My Images of SEE – 18:10, Monday 22nd August

I walked to the market and bought a couple of magnets, 4 postcards and a key ring. I then went to the museum near the Latin bridge about the assassination of Franz Ferdinand. It was simply a large room, but covered the Austro-Hungarian occupation and then the incident itself. They actually had Gavrilo Princip’s clothes and gun used on the day. Very intriguing. I then walked alongside the river out of the old town, west. Again the sun was piercing.

I reached the Parliament building that was opposite the shopping mall I went to two days ago. I took a photo and continued to the museum. The first one I went to was closed today; So I continued to the next one. It was housed in a Soviet-esque building, with weeds growing in the cracks in the tiles and being shrouded in bushes and trees. I went in, paid, and bought a programme.

In the main atrium there was a board, 20 ft long that was a wall that Sarajevans were asked to put up info on loved ones last year. It was housed here now. There were news clippings, photo’s of loved ones murdered, photo’s of people houses – then and now. But two things specifically stuck out. One was a blue and white-stripped jumper. It had a dark stain on it. Below was a photo of a 7 year old boy, who was wearing the said jumper Luckily for me, the viewer, the photo was of a happy occasion. But it got to me, emotionally, that the boy was no more – and would have been a young adult now. The second was a series of photo’s. 4 A4 sheets, 2 photo’s on each. On it was written the town of Visegrad. It showed men cowering, near red plastic chairs in what must have been a former canteen, and in the process of being bludgeoned to death. From cowering, to blood soaked, to laying there motionless. I felt sick.

I went upstairs to a room split between 2 exhibitions. I continued with the siege first of all. There was the story of the siege, in government documents, photo’s, newspaper articles – and a range of exhibits such as uniforms, weapons, make shift cookers, food examples, and evidence of continued culture and arts. It was very emotional. I left a comment in the guestbook.  I then went around ‘the history of 1,000 years of Bosnia’ exhibit, that was more a written experience, but had a couple of exhibits. Back downstairs in a side room was a small explanation of the first written acknowledgment of the Banate of Bosnia. In another, there were several before and after shots around Sarajevo. I then left and went to the mall. I ate at Viapiano again. I wrote my final postcard to Kirsty and Sean then.

I walked back to the old town, with resources for the train ride from the mall. I found a post office near the Bezistan, and sent it off. Around the corner I saw a pub the other day, “Cheers”, so I popped in for a drink and read. After an hour I left for the hotel again.

My Images of SEE – 10:19, Monday 22nd August

Again, once it became dusk, I ventured out. I wanted to look for a proper restaurant i.e. one I could eat and drink at. It seems that you can only do one of the other here. So I wondered around the old town, walking past a lot of food places. I then walked to the more Habsburg part of town, then back into the old town. I picked a place called Hacienda. It was quiet, and I was the only person inside what seemed to be a mini nightclub. So I had cocktails and fajitas. To finish I had chocolate pancakes. It came to 35km, the most I had spent so far. By the time I left, the old town was quiet – as some shops hadn’t been open all day, so those closing now added to the quietness. I saw a bookshop with English titles on display. I then left and returned to the hotel.

It was a hot night, so slept uncomfortably. At 09:20 though I went down for breakfast and opted for cheese rather than Nutella for a change. I talked to the receptionist, thanking her for the tip regarding the view. I asked her where the Parliament building was, and she said it was by the museums & Holiday Inn – where I planned to go later. I then got changed to leave.

My Images of SEE – 15:19, Sunday 21st August

I asked the receptionist where the best place was to walk to, to get a view of the city. She said that a 20 minute walk up the hill near the hotel would get me that. So I walked to a corner shop for refreshments. I then walked north up a quiet road, past a Muslim cemetery. A lot of the dates of death ended between 1992 and 1995. I continued in the blazing heat up the very steep hill. I was wet with sweat by now. At the top of the hill, I took a sharp right where the road flattened. I walked 200 yards to the edge, near a tower’s base and saw the city. The hills of the long valley were steep and green: peppered with terracotta-roofed houses, becoming less in density as they went higher. The valley stretched out for a good few kilometers, until Soviet style blocks guarded the entrance to a wide plain (although still in a valley) where the airport is located. I then walked back down to the old town, the other side of the cemetery.

I walked around the old town, through it towards the river. I wandered along the river to the Latin bridge, and gazed upon the plaque that notified me of the site on which Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sofia were shot by Gavrilo Princip. I then walked into town, towards the Austro-Hungarian built area, then stopped at a café for lunch. It was just outside a mosque and, for 5 minutes during my stay there, a call to prayer sounded out. After an hour I left and walked through the old town looking for gifts, but gave up after a while and retreated back to the hotel.

My Images of SEE – 11:43, Sunday 21st August

After my rest, and once the flare had gone off to indicate the end of fasting, I went out. I intended to have a drink first, and located “City Pub” on the map. I walked down, through the busy old town, past the Bezistan and on to an adjacent street. In front of a posh hotel was City Pub. Quiet outside, I decided to venture in. Unsure whether to treat it like a normal pub, I sat down and decided I wanted a beer. But no-one came. So I walked halfway to the bar, when a guy came over and took my order. I had a nice pint of Sarajevsko Pivo (local lager) and watched football. Upon finishing, I ordered another. At this point a large crowd came in. A planned beer tour I presumed. I though I heard Engligh spoken by a couple of girls, I frequently looked over to read their lips, as the music was loud. I got my book out so as to indicate I was English.

