He has shared what he loves about his city and what he thinks makes Sarajevo special.
- Sarajevo is special because it is a city with many faces and is full of small, hidden corners that have their own fascinating stories. Bešlagić was born and raised in Bistrik and now lives in Koševsko Brdo, a quiet oasis that is about a 15-minute easy walk from the center of town.
A perfect day in Sarajevo
He says that a perfect day in Sarajevo is any sunny day when he doesn’t have too many obligations and when he can enjoy a coffee in the morning (without having to rush) and have a day out of town. He usually goes to Barice or Mt. Jahorina, which he considers ideal for skiing, mountaineering and walking.
Whenever he decides to go for a walk around town, he usually takes a morning stroll to enjoy the greenery along Wilson’s Promenade. He’s always keen to have his coffee in Cordoba Cafe’s “summer garden” at BBI Center, and he prefers to take in cultural events, like seeing films during the Sarajevo Film Festival, plays, concerts…, rather than having a night out on the town.
While he recommends the restaurants, Food Market and Kimono Sushi Bar at Sarajevo City Center, he says that Kibe Mahala has the loveliest view of town. He adds that Željo Ćevabdžinica has the best ćevapi and that visitors should also try burek (meat pie).
For Adnan, the prettiest building in Sarajevo is Vijećnica, which he used to look at every day from his window while growing up and now, he says, this building stands as proof that, in the end, good does eventually triumph over evil.
He would take a first-time visitor to Baščaršija and Alifakovac and then he would lead them to the Sarajevo Brewery and Emperor’s Mosque and then back to Vijećnica.
Small city, yet large
According to Adnan, excellent food, gorgeous nature and the fact that Sarajevo is small (in terms of size) yet large, in the sense that it has everything to offer visitors, are all reasons to visit Sarajevo.
He adds by saying that the best souvenir one can take from Sarajevo is a wish to come back again!
In closing our conversation, we asked Adnan to sum up Sarajevo in one sentence:
- This is a city that you have to visit and, after you visit it for the first time, you'll love it like you've known it forever!
