Final notes on Sarajevo

From reading my earlier post on Sarajevo you may have come to the conclusion that it is a moving yet depressing place. While it is emotionally stirring, it is not depressing. If anything, it is a testament to the human spirit which is capable of warmth and generosity even in the aftermath of supreme tragedy.

Unlike other places we have visited in the Balkans people open, friendly, and rarely suspicious. Even in Croatia, westerners attract a lot of cautious gawking. In Sarajevo (and for that matter all the places we stopped in Bosnia) foreigners are only casually noticed. I got the feeling that whether you walked down the street in an Armani suit, t-shirt and shorts, or a kimono, no one would give you a second look.

On our last full day in Sarajevo, we visited the 800 meter tunnel that the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina constructed to save the city’s population when it was under siege by the Serb army and denied protection by the UN. Through this tiny tunnel passed all the electricity, petroleum, food, and weapons that the citizens had to survive. The UN controlled the airport, but only provided food and would turn back anyone who they caught crossing into free Bosnia. One of the tunnels former users said, “We lived every moment with the fear of being killed, but all the UN cared about was whether we were well-fed when we died.” About 11,000 people died in the siege of Sarajevo.