Bijela Tabija - White Castle/Bastion

You can see it from Bascarsija--the big white fort--Bijela Tabija.  Dan's suggestion for a morning walk.  We winded our way up the streets, past the 7 a.m. crowd of men drinking coffee in the outdoor cafes, past the women descending to go to the markets, past the cats--dead and alive.  A few times we stopped to chat and ask directions, but mainly we walked up and up and up.    Notable was one man who was charmed that we could chat in Bosnian.   Before you knew it, he was on the topic of how he defended the houses in his village during the war, he showed us a huge scar on his belly from scrapnel, pointed to the renovations he's still doing on the house.

Women chatting at the gate

When we got to one of the medieval town gates, we stopped for a view.  Spectacularly clear skies - we could see details of the city and talked a lot about landuse, geography as destiny, the future of the city.

So Bijela Tabija is a huge, stone fort that was originally established in 1550, probably on the site of earlier fortresses, given its strategic location.  Later it was rebuilt to accommodate cannons.  Today, it is abandoned.  There are signs that it is an important archeological site as well as historic monument, but nothing prevents anyone from entering the property.  We didn't see glass or cans strewn around--that was good.

O'er the ramparts we ...

The real reason for hiking up there is for the view.  It is nearly at the treeline, so Sarajevo lies before you.  I pointed out the Sarajevo Brewery and the Franciscan Monastery and Catholic Church.  They are distinctive in their dark red brick and white trim.  I was surprised that Dan hadn't been to the brewery or pub or been in the neighborhood--Bistrik--since it played such a prominent role in providing water to beseiged Sarajevo.  So at my prompting, the downhill path was to that side of the river.

The definite Austrian influence on the interior of the pub

I love Franjevacka Street.  A church, brewery, and mosque coexist within one block of each other--all active and well kept--and just a minute's walk from the river.

What I mostly note is that I am happy.