Day 9 - Bosnia Herzagovina

Sarajevo, what more can I say? This is a city of opposites and is also extremely significant historically where East meets West and cultures collide. It didn't take long for me to realise this as I heard the call to evening prayer whilst walking through what appeared to be a Christian Cemetary (but it may have been Jewish or Orthodox) on my way to look at the the Muslem cemetary where all the graves face the same direction, I assume towards Mecca.

I was only there for one afternoon and evening but the impact was profound. I'm sure I should've known after the countless documentaries I've watched but I didn't recall it at the time, that this was where Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife were assassinated sparking off the first World war. This will be something to explore another time.

My main focus was on more recent history and my mission was to find the Zetra Ice Stadium which was also Winter Olympics Central in 1984 where their superlative performance provided Torvil and Dean with a maximum score, British gold and the honour of becoming the highest scoring figure skaters of all time. Of course this was a real high point, but then in 1992 the Yugoslav war started and Sarajevo was under seige for the entire duration. The ice stadium, instead of paying homage to living legends, paid respects to the dead and dying. It was used as a morgue during the war apparently because of it's cold basement rooms and its proximity to nearby cemetaries. After this it was used as a base of operations for international forces sorting out the peace process (or was that picking up the pieces?).

As I wandered up Alipasina (the main road) the occasional clap of thunder and ominous black clouds did nothing but add to the atmosphere - it must still have been about 25 degrees Celcius but the storm off the mountains was extremely close.

The first indicator that I was getting nearer was the Olympic tower, now looking like a decaying ex-Soviet (ex-Yugoslav possibly) era symbol. I felt a little disappointed when I noticed the huge McDonalds logo on one side but then realised that, in itself, this was also a potent symbol of another kind. As the skies darkened my enthusiasm didn't, the rain came and I pressed on.

Notice the edge of the McDonalds M down the left hand side.

I was soaked through by this time but there through the broken barrier I finally saw it. From afar it looked forlorn, I had to find a way to get nearer and so I did. What I saw was wonderful, what an amazing place, there were loads of people of all generations there for sports of all types, parents chivvying their kids along to football training and adults prepping their fields ready to do battle again but of a different and altogether more positive kind bringing people together rather than tearing them apart, so the silent witnesses in the graveyards next door can rest peacefully now. Miraculously the weather then brightened up.

A short walk to the Olympics accomodation blocks

View from the Muslem cemetary