I then moved on to my third pint and no contact was made, so I went over and asked if they were British. They said no. However, they were Australian and New Zealanders. So they said to join them. For an hour and a half I joined in their conversations. They were on a bus tour. So I had gossip from the bus, a history of where they were from and what they do, and I talked about my travels. By about 22:45 they were making plans to head off, so I paid my bill and left. It was great to talk to English speakers. They also have been living in London the last 6 years.

A lot of food placed were closed now, but I managed to get to one place. I asked for a menu, but the guy simply said “Meat or cheese”. I said meat. He brought over what was essentially 3 12 inch sausage rolls. And good they were too. I left and got the obligatory ice cream on the way back to the hotel.

I slept, a little disturbed by the 4 pints I consumed, until 09:25. I sprung up to get breakfast. Feeling tender, I decided to have it inside as the sun was out on form. I read the news on my phone too. I returned to my room and relaxed for an hour before getting ready to go out.

My Images of SEE – 18:14, Saturday 20th August

I had a fulfilling nights sleep last night, and woke up when my body needed to and not my alarm clock. I slowly got out of bed, then made my way downstairs to breakfast. I collected cereal and made my way outside to the terrace to get a seat. The sun was out but it was not hot yet. I went back in to get a roll and Nutella, along with my coffee. I sat out, eating away, admiring the view of the mosques, terracotta topped houses, and the green hills crowding over the city.

I went back to my room and washed and changed. I then ventured out into the old town. With it being Saturday, it was as busy as last night. From the hotel, you walk down a hill to where the spring is. Then the market area is on a lower incline. Its floor is made of flat orangy/brown rocks interlaced with cement. The shop fronts are showing off their wares and are constructs of wood and stone. 

I walked around the maze of shops to find an ATM – for I need to pay the hotel. Then located a small museum, which I find out is the Museum of Sarajevo – right in the heart of the Bascarsija. It is a rectangular building (surrounded by the market) and is domed. Inside, I paid 2km and spent about 40 minutes in there. Not much in terms of artifacts, but a lot on the story of prehistoric Sarajevo, through Medieval, Ottoman, Austro-Hungarian and up to present times. In the centre of the room was a model reconstruction of the old town of the 1800s.

I exited, the walked through the Bezistan. Similar materials to that of the museum (Grey stone with a tinge of yellow, layered between cement) had a front and back entrance, and an alleyway you walked through that had small stalls either side. A pleasant building but the wares were not to match. 

I then made my way to the hotel briefly to pay my bill and have my passport returned. I then walked down the road I came up yesterday. I walked past the old mortared market again, now bustling with life, onward to the new shopping mall. 

I had a wonder around to pass time. I then continued, where opposite the road I saw red marks on the floor. I read last night that these splashes of red plastic actually fill in the holes where mortars struck. I took a photo for the record, but an eerie spot it was. I then walked past an alley where the wall of the building was sprayed with bullet holes. Again, no effort to cover up the suffering that was endured.

I then spotted a café, so took the opportunity to rest from the powerful gaze of the sun. I read and took in the chatter of the locals around me. I then walked onward to another shopping mall and ate there. I had a glass of Bosnian red too, which went down a treat. Smoking is tolerated indoors – reminded me of a few years back, out in the UK.

I then walked past the Holiday Inn again to the train station. It was as quiet as it was yesterday. I asked a guy there is I needed to book the train to Zagreb – no, he replied. Excellent. I then turned back. I now located where museums were for Monday (as tomorrow I plan to walk and shop), so now started the second half of a figure of 8 by taking an adjacent road back to the old town. A bit quieter, but still feeling safe, I made my way back to Ali Pasha’s Mosque – where prayer sounds were emanating from. I then took the right fork on Marsala Tita Street into the old town. I stopped at a café for an espresso and a slice of Tiramisu. Lovely. And only 3km! I then meandered around the old town again and back to the hotel to rest as the afternoon call to prayer began.

My Images of SEE - 20:43, Friday 19th August

The young couple departed 2 stops later, in the suburbs of New Belgrade/Zemun I presume. We chugged along slowly to the next stop and 3 railway workers came into the cabin. I just read. I think they were getting a lift to near the border (which they indeed did, to Sid). I just read in the stifling heat that was produced with no really open windows and 4 men. The journey to the border, through the Vojvodina, was what can now be described as a normal journey – Stop-Start-Stop-Start. There must be a rule that train drivers shouldn’t trust car drivers at crossroads, as we always seemed to slow or stop and have a few blasts of the horn.

Anyway the scenery was what I came to expect of Serbia too – flat. Save for a parallel hill that seemed to follow us to the border; to the north, all there was were cornfields. One thing to note is that we didn’t pass another sizeable settlement until Bosnia. What there were copious amounts of were villages and hamlets. Some no bigger than 20 houses. The journey to the border was quicker than expected and the Serbian customs quicker than usual. We then crossed over. Now I was in recent history.

