Sarajevo - #1

Sarajevo is the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina and one of the most interesting and cities in the Balkan region. Apparently it is the place where the Western and Eastern Roman Empire split and where Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and the Ottoman religions comingled and fought wars. As we walked around the city we could see the diversity of the various religions, with Muslims, Orthodox Christians, Catholics and Jews coexisting here for centuries. The architecture in parts of the city had a very European look, while other nearby areas had a distinct Ottoman or Soviet-like appearance.

Our street tour took us through a park where there was some nice sculpture and a group of senior men playing pavement chess, to the corner where in 1914 the assassination of Austrian Archduke Franz Ferdinand, which led to World War I took place.

The city has generally recovered from most of the damage caused by the Yugoslav Wars of 1992–1995, but there are still a few bullet holes etc in buildings to serve as a reminder of the bad times.
There are around 200 Sarajevo Roses around the city which are type of memorial in Sarajevo made from concrete scar caused by a mortar shell damage when filled with red resinlooked like a floral arrangement, thus the name "rose". They mark where people had been killed during the 1990's siege of Sarajevo.

Straddling the line on the pavement where cultures of east and west meet shows why the people of Sarajevo are so friendly and tolerant of all religions, nationalities and cultures. We felt quite safe wandering around this lovely city.
Our local guide Mohammed was extremely knowledgable and showed a genuine freindliness to our group. He describes himself as a non-practicing muslim, as he liked to drink beer.

There was still plenty to see and do as tou will see in #2 post