Overcoming my weakness
Recently, I've been able to cope with one of my major weaknesses. Insomnia (not being able to sleep. Latin: "In" means "Not" and "Somnia" means "sleep". Wikipedia). Yesterday I slept for 3 hours at the Split bus station. It wasn't even that bad! Fortunately the ticket office was open 24 hours (which is a miracle in Europe). A month ago I wouldn't be able to do the same thing. I couldn't even sleep in my own bed. I guess I sleep better on marble and soccer boots as a pillow.
I found an awesome website. Highly recommend it to future backpackers.
www.sleepinginairports.net
Where it all started
Why Bosnia and Herzegovina (aka BiH)? It's where the world started to go wrong. It's said to be the place where the first World War was triggered. The history is too deep and complex for me to effectively explain it here..so if you're interested in details please refer to another source.
The Pot
Sarajevo can be said to be a melting pot of various religion and ethnicities. Until the 90’s it was a model of religious harmony and was even called the “mini-Jerusalem”. Even today, after the war, Catholics, Muslims, and Jews all speak the same language and are seen in mixtures at cafes and on the street. Split also has this characteristic, but there were power inequalities (Jews were only respected in one street of the palace, where the only synagogue in the city was located). In Sarajevo, however, the Islamic Mosque, Catholic Church, and the Jewish Synagogue were similar in size and located close by. All three are one of the largest ever built of their own religion, which once again symbolizes the geographical importance of Sarajevo.
The Hope: During the War
During the Bosnian War, the Serbian forces completely surrounded Sarajevo, leaving the civilians with no where to escape and helpless. Starting 1993 (the war lasted from 92’-’95) a tunnel was constructed by Sarajevo citizens in order to transport food and weapons into the civilian territory from the outside UN base. Those who dug the tunnel were ordinary Bosnian volunteers, digging in 8 hour shifts for their own and their family’s lives. By the end of the war, it is
estimated that 20 million tons of food entered through the tunnel, and a million people escaped the city. Still today, this tunnel is preserved and tourists are actually able to walk in it. For me this is was just any historical visit because it may be one of the very few scare in history that happened after I was born (I can only think of Ground Zero as the other one. Perhaps ruins of the Japanese earthquake if one day I go to Fukushima). Just imagine building this tunnel.. you’re digging over 3000 ft. non-stop, because if you stop, you die.
The Interview
Woah, I wasn’t expecting this. So I went to the Bosnian Museum around 4:30, because it closes at 6. I got there and paid the entrance fee, which was 3 Kuma (about 2 USD). No one else was there except a lady who entered right after me. Turns out she only has a 100 Kuma bill and the front desk doesn’t have any change (which is a typical case in Europe). So I gave her 3 Kuma and told her to not worry about paying me back (cus again, it’s less than 2 dollars). So after looking at the museum (more like getting kicked out) I saw her again at the exit. She asks me to come with her to the café next to the museum so she can break her cash and pay me back. By the way, she’s like 30 and probably a working mom so don’t get weird thoughts from this. And I was right, turns out she’s a journalist from a French magazine, and she’s in Bosnia to research historical tourism. So then we ended up having coffee at the café and I was being interviewed for this magazine. And the best part, she treated me coffee! (well, more like we ended up equal, but yeh). So if you’re in France, don’t be surprised to see me on the front page at magazine stands.
The Walk
More over, the city of Sarajevo itself is just beautiful (I’m sorry I can’t describe the city without sounding gay. Lovely? Gorgeous? Fiiiiiiine-lookin?). If you’re into architecture and designing, you’d probably learn a lot from just walking around Sarajevo along with many Eastern Europe country. The way these countries modify the city while preserving it at the same time is fascinating. Also if you like cafés, you’ll see one after another on every narrow street, each with their own taste and style. Again, styles of shops and cafes are influenced by variety of time period, religion, and culture. Only in this region is it normal to see a Turkish kebab restaurant, Italian pizza restaurant, and Serbian Chevapcici lined up next to each other.
You can literally walk the entire day without getting bored once. Its also interesting because despite streets and cafes being crowded, you can easily tell that the people are all local Bosnians. Seldom did I see obvious tourists, and not once did I see a tour taking place. And still the city is buzzing and energetic. I take it that people here value their social life more than anything else. Even on a Tuesday afternoon, people were having lunch with friends and families were out for dinner. I highly respect this, and I frown upon the tradition Japanese “work-comes-first” mentality..
The Holiday Inn
The hotel was built in celebration of Sarajevo’s hosting of the 1984 winter Olympics. Many of the world’s top athletes, especially from the US, stayed here and competed in the games. During the war, however, it became a hub for many foreign journalists who couldn’t step outside due to the hotel’s geographical location. The Holiday Inn is located on a main road which is nicknamed the “Sniper Alley” because the street separated the Bosnian territory from the Serbian territory, and Serbian snipers were positioned in nearby buildings to wipe out any civilians who tried to escape. Still today, 20 years later, there are bullet holes in the front wall of the hotel.
I still can't believe it, but I actually got to spend a night here. No I didn't reserve a room, but the front desk guy allowed me to stay in the lobby until the morning, which I think is unthinkable in Japan or the states? Either way, I was too excited that I barely got any sleep. I was sleeping (well, in the lobby couch) in probably the most famous Holiday Inn in the world. At least in terms of historical significance. I love it when the best part of the trip doesn't come from following the guide book.
96 years ago at this place
WW1 broke out. Here. Where I stand.
I didn't know of this until recently when I was researching the history of BiH, but it's true. This place, the Latin Bridge of Sarajevo, is where the event that triggered WW1 took place. The bridge was the scene of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand by Austrian Gavrilo Princip
A special train ride
The train ride from Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina to Belgrade, Serbia was something special. Why? Because the rail link was terminated due to the war in former Yugoslavia, and it is only last year that the route reopened. The line used to be very popular during the 70's and the 80's, where most rides will be full and there will be musicians playing guitars and violins for passengers. After the war broke out between Bosnians and the Serbs (and the Croats), the travel became difficult both because the route was damaged and people were afraid to travel. The reopening last year represented an attempt for reconciliation between the two. I think that this a good news both historically, politically, and economically. Both Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina is considered strong candidates as new EU members. This means that citizens of each country (and of rest of EU members) are automatically capable of crossing the boarder without any authentication by respectable governments. Such crossing applies not only to tourists but also workers and businessmen, so there should be a more frequent, rapid business transactions between the two, which can help steer the economy forward.
WHATEVER.
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