Friday, March 20, 2009

Scenes of Sarajevo

When people ask to see photos from my trip, I don't think they are aware of what they are really asking for, because I took a lot of pictures and I have a lot to say about them. Plus, I am not one of those people that is good at sorting through photos and deciding which ones are show-worthy and which are not. Because how can the country of Bosnia-Herzegovina be expressed in just a few selected pictures?

So I will post them in installments, beginning with Sarajevo. I hope you enjoy its beauty and character as I did.

The picture below is the bridge that the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria-Hungary was assassinated on, along with his pregnant wife, in 1914. This is the event that started WWI. As a history nerd, this was pretty exciting for me to see.

This is the old part of town that has a lot of Turkish influence from the days of the Ottoman Empire. The pigeons that you see are famous and can always be found around the fountain.


A beautiful mosque in the old part of town:

Looking down on Sarajevo:


A mosque:



Walking the streets of Sarajevo:

This is what they call the "Sarajevo Roses." After the war, some of the holes in the streets that were caused by bombs were filled in with red material as a way to provide a memory of what happened, but also a focus on moving forward. The red color has faded quite a bit, which is a good sign I think.

This is the eternal flame that was lit when WWII ended. It only stopped burning during the war in Bosnia-Herzegovina, which took place from 1992-95, and then continued burning after the war.

A church:

In Sarajevo, neighborhoods are of great importance. Neighbors are very close, will look out for each other like family, and will go into each others homes without knocking. Because of this, often cemeteries are built in neighborhoods. They like those who have passed away to be close.

3 comments:

  1. Wow! How beautiful! I can't wait to hear more about your trip.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh crazy, not at all what I expected Sarajevo to look like! Very interesting and beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  3. I remember following this war pretty closely back then. And how awestruck i was to think how only eight years earlier they had held the Winter Olympics.

    And how odd it is to look at some of your photos and to think that the shelling Sarajevo endured came from many of them. What a tragic time.

    Thanks for posting such vivid imagery -- photos and your faith.

    now get to work!! you have papers to write.

    ReplyDelete