Hi from sarajevo bosnia, day two
sorry i didnt post anything yesterday.. so i guess ill have double to write today.
so i left off last with my last day in mostar.. i never met up with teh girl i met in dubrovnik, but i walked around randomly and aimlessly around various residential parts of the city then i went back to old town. it was startign to get dark and i wanted to see how the bridges and the town looked in the dark. i passed by this place that i bought a coffee pot from the day before and the guy remembered me so i stopped by and said hi. he had mentioned to me the first time that his son is in college studying art and that his paintings were for sale.. so this time i stopped by and his son was there and i think he tried to set me up with him.. so i talked to his son for a few minutes and went on my way.
the next morning - friday, i headed to the train station to go to my next and last stop - sarajevo. the girl that i was suppose to meet in mostar was supposed to head to sarajevo the same day, but she ended up not. but i did end up seeing on the train 2 british guys that i had briefly met in dubrovnik and ended up sitting on the train with them and their friend for 2 1/2 hours and then staying at the same hostel as them, instead of going to the hostel that i had booked since i heard bad things about my hostel and since i already knew these three. we got in to sarajevo around 1030 am and walked around trying to find the hostel..we finally found it after an hour of wandering. we had put our stuff down and went back out to eat and walk around. at first impression, sarajevo seemed to be a rundown version of nyc... but that was only center city.. old town was completely different and has more of an eastern feel. its really different and amazing to hear church bells ringing at one end of the city and then the islamic call for prayer on the other.
some time mid afternoon, we went to the jewish museum. i made 2 of the guys (not jewish ;)) go with me (the third was at the hostel sleeping). the museum was at the old synagouge and was on the same block as both a church and a mosque. talk about a diverse block!. the museum mainly showed pictures of sarajevo jews in the holocaust, and about the war in the 90s. it also had a sarajevo hagaddah and typical bosnian jewish clothes.
i asked the guy who worked at the museum wether there was still a large jewish community there... about 800 jews still in sarajevo, 1000 in the entire country. this synagouge is only still used during the high holidays, but there is another newer one across the river which held services on a regular basis. i was tempted to go there for shabbat services, but at the end decided not to...didnt feel like changing, long walk (not really, but just out of the way etc..) but i did go over there and saw the outside of the synagouge later in the day.
later in the day we headed back to the hostel and rested for a bit.. we realized that the blanket/top sheet provided by the hostel was actually window curtains!
around 9pm we went out for dinner. the place the guys chose (where we at lunch as well) only served meat, so i had purchased something next door and ate with them. i tried to hide my food, as being from new york - most restaurants would not let you bring in outside food. the waiter sees me and brings me a plate and eating utensils! we then met up with one of guy's friends and his friends who were working/volunteering/ interning in sarajevo.. and one sarajevo native. we went out to a large smokey bar and chatted and drank a little bit.
the next morning.. today... i wandered a bit on my own through old town and then went to check out the art gallery, but it wasnt open until twelve.. so i tried to head back later in the day only to realize that it closed at 2. it seems to be the case with most museums in this city. they open late and close early, being open only for a couple hours in between. so i decided to enter a coffee house that was in the same building as the gallery, just a different entrance. awesome coffee house! and im pretty picky about them. it had a pretty big bookstore, nice comfy chairs, and local abstract paintings. so i sat there for a little bit drinking a mocha.. they wouldnt give me any iced drinks :( i guess the ice machine was broken???
later i hailed a cab to butmir, a neigborhood on the far end of sarajevo by the air port and went to the tunnel musuem. this was in the house where the tunnel that sarajevan locals used to get to a safehaven during the war. the taxi driver stayed the entire time, cause theres no taxis or public transportation in the area. and he became my tourguide by explaining everything and telling his personal story. part of the museum we went through part of the actual 800 meter tunnel. then on the way back to city center 8 (about 20 minute ride) he showed me different buildings and explained the geography of hte city.
next i went to a turkish house museum which pretty much showed you what a typical turkish house in the 1800s was like. after that i went to dinner at the only vegeterian restaurant in sarajevo. they served pasta, sushi, pizza. i had the pasta dish. the owner-chef there was really friendly. and now im at the internet cafe typing all this. next? who knows.. maybe check out a jazz club, going back to the coffee house, just wander around, maybe just go back and pack and get ready for my flight tomorrow.
