Sarajevo capital and largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina was always one of our favourite weekend fun stops and few years later sleep-over spot on our numerous trips to other destinations within Yugoslavia.

The road with the same name was starting point, look how enthusiastic we looked ready for exploration. You'll see later how each of us made its own contribution.

Baščaršija is Sarajevo's old bazaar and the historical and cultural center of the city. It was built in the 15th century, when town was founded, on the north shore of river Miljacka. Word Baščaršija in Turkish means main market

First individual contribution was made by our youngest group member. It started in a form of the cat running around the restaurant patio that we selected for our lunch brake.

When we were finished whole patio was charmed so the server lady took the hand of our granddaughter and went with her somewhere! 5 minutes later they were back with the huge chocolate ice cream cone. What an act of kindness.

Modern building of the Hotel Europe, some very contemporary flower shop, huge catholic cathedral [page with virtual reality panorama of the area is available here], and even a mean looking monument of Pope Ivan Pavle, are fundamentally changing the language of this urban space.

Somewhat surprising is that no physical traces of the recent war is visible anywhere in the city. It was still unavoidable anyway to think about the past.

Christianity arrived in the 1st century, and by the 4th century the area became part of the Western Roman Empire. Later when Roman Empire was divided division line was going true the middle of Bosnia. Germanic tribes invaded soon after, followed by Slavs in the 6th Century. In 1136 Hungary invaded Bosnia. The Ottoman Empire [Turkey] followed in 1463 and lasted over 400 years. Uprisings began 1831, which culminated in the a widespread peasant uprising, in 1875.

After World War II socialist state under leadership of president Josip Broz Tito Bosnia went true the period of relative prosperity. From my prospective even better than the rest of the country. It lasted until Tito's death in 1980. Deterioration started soon after. Period of separation of republics from Yugoslavia ended with brutal civil war in 1992 that lasted until 1995 which caused around 100,000 deaths and 2 million refugees.

Set of images above are illustration of few personalities that we are quite familiar with throughout our schooling. Nikola Tesla, famous scientific genius, born in the neighboring Croatia. Branko Copic, most popular children story teller in the period just after the Second World War and long after in our youth Mesa Selimovic, famous Bosnian author with main themes in his works, relations between individuality and authority, life and death, and other existential problems.

At the very end monument to L Uomo Multiculturale, very symbolical.

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