The Heather Jones Bucket List: New Thing #86 - Balkans Trip

June 22, 2015

Unfortunately, Brenda was unable to take off any more days for work, so she couldn't show us around Sarajevo today. She did give us some general tips on what to see and where to stop, including a lunch spot for later in the day and her "copper guy". Yeah, she has a copper guy. I mean, who doesn't?

Academy of Fine Arts

Awesome bridge design affectionately referred to as the paper clip bridge.

Miljacka River

Evidence of the Siege in the 90s. :(

The Latin Bridge

The Latin Bridge where Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated, eventually leading to World War I.

Hacienda! I wonder what Bosnian Mexican food tastes like.

Next up on our jaunt through Sarajevo was City Hall, and it was GORGEOUS! The architecture was absolutely incredible, and I couldn't take enough pictures of it. It was mostly deserted, so we had the place to ourselves to roam around and take a billion photos, and in the basement was a historical museum outlining Sarajevo's bold and turbulent past. It was incredibly informative, and poignantly sad. The Siege of Sarajevo is still unbelievable and difficult to wrap my head around. I could barely read the details without shuddering to think what these innocent people were put through. Their bravery amazes me.

Love.

More info on the Archduke.

Basement museum.

More love.

Oh hey, just hanging out in Sarajevo. No big deal.

Next we headed to Old Town, or Bascarsija (Buh-shar-shya), to do some shopping, and I wanted All. The. Things! All of them. Seriously. I know that some of it was just touristy BS, but other things were beautiful and clearly hand made. We spent hours just aimlessly wandering down streets, sometimes passing the same shops over and over, trying to decide what to buy. Pillowcases, jewelry, boxes, hookahs (I have zero need for a hookah), wall art, scarves, dresses, and the list goes on. There was a point where I was considering buying a beautiful coffee service set. You guys, I don't even drink coffee! The allure of this stuff was strong.

Great day for some shopping.

Let's buy stuff!

These coffee "pots" are beautiful.

Agreed. I should have bought this shirt.

Mmmmmm. Meat cone.

Sebilj. Literally known as Pigeon Square. NOOOOOOOOOO!

Brenda had recommended her "copper guy" for a reputable place to get some quality copper pieces, and after seeing what she had purchased for herself, I knew I had to have something from his shop. I saw other knockoffs (made out of tin) while we were walking around, but I wanted to hold out for the good stuff. He was an older gentleman who looked out of place among the rest of the merchants in his dapper suit, but he was very sweet. His shop wasn't overcrowded with knick-knacks, and the pieces he displayed were simply beautiful. (Sorry, I didn't want to disrespect him by taking photos.)

It was all hand-made, and he was incredibly knowledgeable about the process and pieces he was selling. I think we easily spent 45 minutes in there talking with him and trying to decide which items to buy. I ended up with a tin-plated copper plate that is gorgeous (it's coated in tin to give it a silver look). The intricate detail is probably my favorite part. I wanted the plate 5 times larger than the one I got, but it wasn't exactly realistic for me to be able to get home. Especially when it was wider than my suitcase.

Shopping makes me hungry, so we went to D'Veri for lunch (another BC recommendation). It was a cute little restaurant tucked in between the 8 billion shops in Bascarsija. There I got a pork filet with potatoes and a white wine sauce. I split it with Nikki who got the goulash, but I don't think it was as tasty as what I had. We rounded off the meal with some homemade bread and kaymak (ky-mock) cheese. Basically a sour cream/cream cheese concoction that I want to eat every day.

Bread and kaymak. Yum!

I promise there is meat and potatoes under the lettuce. :)

Goulash

Sarajevska beer!

So we didn't pass out after our meal, we did more sightseeing/shopping/walking. Plus, we had time to kill before B got home from work. We also stopped by the Catholic church with a statue of Pope John Paul II outside. I'm not sure why they made it out of metal, because as B put it, it looks like a Pope Robot. (Insert Pope Rocks! joke from our trip to Italy here.) Unfortunately, we couldn't go in because we were all wearing shorts, and exposed lady legs are forbidden inside.

Pope Robot!

Symbol for the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics.

Our day was winding down, and we didn't have too long to wait for B to get home from work. Since we were parched and sweaty from our afternoon, we stopped for a snack at Aida by her apartment. The misters under the canopy, freshly squeezed OJ (my fave) and coconut ice cream were a welcome relief from the heat of the day.

Why is this freshly squeezed OJ so much better than any I've ever had? P.S. Yes, that's a unicorn balloon.

Coconut ice cream. Two thumbs up.

By the time we got back to her apartment, B's brother, Nate, and his girlfriend Sarah had arrived. They were also spending a few days in Sarajevo before heading to Croatia and Montenegro for the bulk of their vacation. We thought we'd cram as many visitors as humanly possible into B's apartment. Good thing it's huge!

Cheers to B!

Picked out a balloon to give to B as a thank you for hosting us. It's a unicorn, naturally.

We finished our day with dinner at Kibe, at the top of a steep hill overlooking a majority of the city. We took a cab up there, and our cab driver kept trying to talk us out of going. Not sure what he had against Kibe, but Brenda's taste buds are on point. I trust her judgement. The views were spectacular, and the food was even better (take that, you silly man!). For the most part, my menu choices have been on point this trip (minus the Croatian fish). (I'll try to remember what we had, but I didn't write all of it down.)

Sarajevo!

Beets, maybe? I don't remember. We ordered a ton of food and just shared it around family style.

Cheese. Nailed it!

Not sure what their official name is, but B just calls them "the hashbrowns". You can't order them at the restaurant when you get there because they take so long to make. You have to PRE-ORDER them when you make your reservation, so they're ready for you. And holy crap, they were worth it. I'm not sure if they add crack to these as well, but we demolished them.

Yum.

Nate was the only guy at our table, and they serenaded him instead of us. The rest of the time, we heard Shakira music as performed by a saxophone. Very interesting.

In the back was klepe: pasta filled with seasoned minced meat in white sauce of sour cream and garlic. I can't remember the one in front, but it was chicken and tomatoes and deliciousness.