Sarajevo Day One:

Well today was my first full day in Sarajevo and there was plenty to do. I got up this morning and had a small breakfast with some of the friends that I have made on the study abroad program. Following that, we decided to go out and explore the city for an hour or so. I could not believe all of the sights that I saw by just walking around. The first place that I came to was a church that was a classic looking european church, but what was behind it was what amazed me. For as far as you could see there was nothing but mountains surrounding the city. It was absolutely beautiful to take in all of the sights that I saw before the group tours started. We walked around for a while longer crossing the river that divided the city a few times and taking more pictures. I didn't really know what everything was that I was looking at at the time so we finished that up and went to the hotel to meet up with local students for the tour of city. We started out where we had went to the ATM earlier to get some cash, and there was this flame that was there but I had no idea as to what it was. Our guide told us that it was the eternal flame for those who lost their lives during World War II. That was very interesting to me that there is just a memorial to that magnitude just out on the side of the street. Following that we saw many different churches. There was a Mosk, a Jewish Synagogue, and a orthodox church. This is very interesting to me because I am really surprised at how the tolerance factor is so high to have that many different religions so close to one another. Following that we went to a market place that has been standing since the Ottoman Empire. I could not believe that a place like this could withstand the tell of time like this building had. I mean It had to get through World War I, World War II, Cold War, and even the war that the country had in 1992 to 1995. When I walked inside of the market i was practically blinded by all of the colors of the different scarfs and other headwear and fabrics that were from the floor to the ceiling I mean it was really beautiful, and the prices were not too bad either. I may have to go back and pick up something for my fiance there. I continued my tour with the group only stopping for a second or two to snap a few pictures. We were walking along the side walk when we got to this bridge that had a concrete chair built on the corner. Our guide got up on the chair and told us to turn around and when we did she told us that the corner of the street that was directly across from us was where the Arch-Duke of Hungary Frans Ferdinand was killed along with his wife which in turn sparked the start of World War I. This was interesting to me because when thought in retrospect it is the one place that an event caused so much death and destruction for close to 100 years. The reason that I say that is because when Frans was killed, it started World War I, after that was over Germany got blamed for a lot of it which set the stage for World War II, following that, the two powers that were left were in a conflict for another 40 years in what we know as the Cold War. Following that sight, we walked past what was the only orthodox church that was not destroyed during the war in 1992 to 1995. After we went past all of these different churches and buildings and so on we started to feel that rumble in our stomach so we got a bite to eat. The place that we ate at was absolutely amazing the place was called "Sarajevska Pivara" Which is a local brewery here in Sarajevo. When we walked in, it looked like something that you would see in New Orleans, Louisiana. The entire place was hardwood and looked like the bar that I had been looking forever for. We went to the upstairs and we sat down ordered our drinks and made smalltalk with the kids that were giving us our tour. Finally the drinks came out and I took one sip of mine which looked like the darkest beer that you could imagine. One sip and I felt I was drinking nothing but silk. The beer was as smooth as silk and had a hint of sweetness at the end that reminded me of molasses. So I kept enjoying my drink and the food came out. The food was nothing to complain about at all This place really knows how to grill food. It was an assortment of meats along with french fries. After we had our lunch we went to our evening lectures that were part of the schedule for today, and both of them were very interesting. The first of the two was about the culture as well as the history of SarajevoI heard about a lot of the same stuff that I was told about on the tour being that the city is very culturally diverse. That part really interest me because I love culture so much mostly due to the fact that I am so close to my own. The second lecture was in my opinion my favorite of the two it had to do with the international policy that is carried out in regards to Sarajevo. It discussed the purpose of what is known as the Dayton plan as well as the fact that there could be something similar to an Arab Spring in Sarajevo, but the idea is that if this was to occur it would be controlled with the help of having troops from the U.S. to help contribute so that there is not another war like in the early 1990s. Following that we piled into the bus and headed back to the hotel where we all got ready to go to this place that was a small cafe' that was only about a stone's throw away from the hotel. Now this place was the most amazing place that I have ever been to that was a coffee shop. It looked like what is depicted in movies as a traveling gypsy bar. This place had so much old fashion stuff in it I mean when you walk in you are greeted by the sound of the classic coffee house music that you may have always been looking for and there is only one guy that is running the whole place with one woman behind the register and you can tell that he loves what he does. While there we were told eat what ever you like and at first I didn't see anything there but it was like a big game of I Spy looking for the candy as well as fruit and other stuff hidden in the drawers, tables, and anywhere imaginable.  If you have ever seen the second Sherlock Holmes movie where there is the group of traveling gypsies in it he would fit in perfectly. This guy was super friendly and was always happy to get what ever you needed. I have to say that the best cup of coffee that I have ever had in my entire life came from this place. it may have just been about a two CL pour, but it had so much flavor in it that you didn't need any sugar nor cream in it whatsoever. So we stayed there for a while until we got hungry and then we had one of the guys that were showing us around show us this great burger place that was right around the corner. Now this place made me feel at home going to the fair getting a burger and just relaxing. When you walk in you are met with the savory smells of the hand-made burgers as well as the fries and hotdogs cooking and when you bite into the burger you know where your money went. This place like I said made me feel at home. Following our little adventure to the burger place we ended up going back to the coffee shop to have a couple of more drinks and chat for a while longer. We stayed long enough to finish our last drink and we started to head out. We paid for our drinks and then when we were leaving I asked one the guy that showed us around if he could ask the guy that served us to take a picture and he was happy to do so. So me and the man that i can only refer to as the man with the really curly handlebar mustache had our picture taken and I shook his hand and thanked him again for the great service and we left. I have to say that today was a one-of-a-kind experience and cannot wait to see what tomorrow has in store for me.