12/01/2026
Day 400 (6 May 2025): Full day in Sarajevo
Weather: Overcast with rain, 20C
Sarajevo is a beautiful city but it clearly still reflects the scars of war. “Sarajevo Roses” in a specific spot in the city’s old town which symbolise the artillery shells hitting the ground during the war which killed many people around, was preserved and painted in red. At the height of the war, 4000 shells rained down on Sarajevo from the surrounding mountains during its 4 year long siege.
The UN had helped out, but much of its food aid where 30 year old humanitarian aid from the Post-War era, so a plan was made to dig a tunnel to help Sarajevo overcome the blockade.
We visited one end of the tunnel, now made a museum - it was the house of the Kolars, that lay right next to the runway - 800m to its north lay the siege lines.
Inside, we got a detailed view of the planning construction and use of the tunnel - it also helped that we eavesdropped on a guide who was a solider during the war, and who had used the 800m long tunnel to cross into Sarajevo multiple times, together with thousands of other who had used to tunnel to visit their loved ones and to leave the encircled city.
We even got to visit a 100m section of the tunnel that was preserved. Thankfully, the provided hard hats prevented us from bumping our heads on the very low ceiling!
We then visited the Siege Museum, and there, we got an idea of what life was like in Sarajevo for years under the siege.
Snipers would fire and innocent civilians, and artillery would fall on people as they waited in line for water and food supplies. There was a shortage of everything, and many people died due to the constant shelling.
Amongst the various artifacts and anecdotes displayed at the museum, one piece that showcased how recently all of this happened was a toy left together with a testimony - a stuffed Pikachu, just like what many of us 90s kids might have had growing up.
We headed back home, trying to understand how such a beautiful country could unravel so quickly, but thankful that it had found peace now.
