War tour in Sarajevo

Day 126 June 19th

We had a late start from Belgrade.  It is hard to leave a spacious apartment quickly.  Our Airbnb last minute choice was just what it said on the tin although Kelty said he always sleeps better in the van.  We think someone had tried to unscrew the bike rack last night but luckily hadn’t succeeded.    

 

Bosnia looking over at Serbia - only divided by a river

I had booked a war tour of Sarajevo for the afternoon so the race was on to get there in time.  It was going to take 5 hours.  After a few wrong turns, a loo stop in a small village café where the owner was about to have a baby, and a lonely beekeeper down a bumpy track putting us back on track we arrived with one minute to spare, meeting a very animated gesticulating Neno outside the National Theatre.

Neno was from Sarajevo and was seven when the siege started.  His mum worked in the Ministry of Defence and bravely ‘with her heels on’ went to work every day crossing Sniper Alley.  We visited this place where there used to be a sign saying ‘Run or RIP’.  They all lived in the basement – everybody did -  which he said was cosy and warm in the winter but ‘hell’ in the heat of the summer and were fed from UN rations.  His mother used to salt up the food especially the tinned meat disguising the cat food flavour. They all tried to get on with everyday life as much as they could to show resilience and their enemy.  His mum used to say that the sound of gunfire or mortars were local fireworks but after a couple of years this explanation fell on deaf and scared ears.  The city still feels and looks very wounded.  

These are the places he showed us:

·       Sarajevo roses – these mark where mortars fell and killed the most people and now are painted splatters of red.

·       Children Memorial – a few years ago the parents got together and raised funding for the 1,600 children killed, made out of the mortar shells with imprints of children’s feet.  And silver rotating cylinders bearing the names.

·       Romeo and Juliet bridge - a young couple from opposite camps fell in love and were pledged help to flee to America.  They were betrayed and shot down on the bridge and were left dead and in an embrace for a few days while it was debated who should remove the bodies.

·       Canned beef memorial.  Neno kept mentioning the dark humour getting them through the dark days.  This was a replica can of beef that  was part of their UN provisions but he said that even dogs and cats turned their noses up at it. 

·       Sniper Alley – where most people were killed while walking as they were in direct aim from the hills.

 Today and then

The war ended in 1995 but Neno says that the now divided three level parliament takes all their funding so the country is not in a good way but at least it isn’t at war.

But beyond the military matters Sarajevo is beautiful, fascinating and cultured.  The city is tucked inside a long, thin valley and surrounded on all sides by forested mountains and almost every crossroads and street corner provides an idyllic picture postcard backdrop.  Kelty and I voted it our most beautiful country visited so far.  This dramatic geography was a terrifying drawback in the war but the spectacular natural beauty of the place can revive it again and be enjoyed.  It was shame only to be there for a day but I am making a re-visit list.

Ps.  Whilst on the tram we were discussing how careful to be about pickpockets as Neno warned us that one of his tourists had had a wallet stolen the day before.  I was clutching my bag (probably over cautious) and Kelty was saying that you can’t live your life always nervous about things being stolen.  True but as we got off Kelty felt a strong pull in his pocket of a hand grabbing.  He managed to fight it off but didn’t see who in the tram had done it.  As it departed we all shouted through at the driver and other passengers – ‘there’s a pickpocket on the tram’.  A dark haired woman gave me the thumbs up as it drew away.  I think it was probably her.