Epic European Cycle : 2015-10-12 : Sarajevo

Tip
Type Name Description Service Provider Cost Notes Actions
General Info Markale Massacres $0.00
Activity
Type Name Description Service Provider Cost Kms To Date Total Notes Actions
Tour Sarajevo Seige Tour Sarajevo Funky Tours $75.00 Incl admission to Tunnel of Hope.
Tour Sarajevo Tunnel of Hope $15.00 The Sarajevo Tunnel had been constructed between May 1992 and November 1995, during the Siege of Sarajevo in the midst of the Bosnian War. It was built by the Bosnian Army in order to link the city of Sarajevo, which was entirely cut off by Serbian forces, with Bosnian-held territory on the other side of the Sarajevo Airport, an area controlled by the United Nations. The tunnel linked the Sarajevo neighbourhoods of Dobrinja and Butmir, allowing food, war supplies, and humanitarian aid to come into the city, and people to get out.
Tour Sarajevo Olympic Bobsleigh and Luge Track $0.00 The track was damaged as a result of the siege which occurred during the Bosnian War. During the siege, the track was used as an artillery position by Bosnian Serb forces. Today, the tracks still remain mostly intact with war wounds of defensive fighting holes, drilled into one of the last turns of the course. The tracks today are mainly used for graffiti and bicycling.
Accommodation
Type Name Service Provider Confirmation Location Cost Notes Actions
Pension Guest House Toplik Booking.com Sarajevo $101.00 Three nights
Toplik br. 5 71000 Sarajevo
Amar is amazing. Very knowledgeable and helpful... in fact, above and beyond helpful. WiFi is strong and the property is nice, clean and comfortable. Convenient to downtown core.
5km from bus depot (although Amar solved that problem by picking us up in the rain). Taxis in Sarajevo are challenging and difficult, but again, Amar solved that problem for us too by driving us to the airport early in the morning!


Trip Log

Notes Actions
WikiTravel: If you are not staying at a hotel (i.e. a private residence), you must register with the local police within 24 hours of arrival. Failure to register may result in a fine or possible removal.

--
- Us: We read that we have to register with the police if we're staying in Bosnia. Is that something we need to take care of?
- Guest house proprietor: What? No, no, you don't have to do that.

--
- Us: We read that we have to register with the police if we're staying in Bosnia. Is that something we need to take care of?
- Tourist office lady: No, you don't need to do that. Your accommodation should do it on your behalf. If they don't, then they get the fine.

--
- Police: Who are all these people in your van.
- Tour operator: They're my guests - I'm taking them on a tour.
- Police: Where are they all staying?
- Tour operator: I don't know where they're all staying. In the hotels, I guess.
- Police: Well, let's just check them all and make sure.
- Tour operator: Oh, come on... that will take an hour. I know you just want some money from me.
- Police: Well, we need to get breakfast.
- Tour operator: I'll give you 20KM.

Don't fool yourself folks. You DO have to register yourself with the police if you're staying in Bosnia, and they DO check. Not that I think the consequences would have been particularly dire (a fine) but it would have been a mortifying hassle if we hadn't been saved by our tour operator's most excellent bribery skills.
Sarajevo has a lot of mosques. Marima said there are 200 of them. She said that when you get called to prayer 5 times each day, the mosque needs to be close. You can't hoof it down from the mountain and back up 5 times a day. Seems reasonable. One thing that really struck me about being in Sarajevo was the calls to prayer. Five times a day there would be a loud, chant-ey announcement broadcast from the minorettes of all the mosques. Where Brent and I were staying we could hear a number of them. Brent said it reminded him of neighborhood dogs. One starts barking, then another and another, until all the dogs in the neighborhood are barking. Eventually the barking stops, but then after a while, a dog starts barking...


Photos