Between East and West, Sarajevo - Old town

Hello everyone, I hope you are doing great. I wish you a lot of good wishes for the New Year and to travel as much as possible because life is too short to spend it in the same places. 😊

Yesterday my sister returned home from Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina. She spent a few days there and sent me photos that I want to share with you if you would like to take a peek at Sarajevo, an interesting Balkan city.

Sarajevo is a city where east and west meet. Or it separates, it's a matter of feeling.

Oriental tradition is dominantly present in the old part of the city called "Bascarsija".

It is a beautiful and authentic part of the city with lots of small shops where you can buy traditional souvenirs.

Sarajevo is so close to my city Belgrade and yet far away, because of the different culture and tradition. Behind every corner you can see something interesting and you will be amazed again and again as you walk along the narrow paved streets. I was there many years ago and almost nothing has changed. Time stands still.

In Sarajevo at times you feel like you are in Istanbul. The city permeates the spirit of the old times, especially if you find yourself in the historical center Bascarsija. There you can buy traditional products such as "ratluk" (Turkish delight) or coffee.

There are many restaurants where you can eat traditional food, and I like their oriental decoration and pleasant ambience.

You feel at home and yet there is so much new to see. Here you can try the best specialties in town. A special pie called "burek", then a meat product called "cevapi" and delicious delicacies, the most famous of which is baklava, similar to Turkish baklava.

The most famous place where you can eat delicious burek is the Sac restaurant which has a very long tradition.

One of the biggest attractions is the famous Sebilj fountain, which is a very popular place for photography. It's usually very crowded, sometimes you have to wait to take a photo.

Except in the early morning when it's quiet and there aren't many people.

The first morning coffee at this place is a favorite of many locals and tourists.

And pigeons also like to gather here.

This wooden fountain is a symbol of the city, and there used to be a lot of them. The city of Sarajevo gave an identical fountain to my city Belgrade 30 years ago as a reminder of the cultural and historical ties between these two cities.

Near the Sebilj fountain is the Bascarsija mosque. There are many mosques in Sarajevo.

But although the dominant influence is Islam as a religion and way of life, there are also many elements of Austro-Hungarian culture and Christian tradition and I will write about it in my next post.

Thank you very much for reading.

The images and writing are original and mine.

Greetings!

Jelena