Balkans ’26 – Day Three

Early to rise with a 6:00 AM (GMT) check out after a great (but short) rest at the Hilton Garden Inn. There is a 3 hour time difference from home (AST). It was a short walk of about 5 minutes back to Terminal 2 at Heathrow to the departures area. Little mix-up while entering security, as Janie went through ahead of me and accidentally scanned my boarding pass. Was thinking that maybe she was trying to leave me behind 😳. It took a couple of minutes of surfing emails to correct that, but fairly quiet time of day so all without incident. Coffee ☕️ and wifi on the menu while we watched planes come and go!

The “Sorting Hat” 🧙‍♀️ at Heathrow departures organizes passengers a little differently than most airports we’ve visited. Everyone funnels into a central area where shops and services are located. Almost the like how attractions inevitably end with a wander through the gift shop! Departure boards and phone Apps don’t post gate info early… and as gates become available they are assigned, so the central location allows one to head in multiple directions to make their gate call. It seems most, on this day, were being posted 40 minutes before scheduled departure. Flights and approximate walking times are listed and as they become available groups of travellers make their way to the noted gate. In other words, you need to “pay attention”.

After our Gate was called we hustled to A26 and boarded Austrian Airlines Flight OS322 from Heathrow to Vienna. The trick of the day (and maybe the trip) was going to be navigating the skimpy 35 minute connection time in Vienna to our second leg of the flight to Sarajevo International Airport. I have to add here that we fretted about this off and on since purchase, and usually try very hard to avoid this sort of “rushed” scenario. Step #1 was getting away from Heathrow without too much difficulty. Done ✅. Thankfully, we arrived slightly ahead of time in Vienna to complete Step #2, which was negotiating security. Done ✅. Step #3 was navigating to the correct gate… (we downloaded a map on plane). Done ✅. With minutes to spare we even captured a bathroom break! Then, after all that hustle, the pressure off as there was a short delay of the connecting flight which also worked in our favour as we caught our breath (don’t get to say that much). Regardless… we were on our way to Sarajevo! 🫣

The flight from Vienna to Sarajevo was slick… only an hour and by the time we seemed to gain to altitude we were coming back down. Customs was easy-peasy, lines were short, and we were met by our pick-up / guide Hamza, who did our airport transfer through Funky Tours. He first gave recommendation on the best “ATM” to convert our dollars, then expertly steered us into the city and gave a Sarajevan perspective to the many sights and eras represented along the way. We talked Ottoman Empire, touched on the period of Austro-Hungarian influence and rooted out the visionaries of the communist era, all the while keeping the Bosnian wartime perspective. Excellent transfer / tour all at once (we love this sort of transport / attraction dual purpose opportunity).

We were dropped off at the doors of what would be our digs for the next couple of nights in the heart of the city, Baščaršija. Being so close to the old town attractions is a treat as a tourist. Our Sarajevo home away from home, The best view apartment at Baščaršija, is a unique space that affords us comfort, offers a great location / balcony overlook, and maintains safety. All elements that make for us a quality accommodation. This kitschy little apartment was amazing. We enjoy the convenient and predictable airport hotels and we should have shares in Hilton for all the Hamptons we have stayed at, but for these past few city trips, our AirBNBs are attractions as much as they are necessities. It will make a perfect space for the few hours we’ll actually be at “home”!

We spent about 4 minutes at our accommodation 😂, before hitting the streets. Simply a feast in regard to sight, sound and smell. We wandered the shop laden, Turkish influenced architecture and busy street side eateries. The pedestrian area allowed visitors to stroll by the many artisans and small businesses that cater to tourist traffic in the Baščaršija… a mixture of high end artisanal and tourist purchased “knick knack” items. Our first loop took us the length of Ferhadija Street… the main thoroughfare. Our heads were on swivels!

Ahhh… along the way today we got hungry. Based on a recommendation from our friend Candace, we sought out a specific restaurant for our first meal in Sarajevo. We visited Ćevabdžinica Petica Ferhatović, a truly busy (always a good sign) local eatery near Sarajevo City Hall. Our research, laden with food recommendations, suggested Cevapi as the quintessential local delicacy. Jumping in with both feet, we ordered up and let the chips fall. Just “WOW”… if you are into grilled, smoky meat flavour this treat is for you. With fresh pita bread, the punch of raw onion and carefully prepared beef, it’s a winner. I’d like to add that watching the crew of staff there “do their thing” was eye candy in itself. A must… then a quick tumble back to the B&B, conveniently just steps away, for a regroup.

We gave the Old Town area a decent tromp on Sunday, and got a first hand glimpse of the core. We used Ferhadija Street to access a broad collection of points of interest. We saw the Meeting of Cultures designation in the street, marking the transition from Ottoman style street and architecture to the grand Austro-Hungarian avenues and buildings. We viewed the Eternal Flame WWII Memorial that commemorates the fallen. We walked the Gazi Husrev-Begov Bezistan (Underground Shopping Area) and ancient Tašlihan ruins of the early Ottoman period. Curiosities and history everywhere.

A little about banking. The currency in Bosnia is the BAM (or convertible mark KM) and a buck CDN buys about $1.25 KM. We withdrew some at the airport from the Raiffeson Bank ATM with Hamza’s recommendation (from an absolute string of banking machines). If our first evening is any indication, we’ll be going through them fairly quickly as folks here, unapologetically, ain’t giving their bucks to VISA or MC. And good on ‘em! We get dinged a bit at the ATM, but we also grabbed tall boys (Karlovačko) at a convenience store for just over $2.00 CDN. In short, before one purchases they need to know in Sarajevo whether they are working in a card or cash situation to avoid a quick run to an ATM.

Evening brought our feet to the doorstep of the first Lumsden attraction of this tour. Enter The Tito Museum, a classic Cold War attraction and treat for both of us. Definitely not the most travelled exhibit in Sarajevo, but we were enthralled by this 30-40 square foot space divided into three small areas. It was jammed floor to ceiling full of well organized memorabilia mainly from the WWII / Cold War eras that Tito ruled over the former Yugoslavia. Olympics, economics, dish soap, currency… Whoever is behind this museum is very prepared to defend Tito’s strong leadership and clearly wants to ignore the atrocities / persecution he is known to have committed.

Considering that Tito was an option for teaching dictatorships in IB History, that his east/west impact during the Cold War is irrefutable, and that the total collapse of Yugoslavia followed his 1980 death, this museum was a perfect spot to appreciate how complex this region’s politics have been and how there are still many perspectives (as opposed to a simple summary of events). A quirky place with an unmanned, self-pay entry system that offered a lot in a small space.  Similar to Berlin’s Checkpoint Charlie, DDR museum, and Budapest’s Retro Museum – we were happy to pay the 10 KM each to enjoy a stroll back into history.

Not to be outdone by city slickers, we hit the pavement after a supermarket beer and strolled off to Dubliner Irish Pub. Gotta admit this haunt was no more Irish than the sign stuck on the door, but we did manage a couple of Guinness and a LFC vs Tottenham match on the TV. Worth it! Then, to perhaps a more social venue, we trekked to the City Pub for live music, beer / cider and a plethora of cigarette smoke. We will need to step back in time and get used to this if we want to hang with the locals, as smoking was prolific. All in… a super fun “glimpse” at this remarkable city. I’m guessing it may not be for everyone, but for us it feels “just right”! It was home at 10:00 PM for us (6:00 PM in AST). We were so mixed in time zones that we figured we’d just listen to what the bodies are telling us… 😴! Good night!!!

… Balkans ’26 – Day Four