Rachel Erdenberger is a student at The College of New Jersey and an ISA Featured Photo Blogger. Rachel will be studying abroad with ISA in Prague, Czech Republic.
Never did I think I would end up traveling throughout the unknown country of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Sure I’ve met plenty of people from the country since I spend my summers on the Dalmatian Coast located in the beautiful country of Croatia. However, never did I imagine myself visiting the country that neighbors Croatia, just a short bus ride away, or walk away from where I spend my summers. I feel blessed that I was able to visit and will definitely visit again in the upcoming months and years. The cities of Sarajevo, Mostar, and Neum remained un-commercialized unlike many other popular older cities that now have their cobble-stoned streets sprinkled with chain retailers and fast food chains all over Europe.
I went to Sarajevo initially for the annual “Sarajevo Film Festival” which is the biggest film festival in Europe and one of the most well known film festivals in the world. The experiences, beauty of the city, and the Bosnian people I met exceeded any and every expectation that I arrived with. I am awaiting next years film festival to visit the beautiful country once more.
This was my view while staying in a friend’s house near Sebilj Brunnen which is a famous fountain located in the heart of Sarajevo.
When in Sarajevo one must take the time to ask locals about good restaurants to visit. The Bosnian people are very nice and patient people. Whoever I would ask would point me to the traditional Čevap dish, a well known Bosnian dish throughout the Balkans. Not only can you have a delicious meat dish followed by delicious Turkish Coffee, you can do so with the view of the entire city of Sarajevo for the same price if you simply ask around!
I was utterly impressed by the amount of metal that is used to create truly unique masterpieces. These masterpieces came in the form of coffee pots, small pictures, magnets, trays, plates, and more. I couldn’t help but buy my very own set after learning how to brew Turkish Coffee from one of the locals.
During my stay I was fortunate enough to visit not only Sarajevo, but Mostar as well. Mostar is a city that is rich in history from the recent war in the 90’s. One can feel the oldness of the city from the stone-made houses and bridges. There are hundreds of mosques that pepper the beautiful cities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as you can see in the pictures above.
This is bridge, called the “Stari Most” or “Old Bridge” in English, is a reconstructed 16th century Ottoman Bridge that connects two parts of the city of Mostar. This is a very important symbol of the Muslim culture which was destroyed in 1993 due to war but reconstructed with the remains of the bridge. It is a truly breathtaking view.
My last stop on my Bosnia and Herzegovina adventure was the city of Neum, which is the only city the country has located on the Adriatic Sea. A beautiful town that one can get away to for some peace and quiet from the up and busy cities of Sarajevo and Mostar.
One piece of advice: Visit.