cafes and people watching. There is so much to do here, we are in danger of exhaustion..
WW1 started here
The Mosque at Ramadan
The Eternal Flame
OK, that will do, I think. We're moving on to Jajce tomorrow - still in Bosnia Herzegovina. That's another post then...
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