74 | The Jerusalem of Europe
Hey Friends,
Some time ago I bought a last minute flight ticket to see for the first time Bosnia & Herzegovina. No plans, no scripts, nothing. Just see around.
It was around 11 am. I found myself in the heart of Sarajevo, the capital. I was on my own so I didn't want just to take few photos here and there, have coffee and so on. I wanted to hear more about the city (and the country) from a local. So I got in touch with Timam and ended up making a video together. The final video is around 9 minutes or so but we spent over 5 hours together, talking and exploring places.
Back in the days, Sarajevo, became one of the most prosperous cities in the Ottoman Empire. Jews, Christians and Muslims made this city their home and lived together harmoniously. Today you can see in 200 metres: a synagogue, a catholic church, an orthodox church and a mosque. So, Sarajevo came to be known as the 'Jerusalem of Europe' as you can only see something like this in Jerusalem and in Sarajevo.
Misconceptions are limiting factors for travelling. Bosnia has a lot of misunderstandings. Some of the things that are NOT true:
Bosnia Isn’t Safe. It's like everywhere else. You just need to pay attention but I didn't feel unsafe at all. Not for one moment. In fact, it was quite the opposite.
Bosnia Is Boring. No way. There's a LOT of stuff to do and not just in the capital. Next week I'm publishing another video and I'll expand on this as there are places that are incredibly beautiful but unfortunately don't have the marketing they deserve.
Bosnian Is The Only Language. Bosniaks, Serbs and Croats live together in this country. The differences are more like regional dialects than a whole new language when they were all part of Yugoslavia. Bosnian has only really started to evolve after the conflicts in the 1990s, giving the country a unique identity.
Bosnians Do Not Drink Alcohol. Bosnia is not just a Muslim country, as mentioned before there are Orthodox, Catholic and Jews. And even the Muslims they do not all feel that way about alcohol. One of the guys I met in fact used to drink very often and he's Muslim.
There are a lot of things to expand and clarify but I think in the video you'll find some interesting details and you'll hear from a local.
My lesson was to never judge a book by its cover, ever. We live in a world full of stereotypes. Stereotypes do exist, but we have to walk through them.
Have a great week!
Alejandro
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I can't believe this is Bosnia. I bought a last minute ticket without any expectations. Sarajevo is so cool. Let's explore 6 key things before you come to Sarajevo in Bosnia. Here's the video. If you enjoyed it, please give it a Like and/or Comment, so YouTube can recommend it to more people like you. 🤟
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