The Istanbul of Europe?

SARAJEVO: After getting the bus here we explored the old part of the city which feels like nothing else in Europe. Probably the cities Muslim history. The minarets that dominate the skyline, like Prague's spires, are probably another clue. We walked around, looked in some shops, drank think, syrupy Bosnian coffee, ate some type of meat pastery thing called a Burek, visited the spot where Franz Ferdinand was assasinated in 1914 to kick off WW1, walked to the top of one of the hills to get a good view (the city sits in a valley surround on three sides by imposing hills, all the better for Serb snipers) then walked back to a coffee to indulge in cakes and books.

The city itself still bears numerous marks of the conflict, from bullet and shrapnel marks, the derelict bomb damaged buildings that seem an essential part of the Balkan landscape to the various memorials to the dead. Other than that the overriding sensation is of otherness. No other European capital is so culturally orientated towards the East. But at the same time it is a heterogenous city with ample signs of Christian and Orthodox culture, all comingling with a healty dose of European, to produce the most original cultural miasma. I'm bashing this out as quick as I can think so if the grammar or the sentiment is a little off please forgive me but I'm so far behind I have to do something to catch up. As Kerouac said (incorrectly, some may argue), first word best word.