We travelled in the first two and a half weeks of April 2022 to the Balkans with a short visit to The Netherlands. It turned out to be an interesting, but exhausting trip. Jelena was invited to give a seminar at a fair on the development of the western Balkan economies that was held in the old town of Mostar, well known for its beautiful old town and its famous old bridge, as well as, unfortunately, the protracted battles and inflicted damage during the Yugoslavian wars of the 1990s. Bosnia is also famous for its hospitality and its welcoming people. The first sign is to enjoy a nice domestic Bosnian coffee. (Some people would call it a “Turkish” coffee…)
3 April 2022: Travel to Sarajevo
We departed Belfast in the night at 1:30 to go to Dublin Airport for a 7:00 flight to Hamburg, connecting to Sarajevo in the afternoon. Our taxi was a beautiful new Tesla. Though it feels as one is driven in a space ship, it appears that space ships are not very warm during longer trips. The battery at departure was at 54%, a bit tight to reach Dublin comfortably on time, so the taxi driver decided to keep the temperature inside the car a bit low and ensure arrival as planned. So, we arrived well on time, but a bit frozen.
That was the beginning of our trip. It was reported that Dublin airport was a mess due to labour shortages for security personnel, resulting in very long waiting times at the airport. It was advised to arrive 3.5 hours before the flight… Fortunately, it turned out not be too bad. Once the security staff started working, it went fast and we had a plenty of time to explore shopping area inside. Jelena was looking for suitcases, and there were some interesting ones costing from £450 onward!
The waiting time in Hamburg was much worse, 6 to 7 hours. We had to shlep our big suitcases around the airport since the luggage deposit was closed. Another bad effect from Covid, we guess. Luckily there were quite a few places with nice food and coffee, as well as good wifi.
We finally arrived in Sarajevo late in the afternoon, welcomed by snow and winter-like weather. We stayed in the old city center, so there were plenty of things to see (only if it wasn’t that cold). Many shops were closed because it was Sunday, but also beginning of Ramadan. The day was concluded with a nice dinner with traditional dishes and Jelena’s favourite dessert.
4 April 2022: Sarajevo
Rob had time to explore Sarajevo’s old city centre a bit, while Jelena worked on her presentation for the seminar in Mostar. Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia-Herzegovina, is much influenced by centuries of Ottoman occupation, which is still evident in many places.
Bosnia became part of the Austrian-Hungarian empire at the end of the 19th century, fully joining the empire as a proper province in 1908. It was not affected directly by the two Balkan wars of 1912-13 during which the Ottomans were driven from the region, but there was resistance against the Austrian imposition that ultimately resulted in the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand in July 1914 that triggered the First World War. The assassination was just 100 meters away from our hotel. The Archduke came from the famous city hall, which was built by the Austrians to showcase their benevolent rule over the city.
Some further impressions that first, crisp morning in the city:
That afternoon we travelled by car from Sarajevo to the city of Mostar. Travelling by car is recommended only for those who can stomach curve after curve after curve uphill and downhill, uphill and downhill…
5 April 2022: Mostar
Jelena had her first day at the workshop, while Rob was able to explore the old city, the “Stari Most”. The city was a battle ground for Croatians and Bosnians in the early 1990s, resulting in tremendous destruction. The evidence of that is still everywhere to be found in the old city, although much of the city has been rebuild and restored. The city is situated in a narrow valley of the beautiful Neretva river. The water in the river is crystal clear, directly streaming from the surrounding Bosnian mountains.
In the old city, the “Stari Most”, the old bridge is situated that was completely destroyed in the war, but has been fully restored, as well as the surrounding old town. The cobbled streets are filled with restaurants, bars and souvenir shops.
6 April 2022: Mostar
The next day, after Jelena gave her seminar and finished with activities at the international business fare, together with two new friends, Natasa and Ana from North Macedonia, we made a trip by taxi to the top of a nearby mountain with a grand view of the city. It had a glass promenade providing a superior viewpoint of the city.
In the evening we had a wonderful dinner of traditional Bosnian cooking and a night stroll in the old town centre.
It was an adventure during this night to return to the hotel after the dinner. Very heavy rain started to pour down without any let up just when we finished our dinner and left the restaurant. Normally, we would have walked, but without umbrellas it was impossible. Furthermore, no taxis were available. Ultimately and in desperation, we called the hotel reception and a receptionist was fantastically helpful to pick us up with her own car. Talking about great service and hospitality beyond what is normally expected and experienced!
8-11 April 2022: Sarajevo
After the very intense and busy visit to Mostar, we returned by train to Sarajevo for a weekend of relative relaxation. We indeed saw quite a bit of the old city, had a fabulous multi-course dinner in a very good restaurant, and witnessed snow falling on the blossoms.
11-12 April 2022: On to Belgrade
We travelled from Sarajevo to Belgrade where we had rented an apartment. The apartment turned out to be a converted space in the basement of an apartment building and was just opposite a play garden for neighbourhood children and families. The apartment had its own outside seating, but it was quite busy with activity from the late morning through the evening till it got dark.
13 April 2022: Visit to Smederevska Palanka
We went by bus to visit Jelena’s mother in her home town. It was a wonderful day with a clear blue sky. We enjoyed plenty of home cooked food and a walk to the lake.
14-16 April 2022: Final days in Belgrade
On 14 April we had a great dinner at our favourite fish restaurant along the Danube. The restaurant is situated on a barge near Zemun and serves barbecued river fish. We had fish soup and perch.
The final evening in Belgrade was celebrated with a home dinner at the apartment with friends.
16-19 April 2022: Easter in The Netherlands
From Belgrade we travelled to Den Bosch (or ‘s-Hertogenbosch) in The Netherlands to spend some time with Rob’s mother over the Easter days. The good weather followed us from Serbia and we enjoyed a nice walk near the care home in Veghel.
We had Easter dinner at the care home with Rob’s mother and aunt.
We stayed in a quirky “charme hotel” in Den Bosch, called CubaCasa. Our room was arranged with a huge bed in a library with a lot of Dutch comics books. There was actually no place to hang one’s clothing or store our luggage properly…
