The most memorable event of our 2nd day in Zagreb was the weather; this being warm enough to allow for a walk around on T-shirts! Please bear in mind, that this is Eastern Europe in March!
Moreover, the birthplace of the Tie kept on surprising us with it's completely unexpected beauty. It is worth remarking how incredibly fashionable Croatians are; Zagreb resembled a 24 hour-fashion-runway!
Most of this morning was spent roaming around the countless markets, scattered around the heart of Zagreb, that seem to be littered with noticeably fresh fruits, nuts of all sort and sea food from the Dalmatia region of Croatia.
As the morning morphed into a lazy and sunny afternoon our metabolisms slowed down almost to a halt propelling us to commit an act of laziness; this was achieved by finding the coziest bench in the main park and absorbing as much sun light as humanly possible.
After our bodies were properly thawed out from the frigid -cold days that we left behind, we resumed our wonders throughout Zagreb that culminated with a night out in the cinema.
Who's the man with the camera? ME
Beautiful weather and people!
Taking a look around.
Fresh everything!The plan of action for this day was to do absolutely nothing and wait until 9:30 pm for the train the would drive us further south to the Bosnia & Herzegovina's capital of Sarajevo; scheduled to arrive at 7 am, 9 hours of train ride. 9 that is!!!!
Davor warned us that this night train tends not to be very pleasant and kindly offered us a free night at his incredibly fun place and leave the next morning; this way we could enjoy the, seemingly, spectacular, journey between the adjacent capitals. Unfortunately, convinced that we knew better than this native Croatian we rejected his offer and remained faithful to our miserable plan.
At exactly 9:30 the train begun to swiftly roll over the tracks, only to take us on one of the strangest train ride of this trip.
First of all, the cabin had only two temperature regulations: Greek Sauna and Canadian Winter. Secondly, we were regularly interrupted by vendors, conductors in search of our tickets and immigration officers from both sides of the border. The last interruption occurred on the Bosnian side, when the immigration officers took our passports for, just about 30 mins, without any explanation. Bear in mind, this place freaking weird; the station was absolutely empty and we had no idea were the immigration office was. Moreover, we were warned about people dressing like officers and taking people's passports in random train station. This culminated after our passports were returned to us, allowing for some incredibly tense minutes!
March 10th and 11th
Arriving in Sarajevo, sometime after 7 a.m., was, unquestionably, a relief. Once in the hostel a 2hr nap followed by some Sarajevan food seemed almost a necessity before commencing a proper exploration of the city.
I must admit, Bosnia i Herzegovina was one of the hardest countries to digest. A mixture of excitement, sorrow and intrigue might describe what I felt at the moment; nonetheless, those words do no justice what it feels to be in a country like that.
Excitement came about since it was my first Muslim country. Mosques are everywhere to be seen and every few hours we could hear the incredibly unique chants that call all believers to pray.
On the other hand, it saddens one's heart to see the absurd amount of buildings plagued with bullet holes or police tapes warning tourists about land mines on the surrounding area. One thing in particular struck a huge cord in me; the Sarajevan Roses. Scattered around Sarajevo, these roses are actually skeletal indentations on the pavement, caused by the impact of military shells, that were later filled in with red cement; a silent protest and sad remembrance of those turbulent years in which Serbian forces lay siege to the city of Sarajevo. Many landmarks we visited I believe are worth mentioning. The Tunnel Museum is all that is left from what once was the only connection between the city and the outside world; while Serbian Forces surrounded the capital from '92 to '95, this tunnel was the only hope for survival for many Bosnians trapped within the city walls. The Yellow-Holiday Inn is where the international press found shelter in Sarajevo and just a few steps from there the "Death Alley" stretches across that city. Many Bosniaks lost their life in this street due to constant snipping from the Serbians situated in the surrounding hills. This is only a stone throw away from the bridge that saw the Archduke Ferdinand III loose his life by the hand of a Bosniak.
THE Holiday Inn
What is left of the tunnel.
This was everywhere!
Sarajevan Roses
March 12th
As it was to expect, it was time to leave Sarajevo, but our journey through B&H wasn't not over yet. Next on our list was Mostar, a lovely but minute town located a few hours south of Sarajevo. As soon as we set foot on this town, we were literally attacked by a hoard of people offering rides or accommodations. We finally gave in to this lovely lady that offered us a double private with Internet for 7.50 euro each! As she drove us from the bus station to our respective destination, it was shocking to see how incredibly battered the town appeared to be; very much like Sarajevo, Mostar was littered with buildings on the very verge of collapse, with only red tape to advice the occasional passersby of such state.
At one point on our journey, she stops the car just before hopping onto the main avenue and says:
Unreal!
Stari Most. This bridge symbolizes the Bosniak resistance.What remained of the afternoon quickly vanished as we wandered aimlessly through the narrow streets of Mostar. We then decided to treat ourselves to a lovely dinner and follow it by an early night; a long journey awaited for us the next day.
March 13th
At around too-early-to-even-care we took another bus from Mostar, across the border, back into Croatia and finally SPLIT! This being an absolutely paradisiac city located on the coast of Croatia!
Heaven!
Heaven!
Heaven from a different angle.