This was the border region of the early 90’s conflict between Croatia and Serbia (or Croats and Serbs I should say). Again the geography was similar to Serbia. The dwellings were the same too. But now there was the Latin alphabet. We passed through Vinkovci train station. It felt eerie to me, as I know that the town of Vukovar was only kilometers away, and was one day a bustling town. Then it was razed to the ground. Incredible.

The train continued west to Strizivojne Vrpolje, where we then turned south. 20 minutes we were at the border again. A swift check by the Croats let us then go forth over the Sava to Bosnia & Herzegovina – but technically “Republika Srpska”. We then went through another swift check and were free to continue. For a while the geography remained the same. Then it began to get hilly, then more so like the Conwy Valley, or Llangollen. They were covered in a ripe green expanse of forest. We meandered in-between hills and through valleys. Occasionally we went through the hills. Slowly we reached Doboj, still in Republika Srpska – just.

About 20 minutes from here I noticed two things that stuck out. One was that every village or small town we passed there were minarets and towers topped with the crescent and star. They were so numerous such as like passing Welsh village by Welsh village and coming across chapels and churches. Except these were new, and in use; not decrepit and in disrepair. It was an odd yet satisfying sight, as I now knew I was closer to Sarajevo and in the Croat/Muslim Federation of BiH.

The second was my first physical proof of the war. Pock-holed buildings were springing up. It caught me off guard actually, and made me look at my surroundings a lot more clearly and with context. If they didn’t have pockmarks, then they had filler plugged over them. But the scar was still underneath. Also to note was that there were a lot of houses being built, or had recently been built, from Croatia to Sarajevo in fact.

An old man came in, then left. Then a young lad came for the remainder of the journey. We then came up to Zenica, which is the largest town I’ve seen since Belgrade. An industrial city from appearances. But very much Muslim dominated. We continued on.

From here, a new road must be in construction as road works made the traffic build up as we scuttled past. At 18:00, and with the sun on its final descent to dusk, we arrived. Just a short 10 hours. 

I walked out of the station, towards a main road that would lead me directly to my hotel. Along the way I passed the ‘famous’ Holiday Inn hotel, I passed market that was mortared by the Serbs ending scores of lives, and skirted the Old Town. I also withdrew cash.

After 25/30 minutes of walking I reached the Pansion Stari Grad; a friendly guy welcomed me and explained about breakfast and wifi. I went up and showered, then had 20 minutes to myself. The old town is on the doorstep. So I had a little walk around, when a firework went off to mark the end of fasting.

I sat in a restaurant-cum-fast food place and sat next to a young lad. I had cevapci – the veal sausages with naan style open bread and onions. Lush. And only for 10km (£5) with a Coke. I then had an ice cream for 2km then walked to 60 seconds to the hotel where I relaxed, then slept. 

My Images of SEE – 08:17, Friday 19th August

Liam snoozed and I relaxed whilst waiting for my clothes to dry. I went down and the lady at reception had put them into a basket for me. So I went up, woke Liam, and we got ready to leave. We left the apartment, through the High Street, and down a little maze of side streets to the Brankov Most – the bridge to the ‘New Belgrade’ side of the Sava. The view north was amazing, just a horizon of forest.

We walked over the busy road bridge, which took us 20 minutes, to a park on the other side. Immediately in front of us was a shopping mall. So we hid from the evening heat inside and grabbed a snack. We then walked around the mall and up a blocked off road to a park. 

This was where the Beer Festival was being held. An adjacent road to it was crammed full of people going to it: teenagers, middle-aged men and women, families – the lot. We had a light padding down at the gate and walked down a security alley to the main arena. There were stalls of the different beers all around, the ground messy from a few days of partying. We grabbed a £1.50 beer each and went to the arena. The sun was creeping slowly behind the stage.

A nice folk band were on – 8 members I think and a man in his seventies on lead vocals. Songs lasted about 10 minutes long it seemed, and had an almost ‘Greek’ feel to them, although it was definitely a Serbian set up. 

We happily listened for 30 minutes, grabbing another beer, but then made our way back as dusk was approaching. More people were arriving as we exited. We walked back across the bridge at just the right time. The sun was leaving a glorious day, and we say the city light up on its banks. The fortress just glowed from the forest around it. 

St Sava’s Church the other side of town was a Christian beacon for the city. We walked to Republic Square, which was still busy, and had a couple of cocktails. We then went to the 24-hour convenience store next to our hostel and grabbed snacks for the morning. We watched some shows on my phone then slept.

We woke at 06:45. We showered and finally packed before living the hostel at 07:20. We walked the last time through the High Street, then down Balkanska to the train station. It was hot already. My train was at platform 4, and we confirmed Liam’s. We sat opposite the train for 10 minutes then said our goodbye’s. I was now on my own.

The train hardly filled up whilst I waited until the 08:15 departure. I had a young lad and girl for company as I departed Belgrade over the river Sava.