Day 116 - Tunnel of Hope in Sarajevo
Friday October 26, 2018.
Today after our usual routine we took the tram to the Tunnel of Hope. We first walked downtown to buy tickets for the tram. I really love my hubby because he always finds new ways to get somewhere. Sometimes it drives me crazy but if we want to make this trip to last for a year, we need to stick to our budget.
Yesterday, I asked the taxi drivers with a big smile how much they would charge to take us to the tunnel, which is outside the city, near the airport. They said 20 euros one way. OK, that was out of the question, considering the tram was about $1.50 each.
I also love to take public transportation because you get to see the city and the real people. Did I mention that I love to watch people? I noticed that older people don't smile as much as younger ones. My theory is all the suffering they had lived through! Some of them could have lived through more than one war. They certainly lived through communism, which in Yugoslavia means, the good time. Anyway, I keep smiling because I'm a happy person and hopefully I can transmit that to everyone else. But enough of the ads.
The tram ride was lovely but long. I think we were going like 20 miles per hour. Gregory's observation was that the tracks were really bad. It was certainly a bumpy, uneven ride. Also, the trams are really old and mismatched. We figured Sarajevo bought them from cities that were replacing old trams. We took the tram to its terminus. We then had to take a taxi and of course, my husband did want to accept the first one because it was 10 marks or $6 dollars which doesn't sound expensive right? Well, I guess you are supposed to bargain so he kept telling the taxi driver that it was closer (according to his Google map) than what he was saying. He laughed and said that only flying was that distance. He called a friend who took us for 8 marks for the short ride.
Basically, they knew the only people asking to go to the tunnel were tourists, so they can charge whatever they want.
When we got there, we didn't know what to do because we just saw an old house and lots of people outside. We got 3 student tickets (yes I brought my Miracosta college card) and one adult ticket. The museum is nice but it wasn't well displayed or explained. Gregory downloaded their app to hear the explanations but it didn't work. In any case, it didn't matter because you really get the vibes of how hard it must have been to bring the food supplies, tools, and weapons for the people of Sarajevo. There was also a 15-minute documentary in another room, videos of when the houses and buildings were being bombarded by the Serbs.
I know the kids will remember this part of history for a lifetime. It's one thing to read about it in a book, but it just doesn't mean much when you don't even know where Bosnia is. But to be there in person, to see the bullet holes and mortar blasts, to walk in the tunnel that was used to bring the food and fuel that made the difference between life and death to thousands of people, that makes an impression. It also helps to "never forget."
To me, the most shocking part was the fact that the siege lasted almost 4 whole years! How in the world was that possible? They said the UN couldn't do anything and all the politicians trying to end the conflict with meetings and in conference rooms, while thousands of people were dying. Argh, don't get me started, all I can say is that it really left a big mark in my heart.
I want to believe that it also had an impact on the kids, who knows, they were more interested in a kitty that they found at the museum and they spent a lot of time carrying and patting. It made Gregory and me a little bit upset but then again, at their age, I don't think I paid attention to the war (it seemed so far away from home).
When we finished at the tunnel museum we walked out to the narrow country road, no taxis or anything in sight. A young boy approached us and asked us if we were looking for a taxi. But he wasn't a taxi driver, just a guy driving us in his car. I couldn't believe it when Gregory accepted and got in the car. I looked around to make sure some people were watching us and I took a picture of the license plate. Maybe I've have watched too many kidnapping movies or maybe my imagination is too big or maybe I need to trust more people. We got in the car and the kid (he was only 19) spoke good English and told us that he was a professional soccer player. He also shared that his father had worked on the tunnel. If I'm writing this it's because we made it safe and sound. We walked around the suburb where there were lots of cafes and some restaurants.
I saw a nice restaurant called Sokak in the Hotel Hollywood, which was a luxury hotel despite the name. The prices were about the same as we had seen at more casual places downtown, so we went in. We sat in a covered terrace and had a delicious meal. Gregory and I always take advantage and like to order meat or traditional food, my little Gringo kids ordered Italian food: pizza, calzone, and salad! it was such a nice treat to eat in a nice restaurant (we don't do it often).
We took the tram back home. The kids walked home and Gregory and I walked to the market to get fresh vegetables. I had never crossed the street to see the market. It was super fun to see all the stands with colorful and beautiful fruit and vegetables. It reminded me of the markets in Mexico. Everything is so cheap. A kilo of apples was 60 cents! We had a good time talking -- or at least trying to communicate -- with the lady at the nut stand. We got almonds and raisins to make our own trail mix for the bus. I walked back home alone and Gregory walked to his ear doctor appointment. I asked him if he wanted me to go with him and he said no. He went alone and had a good experience. I will let him write about it below!
We walked the dogs at 5:00pm because the sun was out and it was gorgeous. We had a small dinner then Gregory and I went out at night. The kids stayed home and watched a Halloween movie, they are very bummed to miss the season! Gregory and I went to Hotel Hecco which is the tallest building in the old section of town, so the bar on the 9th floor has a great view. We didn't stay because they don't serve alcohol!
We walked through old town and found a cute Spanish bar where I had a pina colada and Gregory had a beer. We walked back home, fist making an emergency stop (I needed to use the restroom) at another cafe which was closing. We made it home at midnight. We walked home and it seemed safe but I would have preferred to take a taxi back, the streets were empty at that time and it seems like an early city!
Today after our usual routine we took the tram to the Tunnel of Hope. We first walked downtown to buy tickets for the tram. I really love my hubby because he always finds new ways to get somewhere. Sometimes it drives me crazy but if we want to make this trip to last for a year, we need to stick to our budget.
