Sarajevo
Although it hosted the 1984 Winter Olympics, the capitol city of Bosnia and Herzegovina has a tumultuous past. Civil war in the mid-90s nearly shook the city to the ground—the latest in a long line of conflict stretching back nearly 1,000 years. But it’s also home to a resilient populous with a true love for their war-torn land in the Dinaric Mountains. Marco Grilc, Sage Kotsenburg, Ethan Morgan and Zak Hale explore the city of hope.
Words: Marco Grilc.
“There is no problem in this country that can’t be fixed,” said The Bosnian border guard. He was bald, overweight and smoking a cigarette. I knew what he meant. I had been nervous that I may not be allowed through. The international insurance for my car had expired, but I needed to make it to Sarajevo while the snow was still prime. I reached into my pocket, grabbed 40 Euros and placed it on the first page of my passport before handing it back to him. He passed me back the passport, now empty, and waved me through to a different world—one so melancholy, but so intriguing all at the same time.
For years I had heard the tales of the glorious street spots that Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina’s capital city, had to offer. I repeatedly tried to go there to film for my Grilosode web series, but for three years had been forced to wait because the snow didn’t come. But this year a massive storm hit the city in early January. Sage Kotsenburg, Zak Hale and Ethan Morgan were on board, despite some hesitance. We were, after all, going to a place with a tumultuous history…