Bus Tour

We got a break from the conference I am attending. After lunch, one of the panelists from Sarajevo realized that several people will have been in the city, but only in the conference!  She has either has some sort of history degree or really knows her city, as she sat at the front of the bus and pointed, described, explained, all sorts of things about the Sarajevo.  She did a great job, considering it was on the fly and the driver was not slowly driving. 

houses up the hillside

 Sarajevo is nestled into a valley and when you look around, you can really see how the siege for the city during the 1990s must have been terrible, as opposition troops could just camp out on the crests of the mountains and shell the town below.

the Miljacka River

the Eiffel bridge

 There are lots of bridges in Sarajevo, and this one was designed in Eiffel's workshop.  The Austrians installed it in during the time they controlled the city.

Further along the river road is a Lutheran church that has been turned into the an art school.

The Art School

 

Several of the buildings still haven't been reconstructed since the war.  Only now are some under redevelopment. 

a former Turkish bath, and the back of the Catholic Cathedral

Sarajevo also had the first electric tram system in the world and it still functions.

Alipašina Mosque

Parliament building, where the conference is

A Sunny Morning Walk

 A quick walk on a Sunny Friday morning in Sarajevo before having to work (the whole reason I am here!).  We were able to walk into the Catholic Cathedral this morning and see the beautiful church that was completed in 1889 when the Austrians controlled the city. This is where Pope John Paul II lead mass here. 

 The church is dedicated to the Most Holy Heart of Jesus and is very similar to the Notre Dame Cathedral in Dijon. 

 After the church a walk over to the BiH government building took us through the Olympic Park for the 1984 Summer Games.  Street Vendors were out selling art and freshly squeezed pomegranate juice. There were several choices to make for the juice.  Alas, I was full of Turkish Coffee, so I will have to get one later.

 Here is where there is a beautiful statute in Trg Oslobodenja park commemorating the Olympics.

On Tito Street-- the only street that still bares the old Communist Dictator's name-- there is the Eternal Flame for World War II victims, Vječna vatra, with it written in three languages (Serbs, Croats, and Arabic) aimed at uniting the country after 1945. It is dedicated to those who gave their lives trying to liberate the city from the Fascists.  You can see the damage left from bullet holes from the war in the 1990s.

Eternal Flame

 After the brief period of work in the morning, we walked by the Alipašina Mosque, on the corner of Tito Street, and was one of the most dangerous places to be during the war.  It was originally built in 1560-1 and in the corner, the grave stones are from fighters from the Austro-Hungarian Army.

Alipašina Mosque

gravestones in the corner

grave stones

 Close by is the Veliki Park-Parkuša, a park full of ancient Muslim grave markers.  In front is also the Mother and child War Memorial, which is very moving.  It is a mother leaning over to protect her child from falling bombs.  The fountain base has feet print in a variety of small child-sizes, which just make it very poignant.  To the side are rotating columns with the names of those children who died in the war.  When you spin the columns to read the names, there are bells that jingle inside each column.

more grave stones in the park

Mother and Child memorial fountain

feetprint

spinning columns with the victims' names

grave stone with a ball on top indicates a high official in the Ottoman period

Not sure I want to eat whatever is served from this

Austro-Hungarian architecture along Tito Street

Looking back to the Eternal Flame

a marker on a wall to journalists who were killed in the war

Tito Street

 We finished the evening in the Sarajevska pivara, Sarajevo's brewery, which has been functioning for centuries.  A sign on the wall tell the name in German, Serbian, and Arabic.  It sits upon a large fresh-water spring. During the war, people would come here on a daily basis to get their water, as it was their only access to water.  Great beer too!

My First Evening in Sarajevo

 

Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina.  It is nestled in a valley and with the house on the hills, it reminds me a bit of the area outside of San Francisco.  The city itself moves from the Ottoman Empire to Austro-Hungarian to the Tito/Communist architecture.  Many buildings still bare the scars of the war in the 1990s: bullet holes or bomb holes.

 There are many pedestrianized areas, full of shops and lots and lots of cafes.  Coffee is a big deal here.  It is strong, black, and flows freely.  I am here for work and two of my colleagues, Sasha and Dajana took me walking through the old city-- first stop: a cafe at the top of a hotel so I can see the layout of city.

Sasha and Dajana, native Sarajevoians

 The city is called Little Jerusalem because of proximity of the various places to worship.  Orthodox Catholic, Roman Catholic, Islam Mosques, and Jewish Synagogues.  Many of the structures are centuries old and are centered into the old city, called Baščaršija.

Orthodox Cathdral (1872)

Catholic Cathedral

 In the middle of old area, is the Catholic cathedral where Pope John Paul II said mass in 1997 and in front of there will soon be a statue to him.  Also, in the pavement, are "Sarajevo Roses"-- areas where red waxy paint has been added to the divets left behind from bombs and where people died during the 1990s war.

 We wondered down cobble-stones streets were the store fronts date from the Ottoman times and were the locations for the tradesmen.  Today, there are lots of jewellery shops and cafes. In the middle is a fountain and the legend is that if you drink from it on your first night in Sarajevo, you will return to the city.

We walked up to Pigeon Square, the nickname given to the central open space where lots of pigeons roost.  In the middle is the Sebilj, an ornate drinking fountain from 1891.  Sarajevo is one of the few European cities that has a had a water supply for over 400 years.  There are numerous drinking fountains throughout the city and you can always hear water running.

The Sebilj

Being with locals, I was taken to local candy shops, where a version of Turkish Delight is on offer as well as great variety of spices. 

We passed by a bar with the Sarajevo beer-- tomorrow we will have a reception at the brewery!

And to cap off a nice stroll, we went to the corner where Gavrilo Princip shot Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sofia.  There is a museum there (yes, I will be going to it!) He was standing across the street, by the bridge.  He shot them, and then jumped into the river to escape.  The river is very swallow there, and apparently he injured himself and therefore was easy to capture.  But with the assassination, the various alliances amongst the European powers declared war on each other and thus started World War I.

the Miljacka River

The street where the Archduke was turning onto when he was shot

And I'm off!

It wasn't a good start this morning, but I pulled it together: I finished up some projects at work; I did laundry; I cleaned up my room;  and then I was able to start packing for my three weeks in Europe. 

It's all (mostly) for work and I'm off to Sarajevo then to Berlin and then to Brussels and then to Utrecht. When I reach Utrecht that's when it's more vacation. 

And while I'm gallavanting around the Continent, Will and Stirling will be home. Not sure who will do the cooking and cleaning but Will assures me that they will survive. I did have to buy a lot of frozen pot pies though. 

Off now to the airport....

A night out with the Caps

The Washington Captials are on a winning streak-- three games in a row and tonight is game four!

We took Kristian the Dane to the hockey game, along with his mom and sister. Actually, he took us. A last minute purchase on Stub Hub and we have great seats to watch the action against the Islanders. 

With five goals we get free wings! Not sure from where but hey, free wings!!

Once the game is over the fun part will be navigating the metro home. At least the fans will be happy!

LET'S GO CAPS!!

Swedish Dahlias

Our Swedish Dahlias are a bright spot in the front garden, as most of the green turns to brown. These blooms are from the seeds we took from the Lund Botanical Garden when we were there a few years ago now. 

So far we have had flowers from them every Autumn--red, white, and now yellow. 

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween everyone! Hope it's boo-tastic!