Ultimate Balkans and Transylvania Travel Talk Tour: Sarajevo, Day 10
Day 10: Monday 17th October 2022
Start: Belgrade, Serbia (Currency: Serbian Dinar RSD)
Finish: Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina (Currency: Bosnian Convertible Mark BAM)
Temperature: 14 degrees leaving Belgrade, 24 degrees in Sarajevo, Bosnia
Welcome back my literary friends!
This morning we had breakfast at 7am before a bus departure at 8am. We are driving toward the border of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Today our guide selected ‘music’ for the day and the first three songs up were Daryl Braithwaite (Horses), Lee Kernigan, John Farnham (The Voice). Apparently he had an Aussie Theme for the morning. As I write, a handful of us Aussies are singing along to ‘Land down under’, others are cowering in utter embarrassment. Admittedly, this tour is more American than it is Australian, which is a first for me. Usually I find on organised tours that Australians and Kiwis (New Zealanders) outweigh all other nationalities. Now we are listening to Toto, Africa! What bangers!! We were just given the option to skip our ‘comfort break’ due to three Turkish Tour Busses that are queued behind us trying to beat us to the border crossing. We voted and decided to skip and go to the bathroom on the other side of the border as the Turkish Coach border checks usually take longer than ours as we are mostly USA, Canada and Aus/NZ travellers.
After a quick border check around 10:30am (a record arrival time according to Bojan), we stopped at a petrol station across the street for a quick bathroom break before continuing on. Immediately across the river, the scars of the war are apparent. Along the riverside, tiny towns sit smattered with bullet holes.
Another hour or two later we stopped at a local service station for a quick break where some people bought fast-food for lunch. I skipped at this stage because I wasn’t particularly hungry. By 3pm we drove through the tunnel on the side of the mountain, emerging into the outskirts of Sarajevo, Bosnia. The hillsides and mountains surrounding the city looked very much like Engelberg in Switzerland. Lots of white houses with brown roofs scattered across bright green hills.
At 3.30pm we stopped near the market square of Sarajevo to spend the afternoon and evening wandering the cobblestone lanes. Store after store of teawares and coffe pots shon in the afternoon light. Bojan walked us through the streets until we met our kind guide for the afternoon tour. We walked past the Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque and the Museum of Sarajevo, took a group photo in front of the Eternal flame and learned about the impact the war had on locals. Our lovely guide was just a child when fighting played out in the 90s and recalled several instances where he was certain his time was up.
After the walking tour, we had some time to wander the streets and find food before meeting at the bus and returning to the hotel. We found two delightful places, one, mostly for the use of the bathrooms, Metropolis Midtown, where we ordered milkshakes and hot chocolates, the other Buregdzinica Bosna, where we ordered traditional Burek which was delicious and so cheap! I ordered a meat and a cheese version.
Tonight we paid Bojan for optional activities for this leg of the tour:
The options are:
Kravice Waterfalls – EUR 30
Dubrovnik Boat Trip – EUR 40
Balkan Night With Dinner – EUR 30
St. Naum Tour (Monastery and River Boats)– EUR 20
My trio of Aussie Gals opted to skip the ‘group dinner’. In our combined experience, these dinners and entertainment often result in disappointing dinner. In total I paid 90 Euro for the other three options.
Afterward, in the lobby of the Ibis Styles Hotel, we celebrated three birthdays of our group members, Bojan bought Turkish delight and Baklava for everyone to share. We then took the elevator to level 15 of the main tower to take in the skyline of the city. On level -1 in the smaller building, is the spa, heated pool, saunas and steam sauna, where I went to sweat it out with a couple of our older group members. It was a fantastic way to unwind and prepare for bed. The spa is free, they have slippers, robes and towels available, and when we visited were open until 9.30pm (2130). If you elect for a massage, payment can be charged to the room (I believe) or paid at the time.
Tips:
Accommodation: Hotel Ibis Styles, Sarajevo (be aware, this hotel is dry. You cannot buy any kind of alcohol on site. If you want drinks, BYO to your rooms.