First Impressions of Sarajevo

The Sebijl, an 18th century wooden fountain in Sarajevo's Old Town is a famous landmark and popular tourist attraction. Interestingly, my photo is devoid of the usual flocks of pigeons surrounding the area.

Walking the streets of Sarajevo I can clearly see why many observers call it a cultural crossroads. (They even have an East-West demarcation labeled in the street!)  It definitely has the feel of a merging of cultures, Ottoman-era structures stand next to modern glass buildings, interspersed with abandoned, board-up buildings; mosques and churches intermingled. 

Women sporting bare mid-drifts and miniskirts walk side by side with more modestly dressed women in a variety of coverings ranging from colorful hijabs to black niqabs, the latter only revealing the wearer's eyes through a narrow rectangular slit. (Here's an interesting NY Times piece on variations of what most Westerners call a hijab.) 

Besides Bosnian, I've heard German, Arabic, and Spanish as well, though English seems to be the "go to" language when waiters or shopkeepers identify someone as a foreigner.

Other random observations: 

• I know I'm vertically challenged at only 5"6", but Bosnian men seem like giants, and after a little trivia trolling on the internet, Bosnians indeed are among the tallest nationalities, with men averaging over a lofty 6 feet in height! 
• Cars tend to be much older and not kept as meticulously as compared to Germany or Italy, and there also seems to be fewer motorcycles and scooters.
• Sports-based gambling shops are located ever couple blocks. 
• Staring at cellphone screens is as ubiquitous and obnoxious an obsession here as it is at home. (Though I don't see much laptop/tablet/iPad use in cafes here.) 
• Television broadcasts here show many American movies, and television series with Bosnian subtitles. They also are plagued with cheesy talent shows and late night psychic hotlines.

Scooters are not nearly as prevalent as they are in Italy.