Comments on: The Forgotten City of Sarajevo

By: A.G.

A.G. — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 06:34:14 +0000

Hey, I am really glad you enjoyed in Sarajevo, beautiful capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. But I just want to remind you about one mistake: Bosnia and Herzegovina is not a Muslim country. Officially it is secular country with 40 % of population declared themselves as Muslims, 31% as Orthodox Christians and 15 % Catholic Christians. The rest don’t belong to any religion or they are the part of some very small religious groups.
Religion is there important cultural segment but in dailiy life you will meet very secular, let’s say, typical people from Europe.

By: Steph

Steph — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 00:52:51 +0000

Thank you for sharing! It’s so important to record and remember those stories so that it never happens again.

By: twoOregonians

twoOregonians — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 00:37:25 +0000

I’ve always had an interest in Bosnia, though I’ve never been able to visit. (I was born during the 1984 winter Olympics in Sarajevo, and my aunt – whose cousin won a gold medal that year (!!!?) – nickname me “Jevo” – a title that has stuck for life!)

A few years back, I helped organize the trip for a native Bosnian and director of the American Friends Service Committee, Davorian Brdanovic, to come to Portland, Oregon and share about his work in developing community gardens as part of the post-war reconciliation efforts in Bosnia Herzegovina. The stories were amazing…both the horrors of the war and the way that civilization had been so jarringly altered, and the stories of re-connection that happened as people from all different ethnic backgrounds slowly began to participate in the community garden efforts.

Out of curiosity, after reading your post, I dug up the old information from his lecture. At the time, there were 2,000 people involved in 15 different sites around the area (including “pensioners, the unemployed, students, children, physically and mentally challenged persons, prisoners, refugees, displaced persons and returnees, and varied ethnic and religious groups”). It’s encouraging to see progress and re-built relationships after the devastation of war…

Anyway…very enjoyable to see your photos and read of you visit. Thanks, as always! xx

By: Top 10 Newest Countries | Destination Europe

Top 10 Newest Countries | Destination Europe — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 04:37:45 +0000

[...] the main street heading out of the city. Yay! I did see enough to make me want to go back and these two posts convinced me Sarajevo would be one of the highlights of the Balkans. Even though my day trip [...]

By: Heidi

Heidi — Sat, 29 Jan 2011 21:56:31 +0000

Really enjoyed your photos and writings!

By: Steph

Steph — Mon, 17 Jan 2011 07:24:18 +0000

It’s such a cool place and I’d love to go back!

By: Lara

Lara — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 17:26:55 +0000

Wow, I just stumbled upon this entry. Excellent writing! I lived in Sarajevo for 7 weeks this past summer and fell absolutely in love with Bosnia. I miss those stunning mountains and the wonderful cafes, but mostly the people. I hope more people realize what a gem Bosnia is!

By: Steph

Steph — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 19:59:12 +0000

Thanks for clarifying that!

By: Mike Klein

Mike Klein — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 21:19:38 +0000

Overall, a good piece–I’ve written something similar on my own blog, http://shallwedansk.posterous.com

I do take issue with one thing–the idea that the Olympic Stadium has been turned into a cemetery. It’s not true.

Yes, some of the practice fields have been converted to burial grounds (and not just of the ‘uniform pillar’ variety–but reflecting all of Sarajevo’s historical religious communities), and the seats in the Zetra Olympic Hall were used for wood to make coffins with. But the Olympic Stadium is now the main football ground in BiH, and Zetra has been reborn as a multipurpose sport and concert venue rivalling those in much larger European cities.

Happy to share my other Bosnia reflections.

Mike

By: Steph

Steph — Thu, 20 May 2010 12:13:56 +0000

Ohh tough call. If you are going to Dubrovnik already then I might pick Slovenia, just for diversity. I loved both areas though.

I actually haven’t been to Malaysia yet- but it’s on the itinerary for next year so I may get in touch!

By: Mel

Mel — Thu, 20 May 2010 02:31:40 +0000

Thanks a lot Steph. We are still working out our itinerary. Sarajevo, Mostar, Dubrovnik and Zagreb are in but we are still undecided between Montenegro (Kotor Bay) and Slovenia. But I think we’ll give Belgrade a skip.

Btw, I read your other blogposts, glad to know you’ve been to Malaysia. I’m from KL, so next time you are here again, do gimme a shout

By: Steph

Steph — Tue, 18 May 2010 13:51:20 +0000

Thanks! Glad you found me. I am hoping to return to Bosnia at some point- it was so beautiful.

By: Lana

Lana — Tue, 18 May 2010 13:01:20 +0000

Steph

Just discovered your blog – love it.

I know exactly what you mean – I fell in love with Sarajevo and Bosnia & Herzegovina in general. Beautiful country with beautiful people

Lana
.-= Lana´s last blog ..Going Solo… =-.

By: Steph

Steph — Wed, 05 May 2010 12:12:52 +0000

Hi Mel! I flew into Sarajevo then headed south towards Mostar and Montenegro. Took a LONG overnight bus ride up to Belgrade then from there went up to Slovenia for a week before heading down to Croatia. I’ve written a lot of other articles about my trip on the site so be sure to have a look (I’m going to do a round up post of all of them sometime this month). Enjoy! I really, really fell in love with the area.

By: Mel

Mel — Wed, 05 May 2010 09:38:25 +0000

Hi Steph,

Thanks for sharing your experience. Amazing photos. My hubby and I are thinking of exploring the Balkans this fall; namely Bosnia, Serbia, Slovenia and Montenegro. What was your itinerary like? We don’t know where to start. Thanks!

By: Steph

Steph — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 13:36:32 +0000

Success!

By: Michael

Michael — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 04:19:24 +0000

These pics are amazing. Interesting article too. You’ve convinced me to go to Sarajevo.

By: Steph

Steph — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 15:37:30 +0000

thank you! I was actually really frustrated. I kept taking pictures of the orange roofed hills and nothing seemed to quite capture the beauty.

By: Travelfusion

Travelfusion — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 15:17:15 +0000

Wow – fantastic photos! I just blogged a snapshot that I found of Sarajevo that I thought was beautiful, but yours take the cake! Thanks for sharing.

http://blog.travelfusion.com/2010/03/27/saturday-snapshot-sarajevo-bosnia/

Kathryn @Travelfusion

By: Week Reflections and Favorites 11/20/09 » nancy.the.gnomette

Week Reflections and Favorites 11/20/09 » nancy.the.gnomette — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 05:06:03 +0000

[...] 1. The Forgotten City of Sarajevo. Stephanie, over at Twenty-Something Travel, writes about her experiences in Sarajevo and shares some great pics. [...]