I recently spent a week in Bosnia, and it got me excited to write down some thoughts and chronicle what I did, felt, and explored.
There was a concert in our town here in Croatia by a popular right wing singer, and we were quite keen to avoid that, so on the morning of the concert (a Saturday) we woke up early, and set off!
When we got into town, all the roads were closed, which caused quite some consternation as we wondered how we would get to the pekara for breakfast! We had a polite conversation with the MUP officer who was guarding the blocked road, and made the point that ultimately the concert was in 13 hours time and people need to get into town. To no avail. So we went to Lidl’s bakery. (Did you know the Lidl bakeries in Croatia sell burek, pecivo, and Lino Lada stuffed donuts?)
After breakfast had been devoured, we drove down the A3 highway (which made up the Croatian part of the Highway of Brotherhood and Unity back in the Yugoslav period), and crossed the Croatian / Bosnian border at Županija/Orašje. This was only my second time in Bosnia, and I am very intrigued by the cultural melting pot that the country offers and can’t wait to visit again!
A while after crossing the border, we found ourselves driving past the Arizona Market, which came into existence just after the 1995 Dayton Agreement was signed, as a demilitarised meeting point. Over time — once it had been cleared and de-mined — shacks started to appear on the side of the roads and in the fields serving as tradepoints for the parties that had, until recently, been on opposite sides.
Arizona was notorious for illegal activities, so in 2001 the Brčko Government stamped down on the illegal behaviour, and commissioned a new market which was completed in 2004. Today, the site is full of vendors selling their wares - from food, to technology, homemade (domaći) produce, through to restaurants.
(You can learn a lot more about the market here!)
Our ultimate destination on that first Saturday was Tuzla. We have some friends living there, and decided to spend time hanging out, cooking, eating, catching up, and enjoying some pomalo. Our friend took us through Tuzla, showing us the city: salt lakes, the parks, graveyards, mosques. Everything was absolutely fascinating to me, but I enjoyed visiting the Tito statue. Even during the extreme difficulties in Bosnia in the early 1990s, Tuzla was regarded as a place for all nationalities. Despite this, it was not spared the horrors of war.
The most chilling, and most important, part of Tuzla has to be Kapija Square, which marks the spot of the 25th May massacre. If you visit Tuzla, you must visit this square to pay respect to those that died during the shelling of the town by the Vojska Republika Srpska in May 1995. All of the victims were civilians.
I could write many hundreds of pages about the horrors of the Bosnian war, but I shall spare the reader that on this occasion, with the caveat that not enough people know about what happened in this beautiful country. The events of the present day have remarkable shocking similarities.
After we finished up in town, we retired back to our friends for more eating, drinking, discussion, and laughing. These moments remind me that, despite all that is going on, the sense of community can bring such joy.
The next day, we breakfasted in our hotel and made our way back to our friends for second breakfast, coffee, and more conversation. With time, my family headed back to Croatia and I parted ways, to take a bus to Sarajevo. This was a delightful journey, and I had my head glued to the window for the full trip. I cannot put into words how beautiful the countryside in the Balkans is.
During my time in Sarajevo, I was working and unwell, so I didn’t take many notes for this article. With that said, some of the highlights were:
- Bosanska Kafa at Fame Coffee
- Burek at Buregdžinica Sač - I rate this place much more highly than Buregdžinica Bosna, which other people seem to prefer!
- Sitting at Saraj Slasticarna at the top of Baščaršija near Sebilj fountain, with an Iced Tea and baklava, during the call to prayer. (This one is more about the moment than the food, which was not notable)
- Mountain city views!
That’s all for this post, which was more of an intro back into writing for me than anything else, as I have neglected this blog and want to start writing more. Maybe there will be more travel stories on the horizon!
(I couldn’t publish this article without mentioning Ćevabdžinica Limenka in Tuzla, which had the juciest, most tender ćevapi I have ever eaten! Must visit place.)