12 step planet: Sarajevo

Culture
05 Mar 09

We look at Sarajevo as a top travel destination. Plus, travel news from around the world

Why should I go?
To see how magnificently the city is recovering from the Serbian siege, which between 1992 and 1996 resulted in the death of 12,000 of its citizens. Although the scars of war are still evident – not surprising given the average 329 shells a day that rained down on the Bosnian capital during the conflict – all of its landmark buildings have been restored to their former Habsburg-era glory. Before the Habsburgs took over, Sarajevo was under Ottoman control, which explains the proliferation of mosques, public baths and palaces in the Old Town.
Why should I not go?
Starbucks/Big Mac/Dunkin Donut/Guinness addicts will be hard pressed to satisfy their cravings in Sarajevo. They’re doubtless on their way, but for the time being the city is largely bereft of multinationals and imported goods. Hurrah! Also, as much as Bosnians love kids, there wouldn’t be a whole lot in the way of family fun.
What’s my challenge?
Not to get embroiled in one of the heated political discussions that break out at the drop of a hat. Many Bosnians are sore that it took so long for the rest of Europe to come to their aid during the Balkan conflict – and with extremely good reason!
How do I get there?
Return Dublin-Budapest-Sarajevo flights with Malev Hungarian Airlines start at €375. Our preferred way of getting there though is to grab a cheap Aer Lingus ticket to Dubrovnik and, after availing of some Adriatic sun for a few days, bussing it via-Mostar (another must-visit town) for a combined fare of around €250.
When should I go?
Host as it was to the 1984 Winter Olympics – the only time the games were staged in a communist country – Sarajevo has some superb ski resorts on its doorstep. If you’re avoiding going on the piste, June and September are both hot without being too humid.
What’s the touristy thing you have to do?
Take a Sunday stroll or – better still – a pony and trap out to the Bukovik Mountains. A popular picnic spot for locals, it’s also home to the 100m high Skakavac Waterfall and hundreds of miles of hiking paths, which wind their way through unspoiled pine and beech tree forests.
What should I avoid?
Roped off scrubland, which hasn’t been checked for landmines. Most are clearly marked with a skull & crossbones sign, but anywhere that looks overgrown is worth avoiding.
How much to get tanked?
As long as the beer, wine or loza (a type of raika) you’re necking is local, a tenner will get you royally ossified. Not, we hasten to add, that we’re in favour of such uncouth pursuits.
What about dining?
Bosnian fast food favourites include cevapi (lamb and beef sausages), dolma (stuffed vegetables) and burek (filo pastry pies filled with either minced meat or a feta-like cheese called travnicki), which all weigh in at around a euro. Also worth risking your arteries for is Bosanski ionac, a hearty meat stew that every Bosnian housewife/husband has a recipe for. You can eat, drink and get extremely merry in a sit-down Sarajevo restaurant for under €20.
What should I bring home?
As much vino as your baggage allowance permits. Domestic wines like Stankela, Gangas Blatina and Zilavka are all top notch and cost just €2 a bottle in supermarkets.

Departures

A brit of what you fancy
If you need an excuse to nip over to London, the British Music Experience opens in the London O2 on March 9.
The brainchild of legendary rock promoter Harvey Goldsmith, the permanent £9 million digital interactive exhibition will feature memorabilia from over 100 artists including Oasis, The Beatles, The Who, Amy Winehouse and David Bowie who, among other items, has donated the Pierrot costume he wore in the ‘Ashes To Ashes’ video.
Tickets priced £12 for children, £15 for adults and £40 for two adults + two kids are available from www.ticketmaster.co.uk.
The Venue Formerly Known As The Millennium Dome is situated at North Greenwich underground station on the Jubilee line. If you’d like to combine a visit with a high-speed cruise along the Thames, see www.thamesclippers.com.

Ice to see you
We don’t want to be accused of credit crunch opportunism, but Iceland’s recent economic woes mean that you no longer have to second mortgage your house and sell your granny into white slavery to afford to stay in Reykjavik. With the kronur plummeting in value against the euro, a bottle of local beer is now €3.50 instead of €7, a half-decent restaurant meal can be had for €20 a head and nightclub admissions are on a par with Dublin rather than Moscow.
Talking as we were of food, the newly launched icelandgourmetguide.com has the skinny on restaurants like Lakjarbrekka (laekjarbrekka.is) whose ‘puffin feast’ was given the thumbs up recently by Gordan Ramsay.
Details of scheduled Dublin to Reykjavik flights can be found at icelandair.co.uk, while flyingvisits.ie are offering four night Easter Weekend breaks for €617pps, which includes accommodation in the 4-star Loftleider Hotel.

Hungary for more (or less)
Dublin to Budapest and back for only €99? Yup, Malev Hungarian Airlines have special under a ton deals running until the end of April, the proviso being you travel over on a Thursday and return Sunday. www.malev.com.
Along with the more traditional sites, make sure to take in Memento Park, which is home to all the stern-faced statues of Lenin, Marx, Engels, Dimitrov et al that were hastily taken down in 1989 when communism was given the heave-ho.
Not being the easiest place to get to, we suggest you take one of the Hammer & Sickle guided tours that depart from the city centre on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. absolutetours.com/tours/regularly-scheduled-tours/hammer-sickle-tour.html has the details.

Only the lonely planet
Homebirds should check out the €79 weekend break deals being offered by www.irelandhotels.com and its 100-plus members… There’s more airline industry doom and gloom with Virgin Atlantic and Ryanair shedding 1,400 jobs between them… Lonely Planet has launched its own monthly travel magazine, which is available from larger Irish newsagents… Also on Hot Travel’s recommended reading list is Mr. Oliver’s Jamie magazine, which covers both food (naturally) and travel in suitably pukka style… Coldplay, Slipknot and Madness are among the first batch of acts to be announced for Roskilde, which takes place in Denmark from July 2 to 5. Four-day tickets are available from tinyurl.com/roskilde09