My parents arrived in Sarajevo on Monday night, so I’ve had
a chance to play tour guide for three full days now. So far, I think they are really enjoying the city, and are
fascinated by how much it’s recovered since the siege took place only 20 years
ago.
I
met my parents on Tuesday morning, and spent the day taking them around the
city center, from Marijin Dvor on the west end to Sebilj Square in
Bascarsija. It was fortunate that
last week, Admir showed Sara and I to a fort just up a hill northeast of Bascarsija,
with a spectacular view of the city.
So, one of the first things I did with my parents was take them there
and give them a general sense of the city’s layout. They had no problem with the hike, since they are always
waking up and down the foothills in Colorado. We spent the rest of the day dining at Metropolis and To Be,
and shopping for souvenirs. I also
tried to take my parents for a leisurely coffee break, but they haven’t quite
mastered the art of taking at least one hour to finish a small cup of
coffee. That takes a few months of
living in Bosnia, I guess. J
On
Wednesday, we visited the National Museum. It was my first time there, and I was surprised by its size,
beautiful garden, and the number of interesting artifacts from ancient and
medieval times. My favorite part
was the collection of mosaics found in Ilidza dating from the 2nd
and 3rd centuries CE. I
had forgotten that Ilidza has been a city since Roman times! Unfortunately, some parts of the museum
are a little bit run down, and I hope that one day there will be enough money
to better preserve the collections and update the exhibits.
After
visiting the museum, we ate at Vegehana, followed by a little bit more
shopping. My mom is vegetarian,
and my dad can’t stand to be around cigarette smoke, so a smoke-free vegetarian
restaurant was the perfect place for them. The Sarajevo Philharmonic had a concert on Wednesday night
(sans oboes, which is a nice break for me) so I got a chance to take my parents
to see our orchestra.
Today
was very sunny and warm, so I decided to take my parents out to Ilidza to walk
around in the park, and out to the source of the Bosna river. It’s a great time of year to look at
wildflowers, and my mom especially liked seeing so many birds. Of course, no trip out to the Vrelo
Bosna would be complete without eating at the nearby restaurant, Pizzeria
Ilidzis. Eating a filling lunch
after a long walk was the perfect way to end this afternoon.
We
are taking a bus to Dubrovnik tomorrow, and returning the next day, hopefully
with a brief stop in Mostar. I
can’t wait to get out of town and visit the coast!
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