Day One in Sarajevo

The view out my first floor window across the 3 inch deep Miljacka River on this cold and dreary 18th of April.

The hotel has a nice water feature at the entrance which is repeated in the lobby but without the wall behind it.

 We met our local guide Neira at nine o'clock after our baconless breakfast.  She was delightful!  Excellent knowledge capped by a self deprecating but also slashing wit!  She led us through the Old Town but talked about the different streets.  One for jewelry where Angelina Jolie once bought something.  House goods, on one, books on another, copper all to itself.  This is the typical way bazaars are set up.  You go to the street that has what you want and have all your merchants there.  This way they keep an eye on each other and the prices.

She explained that there were a couple of streets of Fast Food.  Each serves only one kind of thing.  No coffee or dessert or appetizer.  Tina had explained last night that if the restaurant name began with an A it served soup or something that is eaten with a spoon.  B was for baked such as a phyllo dough with meat or cheese. C was for what we ate last night.  Sausage in a Pita.  Neira added this morning that the food is typically served within 2 or 3 minutes and you are supposed to leave even faster.  "Eat it and beat it!"

Coffee services for sale in the Street of Copper in the Old Town.

Souvenirs which were originally made from bullets but are now duplicated.

Waiting - To open his shop? for a better life? someone to want to buy something? Tourists to go away? Buyers to come?

We have already been warned in our short time here since last night by every person including the bus driver.

The original Hans were hostel for caravans.  They could stay three days for free.  Is this from where the famous phrase accredited to our own Benjamin Franklin comes:  "Fish and visitors stink after three days."  Later they became regular hotels where people would live even for years.

 Neira, whose father and husband are Muslim but whose mother is Jewish, led us to the
Gazi Husrev-beg Mosque.  Built in the 16th century and active ever since, even during the Communist era.  We donned our scarves and slipped off our shoes even though the weather was drizzly.  I hope Elva does not catch cold.  In a group like this someone is always catching cold or getting over one!  Today to already being tired she added walking with no socks on because hers got wet here when she removed her 'good walking shoes.'

Ablution fountain in the courtyard of the mosque.  Not the one seen from our window but one which gentiles may enter.  The slippers are so that after washing their feet the faithful can don clean shoes to walk across the patio to the doorway where all shoes must be removed.

Oddly in this mosque courtyard is the oldest public toilet in Europe!

The niche from which the Imam speaks.

Circle in a square is a popular Ottoman design.

 

The unfinished appearance of a design, as in this corner, is an easy way to to recognize Persian influence.  Nothing is perfect so do not be afraid to have imperfection within yourself.

What a beautiful and inexpensive wedding dress.  Muslims here typically wear white as do we although now-a-days, like else wear, they are beginning to choose colors like pale pink or blue.

Okay.  I need this tram.  Not everyone can have a tram to match their luggage!

I have to admit that it bothered me to stand in front of the memorial plaque for about 15 minutes while Neira told us the true story of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand.  Other small groups were coming to the site as well while we blocked it.  I think we should have looked at it, gotten pictures, then crossed the street wile we heard the truly fascinating facts.  Perhaps we could have stood on the bridge that is always cited as the sight of the murder or just across the road.

When the first attempt failed the procession continued on to the end.  Then the Archduke and his wife Sophia had the car turn around to go visit the soldier injured in the attempted assassination at the hospital.  They should have gone down the next street but turned a block too soon.  In the cafe at the corner the seventh member of the dissident band was having coffee and trying to blend into the crowd so as not to be caught like the others. He was surprised to see the car and took the opportunity to fire at the Archduke killing him and wounding his wife.  This was the spark that started the greatest war up to that time.   The War to End All Wars to quote the famous moniker given by H.G. Wells to identify World War I.

 

Once a cafe that served coffee to an assassin it is now a museum and just next to our hotel.

In your history book you read that Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated crossing the Latin Bridge.

First made of wood and rebuilt and then enhanced.  Probably the white sides were not in place at the time it became so famous.

 

We continued on to the original synagogue where we heard how the Sarajevo was treated by the Nazis.

And in this diverse city we see the Roman Catholic Cathedral.  Yesterday I told you there was a Catholic steeple behind the Mosque by our hotel.  I was wrong, it was an Orthodox Church.  In Sarajevo all the players have equal footing.

Next to the Cathedral is this ornate pharmacy.  Judging by the Apothecary Museum being in the Franciscan Monastery in Dubrovnik and this here, I think the church and the learned people of the church were also the pharmacists and doctors.

Trying to line the children up for a photo.

This is one huge pomegranate.

Our surprise today is that lunch isn't really on our own once again.  Cheese and spinach in one finger sized roll, cheese in another, meat in a third and potato and onion in the fourth.  We shared trays of each.

 The 'B' type of fast food restaurant.

The long rolls are connected but cut into a size the length of my forefinger.

Because our guide was excellent and because we all wanted to learn as much as possible we ended our tour about a half hour late.  Then we had our treat which was really lunch.  Which, by the way, was true to the 'B' style restaurant, no drinks available so those of us who carry water were happy we did.

Tina helped us all find cabs and hurry off to the National Museum.  On Tuesdays and Thursday the famed Sarajevo Haggadah is on display for only one hour to reduce light damage to the print.  Now I will admit that not only did I not know what we were about to see I had never heard of a Haggadah.  If you are not Jewish you probably never have either.  It is the story of the Exodus, of which you have heard.  It is read one time a year by a family as the sit to celebrate the Seder.

The reason that this one is famous is because it is exceptional.  The story of the Exodus is enhanced with the illustrations of the Book of Genesis.  We learned earlier today that Muslims do not have illustrations of people on display in their houses of worship but can have drawings as art outside of the holy place.  In Jewish tradition one does not have human images but this book is illuminated in a Christian way with figures of people, animals, plants and all things created.  The bright colors and gold leaf are totally foreign for a Haggadah.  A family had the book made and printed especially for their use.  You can find copies of this unique artifact.  The one for sale at the museum shop was $103 USD.  I know because Elva thought to buy one for her daughter-in-law.  But it was large and heavy, as well as pricey.  How lucky were we to see the original!

The Sarrjevo HaggadahAdd caption

An enthusiastic docent gave us the whole story including pointing out in the copy where the young children of the family had gotten hold of it to practice their own writing!  There childish printing of the number 2 and their names can be seen even on illustrated pages.  When I get home I must read The People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks.  It has been highly recommend to me by Lana who says it tells the story so well.  Maybe you would like to read it also.

The electronic display explained that during the inquisition the book was saved because it had the Pope's approval as indicated by the signature in the back because it included Genesis. During WWII the Germans wanted to destroy the book.  They entered the office of the director of the museum who lied and said it had been given to another Nazi Officer earlier in the day.  The director then took it off the bookshelf behind his desk and sent it off to a mountain village to be hidden under the floor of the mosque!  What a history that I never had a glimmer of!

A glimpse of our embassy across the street.  The cab driver was proud to point it out to us.  The ride, by the way, was 5 KM or $2.88 for the three of us.

 We had plenty of time to visit the rest of the museum which is definitely my travel partner's best way to spend the day.  We shared a ride back to the hotel with Tom and Judy as it was cold and our feet wanted a little break by now. We had successfully toured the Stari Grad - Old Town - of Sarajevo which has a whole other name here.

One last picture.  Back to the hotel where we parted ways.  Elva napped, I wrote, she went to dinner, I wrote!  She stopped by my room on her way home and agreed that although she greatly enjoyed the meal she was too full for the four desserts!  Of course, she agreed, that would have been the only part I would have liked!