Yesterday, I asked the taxi drivers with a big smile how much they would charge to take us to the tunnel, which is outside the city, near the airport. They said 20 euros one way. OK, that was out of the question, considering the tram was about $1.50 each.
I also love to take public transportation because you get to see the city and the real people. Did I mention that I love to watch people? I noticed that older people don't smile as much as younger ones. My theory is all the suffering they had lived through! Some of them could have lived through more than one war. They certainly lived through communism, which in Yugoslavia means, the good time. Anyway, I keep smiling because I'm a happy person and hopefully I can transmit that to everyone else. But enough of the ads.
The tram ride was lovely but long. I think we were going like 20 miles per hour. Gregory's observation was that the tracks were really bad. It was certainly a bumpy, uneven ride. Also, the trams are really old and mismatched. We figured Sarajevo bought them from cities that were replacing old trams. We took the tram to its terminus. We then had to take a taxi and of course, my husband did want to accept the first one because it was 10 marks or $6 dollars which doesn't sound expensive right? Well, I guess you are supposed to bargain so he kept telling the taxi driver that it was closer (according to his Google map) than what he was saying. He laughed and said that only flying was that distance. He called a friend who took us for 8 marks for the short ride.
Basically, they knew the only people asking to go to the tunnel were tourists, so they can charge whatever they want.
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| Passing another tram. |
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| This tower represents Modern Bosnia. |
When we got there, we didn't know what to do because we just saw an old house and lots of people outside. We got 3 student tickets (yes I brought my Miracosta college card) and one adult ticket. The museum is nice but it wasn't well displayed or explained. Gregory downloaded their app to hear the explanations but it didn't work. In any case, it didn't matter because you really get the vibes of how hard it must have been to bring the food supplies, tools, and weapons for the people of Sarajevo. There was also a 15-minute documentary in another room, videos of when the houses and buildings were being bombarded by the Serbs.
I know the kids will remember this part of history for a lifetime. It's one thing to read about it in a book, but it just doesn't mean much when you don't even know where Bosnia is. But to be there in person, to see the bullet holes and mortar blasts, to walk in the tunnel that was used to bring the food and fuel that made the difference between life and death to thousands of people, that makes an impression. It also helps to "never forget."
To me, the most shocking part was the fact that the siege lasted almost 4 whole years! How in the world was that possible? They said the UN couldn't do anything and all the politicians trying to end the conflict with meetings and in conference rooms, while thousands of people were dying. Argh, don't get me started, all I can say is that it really left a big mark in my heart.
I want to believe that it also had an impact on the kids, who knows, they were more interested in a kitty that they found at the museum and they spent a lot of time carrying and patting. It made Gregory and me a little bit upset but then again, at their age, I don't think I paid attention to the war (it seemed so far away from home).
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| They turned car engines into generators. |
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| Going down into the tunnel |
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| The tunnel was originally 800 meters. |
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| So we go to see the tunnel and the kids play with a cat. |
When we finished at the tunnel museum we walked out to the narrow country road, no taxis or anything in sight. A young boy approached us and asked us if we were looking for a taxi. But he wasn't a taxi driver, just a guy driving us in his car. I couldn't believe it when Gregory accepted and got in the car. I looked around to make sure some people were watching us and I took a picture of the license plate. Maybe I've have watched too many kidnapping movies or maybe my imagination is too big or maybe I need to trust more people. We got in the car and the kid (he was only 19) spoke good English and told us that he was a professional soccer player. He also shared that his father had worked on the tunnel. If I'm writing this it's because we made it safe and sound. We walked around the suburb where there were lots of cafes and some restaurants.
I saw a nice restaurant called Sokak in the Hotel Hollywood, which was a luxury hotel despite the name. The prices were about the same as we had seen at more casual places downtown, so we went in. We sat in a covered terrace and had a delicious meal. Gregory and I always take advantage and like to order meat or traditional food, my little Gringo kids ordered Italian food: pizza, calzone, and salad! it was such a nice treat to eat in a nice restaurant (we don't do it often).
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| I had a traditional Bosnian dish: veal with vegetables and cheese |
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| Gregory making sure that Daniel ate all his chicken. |
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| Sunshine's lunch - vegetarian |
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| Loving my sweet girl! |
We took the tram back home. The kids walked home and Gregory and I walked to the market to get fresh vegetables. I had never crossed the street to see the market. It was super fun to see all the stands with colorful and beautiful fruit and vegetables. It reminded me of the markets in Mexico. Everything is so cheap. A kilo of apples was 60 cents! We had a good time talking -- or at least trying to communicate -- with the lady at the nut stand. We got almonds and raisins to make our own trail mix for the bus. I walked back home alone and Gregory walked to his ear doctor appointment. I asked him if he wanted me to go with him and he said no. He went alone and had a good experience. I will let him write about it below!
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Gregory made a doctor appointment the day before, no insurance or questions asked and the bill came to $24.
Why can't it be that simple in the US which is a rich country?
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We walked the dogs at 5:00pm because the sun was out and it was gorgeous. We had a small dinner then Gregory and I went out at night. The kids stayed home and watched a Halloween movie, they are very bummed to miss the season! Gregory and I went to Hotel Hecco which is the tallest building in the old section of town, so the bar on the 9th floor has a great view. We didn't stay because they don't serve alcohol!
We walked through old town and found a cute Spanish bar where I had a pina colada and Gregory had a beer. We walked back home, fist making an emergency stop (I needed to use the restroom) at another cafe which was closing. We made it home at midnight. We walked home and it seemed safe but I would have preferred to take a taxi back, the streets were empty at that time and it seems like an early city!
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| View from the street |
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| Date night |
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| Last night in Sarajevo |
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