波黑／Bosnia & Hercegovina（Part 1）

还没有来到波斯尼亚和和黑塞哥维那（波黑）之前，真的不知道会看到什么，或是该期待看到什么。再怎么说，对远在东南亚的许多人来说，他们甚至连这个国家的名字都没有听过，对它又会有什么样的了解呢？而我，除了在几年前看到有关这里打仗的新闻外，就真的什么都不知道了。到了之后才知道，经过了十多年，这里仍然处处可见战争的痕迹，但这个国家和它的人民已经渐渐走出了战争的阴影。撇开战争留下来的疤痕，这其实是一个非常漂亮，非常有特色的一个国家，让你一下子就爱上了它。
Before coming to Bosnia & Hercegovina, I wasn’t sure of what to expect. After all, to most people from Southeast Asia, they have never even heard of such a place, not to mention, know where this country is located or know what it is like. As for me, other than hearing about the war that occurred some years back through the media, I know nuts about this country. Only on arriving, did I realised that, more than 15 years after the Serbian forces wrecked havoc in this Eastern European countries, you can still see signs of the war everywhere. But this has not stopped the people from emerging from the shadows of the war. Disregarding the many bullet holes and marks of grenade, you will find that Bosnia & Hercegovina is in actual fact a beautiful country with equally beautiful people. As such, it is easy to fall in love with this country despite its sad history.

＊萨拉热窝／Sarajevo
从卢布尔雅那乘火车到萨格勒布，再从那里转换另一趟火车到波黑首都萨拉热窝。奇怪的是，火车只有三个车箱，而乘坐这一班火车的人多的是，结果每一个车箱都被挤得水泄不通。从萨拉格布到萨拉热窝其实要乘一整晚的火车，因此一上车后就拼命地祈祷这些人会快点下车，那我就不必站一整晚。好在两个多小时后，就快到边境时，真的有很多人下车了，我才有机会坐下。很不舒服地睡了半个晚上，终于抵达了萨拉热窝。
Coming from Mirjana’s home in Ljubljana, I first had to take a train to Zagreb, Croatia, before switching to another train bound for the capital of Bosnia & Hercegovina, Sarajevo. When I first saw the train, I thought this is most probably a not so popular route since the train consisted of only 3 carriages. However, on boarding the train, I realised that this was not the case as there was actually a lot of people on board, with people spilling onto the passageway and even right next to the exits. It actually requires about 12 hours to get to Zagreb from Sarajevo. As such, I prayed for lots of people to get off the train soon. Luckily, my prayers were answered. After two and a half hours, tons of people got off at the stop just before the borders and I was spared the agony of standing outside the smelly toilet for the rest of the night. After a not so fitful sleep, I finally arrived in Sarajevo.

