But I had a long bus ride in order to get there, which didnt bother me in the planning phase, but once on the bus and in the 5th of 6 and a half hours, I was well and truelly sick of being on that bus, especially as I could feel a cold coming on.
By the time the bus arrived in Sarajevo, I was feeling about 10 times worse than average but still managed to haul my body and all my extensive luggage to the hostel. I checked in and was shown my bed and couldnt fathom doing anything more than lying on my bed and sleeping. And this is when I started burning up with fever!! Yep, flu had set in and I ended up spending the following day pretty much in bed or at least inside in the hostel.
This was really hard because there were lots of really nice and chatty people staying at this very homely feeling hostel, and I had been by myself for so long with no one to talk to, but all I wanted to do was sleep and not talk too much (cos my voice was also struggling) and keep to myself!!
I was feeling much better by my second day and so ventured out into the cold streets of Sarajevo, with a light sprinkling of snow around and continuing to fall on and off, and covering all of the roofs...
The old town and the new town are right next to each other but are hugely different...the old still with its cute little shops all single story with tiled roofs and the new town like any other city with lots of shops and cafes and funky bars.
The thing I found most fascinating about Sarajevo, was its VERY recent history...the war and being under siege and how as a city they coped with that. I did what is called "The Tunnel Tour" which included a tour in a jeep first of the main sights around the new and old town and then being driven out to the "Tunnel Museum"; a museum created at one end of the small remaining part of the tunnel which the civilians and Sarajevan soldiers dug under the Sarajevo airport during the 3 year siege in order to get supplies and people in and out of the city, to describe how life was during the siege for all Sarajevans and how the tunnel was used to allow them to survive...
Being Australian and coming from a very stable first world country, I found this all VERY fascinating. Not to mention also that the guide was a young Sarajevan guy who had fought in the Sarajevan army during the siege, but by choice and was only 16 at the time!!
I bumped into 3 others from my hostel (an Australian couple and a Canadian guy) at the museum and so we all ended up spending the afternoon together and making a fantastic meal of lasagna, salad and plenty of cheap Bosnian beer for dinner in the hostel kitchen...
Jackie digging the masterpiece out of the pot we had to cook it in.
Nigel, Jackie and Justin eagerly waiting to start their meals whilst I take a photo!! haha
The following day, the four of us headed out together again, and to the History Museum which had a lot of information on and things to see from the years of the war and the siege and what events led to it all...once again all very interesting and shocking and hard to believe and understand...
But the lack of heating and the very cold temperature and snow outside, and thus temperature inside the building added the the oppressive feeling from all the information and displays!!
And the guns!!
Oh, and of course I cant forget some food photos to make you all hungry...
I HAD to try the coffee that the bosnians drink...basically turkish coffe for those of you kwho know how the turkish drink their coffee...thick, strong and sweet!! Made in a pot and then they pour it into the small cup over a sugar cube, or they put the sugar cube in their teeth and drink the thick coffee theough it...
And some Bosnian goulash, other traditional dishes and house baked hot bread at a really good restaurant with the others from the hostel...
The last thing I did before leaving was to climb up the hill on one side of the city to the cemetary (which is obviously quite extensive due to the recent bloodshed) to have a look at alll the white headstones stanidng tall in the snow and for a view of the city.
Ci vediamo
xox
