Landing in Sarajevo

Welcome signs at Sarajevo International Airport

On a sunny Tuesday, the 4th of March 2014, my journey starts. While standing at the airport, a lot of mixed feelings come up. It’s always weird to leave everything behind not knowing what will be in front of you, what course is set for the future. Of course there is always an uncertainty about that, and most things in life are never certain, not even when you start a regular day full of routine. Well anyway, sometimes, you just have to go, or have to change, not knowing where you are heading. Sometimes you need that, I guess. At least, that is how the situation is for me right now.

When the plane prepares for take off, a few tears slip out of the corners of my eye. Flight JU 361 takes off and I watch the shadow of the plane on the grass below. During the flight I just let my thoughts dance in my head and stare through the window at the world below. After a few hours, Belgrade´s Nikola Tesla Airport comes in sight. There I have to  change planes. There is not much time left, just 35 minutes, and I´m not a frequent flyer and I have no idea if I, or my luggage, will make the plane to Sarajevo. Luckily, Belgrade´s airport is not very large and it’s fast. So I make it in time to board for my flight to Sarajevo. The plane I enter this time looks very old and crappy and makes a lot of weird noises. This time I cannot enjoy watching the world from up here, because somehow this flight makes me feel very nauseous – but the views, I have to admit, are very nice.  I’m glad this flight is only 50 minutes. When I land in Sarajevo, the lady at the passport control checks my documents and stamps my passport. I’m on the territory of Bosnia Herzegovina now. My luggage appears soon, which surprises me a bit, because I half suspected it wouldn’t make it to the other plane due to the short transit time. I walk out of the airport and head for a way too expensive taxi which is however now the only way now to get to the central bus station. (Later, I learned how to get to the Airport without this expensive taxi ride- I will publish this later).

The central busstation in Sarajevo

I’ve never had a taxi ride like this: the taxi seems to be part of a slalom racing competition and it almost feels like the taxi is moving faster than the planes. ‘Just’ a 4 hours busride is left ahead of me. The dark has settled in and I’m tired and close my eyes during the busride, but I get to see a glimp of the old bridge in Mostar when I shortly open my eyes. The bus keeps going and going, inclining and going into another slalom and it’s pitch black outside. I can’t see anything. I’m starting to wonder if I didn’t miss my stop, because this ride doesn’t seem to be coming to an end. But I have to get out at the last station, so that can’t be the case. Some time later, together with the last person who is left on the bus, I leave the bus at a dark, abandoned station somewhere in Bosnia Herzegovina.

There is just one thing I think of right now: sleep. The next morning I wake up, step outside, and realize, yeah, this is reality now: I’m in another world. A new adventure has just started.