Explorer Genes

We’ve arrived to Bosnia & Herzegovina’s second biggest city of Banja Luka (185k) where we’ll be based for a quick week. Though there’s not a lot of traditional sightseeing activities that draw many tourists, we enjoyed visiting the free riverside Kastel Fortress yesterday, which is the oldest historical monument in the city.

This rare multi-layered archaeological site is actually kinda fascinating. The first traces of settlements crazily date back to the Paleolithic era, which further developed through the Neolithic era, Bronze Age, and the Roman conquest of the Illyrian territories.

The fortress began to be constructed more intensively and adopt its present day physique during the Ottoman occupation in 1574-1588 when it grew into a real fortified city.

Its location was strategically excellent: it sits on the left bank of the Vrbas, right where the smaller Crkvena River meets the area. At one point, waterways around the fortress effectively made it an island, adding another layer of natural defense.

Today it also features a beautiful stone walking path along the river which we thoroughly enjoyed.

Well, my bday road trip today…as well as other things (see photo 9)….were unfortunately a bit of a bust. 😅

In order to sidestep the challenging and expensive bus times we’ve encountered, Greg looked everywhere in the center of Banja Luka for an available car rental, and with no luck, reserved at the airport an hour’s commute away.

Unfortunately, Google’s local bus schedule was, once again, wildly inaccurate and this time, never came. After flagging down a taxi who wanted to charge $40 for a 25-minute ride, we decided to bag it and come up with another plan for another day.

All that said, Greg, and the wonderful Petrušić family we are staying with at 3M Studio more than made up for the disappointment.

***Click photos for details

We’re grateful our time in Sarajevo has come to a wrap.

While we enjoyed our brief five days in 2019, after nearly five weeks this visit, we realized quickly it wasn’t the best fit for a long-term stay for us. It was a reasonable choice for cooler weather and medical reasons, however.

Here’s a look into our daily life while here…

It’s been a more challenging month of trying to establish running routes and routines, but we both found a route that included a stretch along the Miljacka River. With that…. regular trots across one of the most iconic historical sites in European history….the Latin Bridge.

At first glance, it might not be very interesting, but this in fact the site World War I began.

On June 28, 1914, Gavrilo Princip, a Bosnian Serb, and several other "freedom fighters" planned to assassinate the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, the Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, who was in Sarajevo on business, as a political act.

The story goes: Princip was actually the last in line in this firing squad because "he was the worst shot." Princip's co-conspirator (the "best" shot) first tossed a gr***de at Ferdinand's car.

The timing was off and it ended up injuring a group of civilians instead. As planned, he gulped a cyanide pill, which was expired and didn't work so he jumped in the river-which is comically about 3' deep.

The would-be assassin was obviously scooped up quickly by the police and everyone thought the show was over as Ferdinand went off to his meeting.

Princip went to the museum on the top right corner, which was then a cafe to have a bite to eat (because even evil assassins need lunch).

While eating, Princip couldn't believe his luck when right in front of him on the bridge, Ferdinand's driver had made a wrong turn and ended up stalled in front of the cafe. Princip abandoned his sandwich and grabbed his opportunity to pull out his pistol, and shot Ferdinand point-blank, along with his wife Sofia (an accident).

In the final hours of our time in Sarajevo, we finally managed to sneak into some genuine nature at one of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s many spectacular waterfalls….Skakavac. This half-day hike north of the city is an easy stroll through the woods for someone with a car, as evidenced by the multiple European license plates at the trailhead.

For us, however, it was a more challenging endeavor clocking in at 16k, a bus ride, and a shadeless and kinda miserable jaunt to and from the trailhead.

We’re still so glad we did it.

The grounding effect of Mother Earth was undeniably necessary after our time in the bustling city, which we’re eager to escape.

And, it served as an excellent training ground for what’s to come in the next couple of weeks.

***Click photos for commentary

With scars of the 1990s’ war still literally draping many walls, Sarajevo is a city that exudes resilience at every turn mixed with the evolution of new life on every corner. Alongside ample war museums, “Sarajevo Roses,” and bullet-pocked buildings, it’s bursting with trendy cafes and bars, crowds of tourists, culture and events, and an unusual blend of easts meet west.

Rather than the entire city feeling blended, like Istanbul, however, it’s a quite striking distinction between the main city and the seductive maze of narrow cobblestone streets found in its Baščaršija (pronounced BASH-char-SHEE-ya). This historic Ottoman marketplace dating from 1462 was the pulsing heartbeat of the city back then, which still holds true today.

