Saturday 18 April 2020

Sarajevo

The drive from Mostar to Sarajevo is very scenic. 

Once checked in at our accommodation in Sarajevo we went for a wander. Straight outside our hotel was the Latin Bridge which is an Ottoman bridge, of which the northern end of the bridge was the site of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in 1914, which triggered World War I. 

Out next stop was lunch at Ćevabžinica Željo where we had Ćevapčići. 

Around the corner we came across the Sebilj fountain which is an Ottoman-style wooden fountain built in 1753 and has no shortage of pigeons around it. 

Wandering through the streets was enjoyable and we found the vast majority of people around to be locals. 

The fruit and vege at the market looked fantastic. 

Shortly thereafter we saw the Eternal flame which is a memorial to the military and civilian victims of the Second World War in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.  

For dinner we had a superb meal at Žara iz duvara - The Singing Nettle. Jane wrote some awesome words about this one: "And another meal!  Oh my word, this was amazing. A husband & wife ( I'm assuming!) run restaurant - they are the only staff! In a little back alley in Sarajevo. We started with Nettle doughnuts with hummus - both items were an absolute treat; for mains I had the chicken breaded with sesame and flax seed - a dish I'll be attempting to recreate at home. This was served with garlic and nettle pesto. Simon had the daily speciality - beef in sauce! (very limited English, but so very friendly and warmly welcoming). We had a seasonal salad made of perfectly dressed and seasoned cabbage, amazing tomatoes (at last!!!) and lovely fresh crunchy cucumber. Outstanding meal. We wanted to share the nettle cheesecake for dessert, but alas we were utterly full. We may yet return tomorrow. I'm not even joking on that"

On Day 2 we continued walking around Sarajevo, including ventures to some parks, along the river, the Festina Lente Bridge, up to the Sky Lounge on top of the Marriott Hotel and more Bosnian coffee.

In the afternoon I went for a walk up to the abandoned Winter Olympics 1984 Bobsleigh Track and continued on to the top of the mountain. It was quite a steep climb up with the route I took. On the way I came across some abandoned buildings and some lovely scenery. 

On the way down it was sunset.

Next... Driving to Kotor

A full list of all blog posts from this trip can be found here

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