Sarajevo's historic eastern heights

While my colleagues are frantically readjusting to the first day of school...I went trekking through the light drizzle, up the formidable plateau, located in the neighborhood of Vratnik, that protects the city from approaches from the East. I also passed through several of the ubiquitous cemeteries that swathe the Sarajevo slopes.

As the afternoon wore on, the 40% chance of rain became 100%. Drivers struggle to maneuver their cars up the winding, cobblestone alleys, with the spinning of tires as if they were on ice. Hobbling down the precarious narrow walkways with the occasional handrail lead me to wonder how on earth do people get around in snow and ice. It's difficult to capture how steep, uneven, confined and serpentine some of "streets" are. I almost expect to see wagon axle grooves in the walls of buildings.

The Šehidska cemetery consists primarily of graves dated from 1992-1995, the time of the Siege. It  is located at the based of the Yellow Bastion, (Žuta tabija) the remnant fortifications can be seen at top left.

At the entrance to the  Šehidska cemetery, this stone honors those who died fighting in the Bosnian war.

The western view from the Yellow Bastion. The actual historic site was strew with trash, though some people sat on the remnant walls taking in the panorama.

The Sarajevsko Brewery (red buildings with gold trim) and  immediately behind, St. Anthony's Franciscan Monastery and Church. Is such proximity coincidence? I think not. During the Siege, the brewery continued to make beer, and was a primary source of drinking water for the city...I'm definitely going to research further.

To the right of the Miljaka River, the recently restored city hall, (Vijećnica) that had served as the city library until it was destroyed during the Siege, as seen from the Yellow Bastion. It made news headlines when it was destroyed, and again when Vedran Smailović, a cellist with the Sarajevo Philharmonic, played music in the ruins. This in turn was the inspiration for Steven Galloway's novel, "The Cellist of Sarajevo", as well as several pieces of contemporary classical music.

Not far from the Yellow Bastion, stands (barely) the ruins of the Jajce Barracks which was destroyed by Serb shelling during the Siege. The barracks was constructed during the First World War for Austro-Hungarian forces, and was later used as a hospital in the war.

Enroute to the Bijela tabija, looking west toward the city. This angle is rather deceptive, as the twin towers directly behind the destroyed barracks are at least 3 miles away.

A view of the Jajce barracks from just outside the White Bastion.

A view from the White Bastion.

The White Bastion, (Bijela tabija) dates back to medieval times, though most of the battlements that can be seen today where constructed in the late 19th century.

A view to the east from within the White Bastion. Steep valleys and a series of bridges lead to the vulnerability of any land invasion approaching to the city.

A view to the west from the White Bastion.

A view of the White Bastion from the steep northeastern slopes of the Sedrenik neighborhood.