Here’s some captures from both sides of this city…

We are so grateful two good friends actually took us up on our offer to share our giant (for us!) two-bedroom apartment in Sarajevo! 🙂

This is the fourth time meeting up with now fellow nomads, Brian and CC after meeting them on our Amazon River cruise in 2023. They are devoted hikers and have a YouTube channel called “The World Hiker” which Brian started years ago on his goal to visit every country in the world. He accomplished this goal in North Korea the same year with CC in tow to cheer him on.

Though we don’t aspire to go to every country, they are definitely inspirations for us in so many ways!

July 2026 Budget Update
$1836 ($161 OVER) of $1675; (Two people: $55/day or $20,075/year)

From July 1-4, we fast traveled Western Serbia and Eastern Bosnia & Herzegovina, and for the rest of the month, we’ve been staying in place in Sarajevo so we were a bit surprised to be this far over for July.

We’re attributing this to:
1. buses being far more than expected
2. climbing grocery prices, and no discount grocery options. Because of this, we spent $100 more on groceries than last month in Serbia.
3. We also spent more on our apartment to get somewhere we’d be really comfortable for five weeks.

Below are the breakdowns for the month.
All prices in USD and are rounded. As always, let us know if you have questions! 🙂

ACCOMMODATION : $927
(2) Valejvo Airbnb, 1 bedroom, $34/night
(1) Zvornik Booking, 1 bedroom, $31/night
(28) Sarajevo Airbnb, 2 bedrooms, $30/night

GROCERIES: $608
Sarajevo has definitely been on the higher side for groceries. To compare, we spent about the exact same in Bulgaria one year ago for a month and also in Spain in December. Our egg index came in at $.18/egg.

Because of our location (about a 15-minute walk up the hill from old town), there were also not a lot of larger chain or discount options. No To Good to Go here either. In fact, the stores are a bit of a mish mash here. We had to go to many to get everything we needed. Stores included Bingo, Mercator, Hose and Konzum.

TRANSPORTATION: $130
($30) 2 local bus rides to get to border from Valjevo (2 hours)
($41) 1 long distance bus from Zvornik to Sarajevo (3.5 hours), includes baggage fees
($1.30/each x2) 8 local bus or tram rides within Sarajevo
($3) Train to Visoko (1.25 hours)
($11) Bus from Visoko (1 hour)
($23) Gondola to top of mountain, one-way (15 minutes)

RESTAURANTS: $91
We usually choose to eat out while on day trips or out of necessity. Other than this, we cook at home and reserve this budget for treats like alcohol or dessert.
(2) nicer meals out; one in Sarajevo when we arrived ($20), including an entree, a salad and two beers and another in Visoko ($9) for a salad, entree, and juice
(3) fast food meals ranging from $10-14 in Valjevo or Zvornik.
(5) treats, including a beer, coffee or ice cream. Way down from 12 last month! Ice cream is about $1-2 more a scoop here as well. Ah, well that meant less sugar, much to Greg’s dismay! 🤣

GENERAL: $81
($28) Sightseeing, which included the White Fortress, Bosne Springs, and the Bosnian Pyramid tour
($29) Toiletries
($11) Tello for US phone number
($9) Greg haircut
($2) Paramount Plus subscription
($1) Conversion fee at border
($1) Apple Storage

Our “OTHER” Buckets
ANNUAL SPLURGE: ($1000/annually)
We spent $0 from our splurge bucket

MEDICAL: $3000/annually
We spent $841 from our medical bucket, which included….
($623) colonoscopy AND endoscopy, including consultation, abdominal ultrasound, necessary medicines and taxi to and from hospital. For comparison, Greg paid $900 in Kuala Lumpur for just a colonoscopy and $1000 in Istanbul for an endoscopy
($115) Contacts for six months
($52) Ophthalmologist exam
($50) Other medication

If you’re interested in the history of the former Yugoslavia and its infamous dictator, Cafe Tito is one of Sarajevo’s more unique places to stop. It’s much more than a coffee shop and bar…it’s also part nostalgic museum.

Josip Broz Tito was the leader from 1945-1980 who ruled Yugoslavia (the present day countries of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, Montenegro and North Macedonia.) One of his biggest achievements was refusing to become a satellite of the Soviet Union.

Whether you admire Tito or not, it’s an interesting glimpse into a period that still evokes strong emotions across the Balkans.

***Click photos for comments

Seeking new adventures in Sarajevo, we were captivated by Kozija Cuprija (Goat’s Bridge), an easy and flat walk down a mostly wooded canyon.

Built in the second half of the 16th century, the bridge spans the Miljacka River on the old Ottoman road connecting Sarajevo and Istanbul.

It’s the only fully preserved Ottoman bridge still standing in Sarajevo and definitely a lovely nature escape!

***Click photos for more info