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Bosnia-Herzegovina

Our local guide inside the mosque explaining some of the rituals to the ladies in our group.

Sarajevo is well-known for its historical coppersmithing and silversmithing traditions, with the Kazandžiluk street in the heart of the old Bascarsija bazaar.

You find artisans creating intricately designed copper and silver products like coffee pots, jewelry, and decorative plates. This craft has a long-standing history in the city, blending Ottoman influences with modern artistry to produce unique, handcrafted souvenirs and functional items.

We stopped for some local "pies" for lunch consisting of cheese, spinach, potato and beef. They were excellent and hit the spot.

The City Hall is a monument to the multiculturalism of Bosnia. Built between 1892 and 1894, the pseudo-Moorish building honored the Muslim background of this Austro-Hungarian territory. In 1992 the building was bombed and almost destroyed. After numerous starts in 1996, 1999, 2003 the building was reopened. in 2014

Surrounding hillside with older homes over looking the city.

The Sarajevo 1984 Winter Olympics were the 14th Winter Games, held from February 8–19, 1984, in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia. The Games were a source of pride for the city and nation, but eight years later, many Olympic facilities were destroyed during the Bosnian War and the Siege of Sarajevo, leaving a bittersweet legacy.

While walking along the river, we happened to come across the artwork "The Equilibrists over River". These are sculptures suspended over the river on wire ropes.

Enes Sivac made these sculptures in 1993, during the Siege of Sarajevo, and installed them in the same place over the Miljacka River near the Sarajevo Academy of fine Arts. Photos of this work of art spread around the world and appeared on the pages of major newspapers and other medias as a powerful symbol of the cultural resistance to the aggression.

The Sarajevo Tunnel, also known as Tunel Spasa or Tunnel of Life/Hope is a historic underground tunnel in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, built during the 1990s Siege of Sarajevo to provide food, supplies, and humanitarian aid to the besieged city and serve as an evacuation route for the wounded,

The tunnel consists of 520 feet of covered trenches on the Dobrinja side, 1,100 feet of covered trenches on the Butmir side, and 1,100 feet of actual tunnel under the airport runway.

The construction was assigned to the First Corps Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The tunnel was dug by hand, with shovels and picks, and wheelbarrows were used to carry 42,000 cubic feet of dirt away. The tunnel was dug 24-hours a day, with workers working in 8-hour shifts digging from opposite ends.

There were two major problems with the tunnel. The first was flooding by underground waters which could rise to levels waist deep. The second was air quality. The tunnel had no ventilation and consequently everyone entering the tunnel was forced to wear a mask, The workers were paid with one packet of cigarettes per day, an item that was in high demand and a prized bartering possession.

The biggest technical problem was the underground water, which had to be frequently thrown out manually. Because of the permanent shelling, the tunnel was installed with a pipeline that was used for the delivery of oil for the town.

The entrance on the Dobrinja side was the garage of an apartment building. The entrance on the Butmir side was a house near the airport belonging to the Kolar family. Both entrances were under close guard and ringed by trenches manned by Bosnian troops.

At first the tunnel was a simple, muddy path through which supplies had to be carried by hand or on the backs of soldiers. Less than a year after it was created, however, a small railway track was laid and small carts were built to transport supplies through the tunnel. The final construction of the tunnel included a power cable, pumps for pumping underground water, an oil pipe and permanent lighting.

Every day, between 3000 and 4,000 Bosnian soldiers, as well as civilians, and 33 tons of various goods passed through the tunnel. Groups traveling through the tunnel ranged in size from 20 to 1,000 people. On average, it took 2 hours for these groups to travel through the tunnel.

This even we divide into smaller groups and visit 2 local families for Home Hosted Dinner. The homes are located in a Soviet Style town block that was once known as Sniper Alley, during the Bosnian War, a dangerous place to lie and work in.

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