RESILIENT CITY
It is hard to write about Sarajevo without talking about its interesting history, but what makes this city so wonderful are its people. They are nice and friendly, and very with, with an everlasting optimistic outlook on life, despite what they have been through in the city's recent history. We stayed in Courtyard Marriott Sarajevo in downtown.
First thing most visitors come and see is the bridge and the museum in front of which Archduke Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary was assassinated in 1914, which eventually sparked World War I (photo below). Visitors also learn about the devastating civil war of the 1990ties and the siege of Sarajevo that lasted almost 4 years, and visit a famous tunnel which was the only way in or out of the city during the siege. Sarajevo is a small town so you will be able to visit everything in a day or two, but you should stay longer and enjoy the city, its people, and the amazing food.
The city center nicely reflects the convergence of Turkish and Austrian-Hungarian influences- the old, Turkish part of town (Bas-Carsija) is filled with mosques, narrow streets, and small trade stores. The newer, Austrian-Hungarian part is full of typical main stream European architecture, with wider streets and classical, tall buildings. The 40 year of Austrian rule resulted in urban planning which, among other things, involved classification of street types and requirement for harmonious design. The result is the breathtaking Academy of Fine Arts below.
Sarajevo is famous for excellent food. The cevapi (Balkan kebab), eaten in typical pita bread with onions, is a must food while in Bosnia, and the best cevapi (cheh-vah-pee) are in Bas-Carsija. While in some other neighbouring countries cevapi are often accompanied with brandy, beer or wine, in Bosnia they are usually eaten with yoghurt instead. In Bas-Carsija, places that sell cevapi are an equivalent of fast-food places as you usually just eat and go- they seldom sell beer. As the city caters to an increased number of tourists from the Gulf countries, there are more and more restaurants that do not serve alcohol. Don't worry, there are plenty of bars around the city to make up for this.
Other delicatessen include meat pie (and other type of pies including with cheese, spinach and potatoes), and various oriental style desserts, the best one being a cooked, sweet apple filled with grounded walnuts, cream and sugar (tufahija).