Today we ventured through the old town of Sarajevo seeing many attractions such as the Sarajevo Roses, the Markale memorial, the memorial for children killed during the siege, and many others.
Above is a memorial to the 1000+ children killed during the siege of Sarajevo.
Below are the ‘Sarajevo Roses’ which are mortar sites where people died. The shell holes are filled with red resin to symbolise the blood shed. The Markale Memorial Rose at the city market place commemorates the death of 68 people, with another acknowledging 43 deaths only a few metres away.
We then all took off for lunch to enjoy some delicious, authentic Bosnian food including Cevapi and Burek. From here we were also allowed to go and enjoy the old town for ourselves, many of us deciding to go look around the local markets to buy some gifts and ice cream.
Wandering around the Muslim area was an interesting experience and showed how strong this faith is in its varying forms in Sarajevo. There were variations from full burka to very stylish and modern women with hijab/head scarf.
After lunch we got on the bus and were shown different parts of the city. We got to see the War tunnels, Snipers Alley, the frontlines and go up Mount Trebevic. From the top we stood in the Serb positions and gained a perspective of just how much this city was under siege. We did a walk on the 1984 Olympic Bobsled track which was a lot of fun.
Bullet-ridden house at the entry point to the Freedom Tunnel under the airport.
Mr Coutts jumping with joy on his history trip
Some of us were feeling a bit tired and even took the opportunity to have a quick nap with their eyes open……
Meg and Sarah
2019 Baradene History Tour 