从火车一驶入火车站，我就知道这里绝对与之前看到的会很不同。虽然这是波黑首都的唯一火车站，但整个地方看起来完全没有大城市的架式，看到的是个陈旧、破烂和人烟稀少的火车站。从火车站到旅舍的一路上，看到不少破烂的建筑，每栋建筑都被子弹或是炸弹打中的痕迹清晰可见。老实说，对我们这种在温室里长大，从未经历战争的痛苦的新加坡人来说，这一切真的是个很大的文化冲击。
From the moment the train pulled into the train station, I knew that this was going to be different from the other Eastern European countries that I’ve been to so far. Although this was the one and only train station in the capital city, it absolutely did not look as grand as all the main train stations in the other countries. Instead, what you see is a broken and rundown station, more like an abandoned station that you will find elsewhere. On the way to the city centre from the train station, you can lots of old, dilapidated and abandoned buildings, most of which riddled with bullet holes. In fact, to people like us, who are fortunate enough never to have to witness the cruelty of war, all these come as a big culture shock.
入住的旅舍根本不像之前住过的其他东欧国家旅舍那样漂亮、干净、舒适，反倒像是在柬普寨或是寥国住过的旅舍那样即陈旧又简陋。不过这家旅舍的好处是，从火车站免费载你到旅舍去，床位便宜（只要8.50欧元），又附上免费的早餐，但是最大的好处就是它的正对面就是古镇。
The hostel that I chose to stay in was definitely not fanciful or clean or nice as the other ones that I’ve stayed in so far. In fact, it reminded me of the crappy hostels in Cambodia or Laos that I’ve stayed in before. But the good thing about this hostel is that, they provide a free pickup from the train station. Of course, that is not the main reason I chose this hostel. Rather, it is for the cheap beds (only 8.50 Euros) and free breakfast and last but not least, that it is right across the Old Town.
一般城市的古镇多是游客聚集的地方，当地人很少会在那里活动，但萨拉热窝的古镇却不同，当地人和游客一样喜欢在这里度过散漫的一天。古镇的正“入口”是这个喷水泉。我知道，你一定在想，喷水泉？哪里喷水了？我也一样。一眼望去，还以为是饲养鸽子的地方，看了两天才知道为什么这是个喷水泉。留意喷水泉的下方，有没有看到那四四方方的水盆？看到那上面的水龙头了吗？对，有水出来的地方就叫“喷水泉”。
Most old towns in other cities are now mainly tourists’ attractions and hence, filled with souvenir shops or restaurants. You hardly find locals gathering there. Even if they do, it is probably as a day outing or something like that. However in Sarajevo, this is not the case. Here, the locals enjoy hanging out in the Old Town as much as the tourists do. The main “entrance” of Sarajevo’s Old Town is this fountain. Did I just say fountain? Yeah, this thing which is a favourite perching spot for the pigeons is in actual fact a fountain. So where is the water? Well, if you look carefully at the lower half of the fountain, just above the squarish basin, you will notice a tap. Yep, anything with a tap that has water coming out of it, is considered a “fountain”. 古镇内全是密密麻麻的小街道，就和其他的古镇一样，街道的两旁都是贩卖各种衣物和纪念品的小商店。这里以手工制作品为名，因此大部分的商店都是贩卖首饰的。由于这里曾被土耳其统治超过四百年，所以你看到的很多东西都非常土耳其式。
The old town here is a mish-mash of little streets, all lined with souvenir shops (what else?!), boutiques and restaurants. Bosnians are famous for their handcrafted silverware, as such, you can find many shops selling all sorts of silverware here. And after more than 400 years of Ottoman rule, it is hardly surprising to find a tinge of Turkish influence in almost everything.
和其他古镇不同的是，这里看不到雄伟的城堡或是装潢堂皇的教堂，有的只是矮矮的旧房子和商店，以及简单的回教堂罢了。
One thing that is different from the other old towns, here in Sarajevo’s Old Town, you will not find grand citadels or majestic churches. Instead, what you will see are old cottages, and shops, and a very simple looking mosque.
不过这里的特别之处就是，到处都是非常有特色的咖啡座和餐厅。这里的人都很喜欢喝咖啡，也会制作非常好吃的糕点和甜品。基本上，来到巴尔干国家就应该坐在其中一个咖啡厅，一边慢慢品尝咖啡和糕点，或是抽着水烟，一边对着来往的人们发呆。这不叫浪费时间，而是体验真正的波斯尼亚文化。我向来都不喝咖啡，所以改而品尝土耳其黑茶。小小的一杯茶，只有手指般高，配上甜甜的糕点baklava，啊，简直是人生一大享受。
The unique part about this old town is that you can find many cafés and restaurants with loads of character. Bosnians really love their coffee and cakes. Hence, when you come here, you definitely have to do as the locals do, i.e. sit down at one of these cafes, sip a cup of strong Bosnian coffee, smoke a shisha, have one of the many sweet desserts that the Balkans are famous for and people watch. Do not think that this is a waste of time, for this is real Bosnian culture. I don’t usually drink coffee, and I substituted that with a glass of Turkish tea. Holding the tiny cup in one hand, a spoonful of the sweet dessert baklava on the other, THIS is what life is all about!