so i left off last with my last day in mostar.. i never met up with teh girl i met in dubrovnik, but i walked around randomly and aimlessly around various residential parts of the city then i went back to old town. it was startign to get dark and i wanted to see how the bridges and the town looked in the dark. i passed by this place that i bought a coffee pot from the day before and the guy remembered me so i stopped by and said hi. he had mentioned to me the first time that his son is in college studying art and that his paintings were for sale.. so this time i stopped by and his son was there and i think he tried to set me up with him.. so i talked to his son for a few minutes and went on my way.
the next morning - friday, i headed to the train station to go to my next and last stop - sarajevo. the girl that i was suppose to meet in mostar was supposed to head to sarajevo the same day, but she ended up not. but i did end up seeing on the train 2 british guys that i had briefly met in dubrovnik and ended up sitting on the train with them and their friend for 2 1/2 hours and then staying at the same hostel as them, instead of going to the hostel that i had booked since i heard bad things about my hostel and since i already knew these three. we got in to sarajevo around 1030 am and walked around trying to find the hostel..we finally found it after an hour of wandering. we had put our stuff down and went back out to eat and walk around. at first impression, sarajevo seemed to be a rundown version of nyc... but that was only center city.. old town was completely different and has more of an eastern feel. its really different and amazing to hear church bells ringing at one end of the city and then the islamic call for prayer on the other.
some time mid afternoon, we went to the jewish museum. i made 2 of the guys (not jewish ;)) go with me (the third was at the hostel sleeping). the museum was at the old synagouge and was on the same block as both a church and a mosque. talk about a diverse block!. the museum mainly showed pictures of sarajevo jews in the holocaust, and about the war in the 90s. it also had a sarajevo hagaddah and typical bosnian jewish clothes.
i asked the guy who worked at the museum wether there was still a large jewish community there... about 800 jews still in sarajevo, 1000 in the entire country. this synagouge is only still used during the high holidays, but there is another newer one across the river which held services on a regular basis. i was tempted to go there for shabbat services, but at the end decided not to...didnt feel like changing, long walk (not really, but just out of the way etc..) but i did go over there and saw the outside of the synagouge later in the day.
later in the day we headed back to the hostel and rested for a bit.. we realized that the blanket/top sheet provided by the hostel was actually window curtains!
around 9pm we went out for dinner. the place the guys chose (where we at lunch as well) only served meat, so i had purchased something next door and ate with them. i tried to hide my food, as being from new york - most restaurants would not let you bring in outside food. the waiter sees me and brings me a plate and eating utensils! we then met up with one of guy's friends and his friends who were working/volunteering/ interning in sarajevo.. and one sarajevo native. we went out to a large smokey bar and chatted and drank a little bit.
the next morning.. today... i wandered a bit on my own through old town and then went to check out the art gallery, but it wasnt open until twelve.. so i tried to head back later in the day only to realize that it closed at 2. it seems to be the case with most museums in this city. they open late and close early, being open only for a couple hours in between. so i decided to enter a coffee house that was in the same building as the gallery, just a different entrance. awesome coffee house! and im pretty picky about them. it had a pretty big bookstore, nice comfy chairs, and local abstract paintings. so i sat there for a little bit drinking a mocha.. they wouldnt give me any iced drinks :( i guess the ice machine was broken???
later i hailed a cab to butmir, a neigborhood on the far end of sarajevo by the air port and went to the tunnel musuem. this was in the house where the tunnel that sarajevan locals used to get to a safehaven during the war. the taxi driver stayed the entire time, cause theres no taxis or public transportation in the area. and he became my tourguide by explaining everything and telling his personal story. part of the museum we went through part of the actual 800 meter tunnel. then on the way back to city center 8 (about 20 minute ride) he showed me different buildings and explained the geography of hte city.
next i went to a turkish house museum which pretty much showed you what a typical turkish house in the 1800s was like. after that i went to dinner at the only vegeterian restaurant in sarajevo. they served pasta, sushi, pizza. i had the pasta dish. the owner-chef there was really friendly. and now im at the internet cafe typing all this. next? who knows.. maybe check out a jazz club, going back to the coffee house, just wander around, maybe just go back and pack and get ready for my flight tomorrow.