junio 27, 2010

sarajevo & mostar, Bosnia i Herzegovina

To go to Sarajevo the bus heads to the vast slabonija, through its plains and woods. At some moment in the night, it turns right, towards south, and goes down into the mountains of Bosnia, a fantastic land in between the heights. The average passenger can see the sunrise crossing valleys and fields, until he gets to Sarajevo, a long thin city builded following the shape of the river Miljačka, that runs inbetween the mountains.
The city started centuries ago on one point of the river, and it followed growing kilometers until the present. The old town, the turquish quartier, is in the first place, at the base of the hills.
Sarajevo was very interesting, i learned to speak croatian (that's not necessary the same as 'talk'); met two latvians hitchhiking from north to south, with whom we enjoyed a fantastic set of rakijas; and you could listen someone singing curly melodies from the top of the mosques, five times a day. Odlično!
I stayed for a couple of days there and went on a trip to Mostar, little city south of Sarajevo, in the christian region of Hercegovina, through one of the most beautiful landscapes i've seen from a bus or train. Two hours and a half of woods, lakes, bridges and tunnels; pure sun in the sky and some snow in the top of the mountains. After that, you reach a high plateau furrowed by the river Neretva. In center of Mostar there's an old enormous bridge, bombed down in the war and rebuilt some years ago. Very nice place, but the best was the way up there.
Back in town, i enjoyed some strong turkish kafa and a couple of šljivovicas in my favourite bar, Dva Ribara (Two Fishermen), next to the river; met some friends from Croatia and Serbia and went together to celebrate the Day of Communist Youth, May 25, date of Marshall Tito's birth. Fantastic.
The fifth night I left Sarajevo, wishing to come back soon. Anyway, Zagreb was waiting, that kind of strange place I liked to call home.
Ajde, bok!!

1+2. Sarajevo, Turkish neighborhood, early in the morning.

3. Bar next to the river, great for doing nothing for hours.

4+5. Curiosities around the bridges.

6. People playing chess in the parks. People around were and shouting about the moves, about what to do, what not to, etc, like in a soccer game.

7. Click on this one to see the detail.

8+9. Muslim tombs on the hills next to the Turkish quartier. Most of them were from 1993 to 1997. Very impressive.

10. Frizerski saloon where on of my friens worked.

11. Night falling in Sarajevo.

12. Tram interior... they were beautiful, noisy and slooooow!

13, 14 + 15. On the way to Mostar. Incredible landscapes, have to go back there sometime.

16+17. Mostar's traditional bridge, and mosque.

18. Peculiar looking gentleman that kindly gave me his bendition: "Jebi ga!" (something like "fuck you" in bosnian)

19. where are you?!


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