Sophie and Jenni take Sarajevo

Isn't it great to meet someone who has your exact energy? Since me and Sophie met at the start of this year, we've continued to be surprised by how much we're just two identical peas in a pod. Her boyfriend and my family have often commented on how weirdly similar we are, even down to our more niche personality traits and likes/dislikes. Something about her that I was particularly excited about is that she was as into the weird and wonderful travel destinations as I am. So when we were looking to book something and saw cheap flights to Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina, it was an easy yes!

Despite going at the start of November, we arrived to blue skies and mild sunny temperatures which was lovely! Our apartment was absolutely beautiful (and cheap) and after quickly unpacking, we headed out to explore.

Sarajevo as a city is quite strange in that the centre seems to be kind of spread out longways along the river. It's a definitely a tale of two halves, and they have a whole 'east meets west' thing going on. We had a little wander along the river and saw the famous Latin bridge before we ventured into the old town to explore the 'east' portion of the city.

The old town had very similar vibes to Istanbul, with lots of Muslim influences and beautiful architecture. It felt like such a treat for it to be warm enough to sit outside so we tried some traditional Bosnian dishes at this garden restaurant. Like Istanbul, it was also a city of a million cats and Sophie definitely proved to be the cat whisperer. They were so cute!

Something surprising about Sarajevo (specifically in the old town) as that most places were alcohol free. I'd read about the cheap beer on offer in the city, but while we were exploring the old town, there was no beer at all! It was surprisingly nice though to stop off for a tea or a soft drink instead and just watch the world go by; there was certainly no shortage of cute little places!

Then we went to see the city hall, which we'd heard was very impressive and we certainly weren't disappointed! It was really nice to see the contrast between the grand building and the smaller, more classic Slavic buildings behind. The Slavic architecture I'd been expecting; but there were a lot more grand Parisian-style ones too that were a nice surprise.

Our final stop for the day was to see the Sacred Heart cathedral, which was really beautiful. It was also right around the corner from where we were staying, so we were super happy with our apartment of choice because it was so convenient for exploring and getting to all the sights.

Although the alcohol-free day had been wholesome and nice, that's not very on brand for me so we were straight onto the £3 bottles of wine when we got back to our apartment to get ready for the evening. Because we'd had a super early start, we just had a fairly chilled one and headed out for some wine and tapas, which was all amazing!

We started the next day by fancying some local food again so we headed for breakfast at a cute cafe that had been recommended by our apartment host. The food was super delicious (if a little random by English standards) and I'm always a big fan of countries that specialise in giant hydrating soft drinks. Budapest was the same with lots of homemade lemonades and ice teas and they always just hit the spot.

It was a big walking tour on the agenda for our second day and so we were off to get the steps in! Wandering around with no particular destination or aim when in a new city is my absolute favourite thing to do, and you always stumble across some really pretty spots. Sarajevo was extra beautiful because every now and again, you'd be treated to a glimpse of the mountains in the background. The sun certainly helped too!

Something else I liked about Sarajevo was how much green space there was. We managed to time it absolutely perfectly too because the autumnal colours were particularly popping!

I always plot a route by looking at things that pop up on Google maps so we hit a few of the landmarks on our way, and the architecture was simply amazing.

It was well past beer o'clock by this point so we stopped along the river for a couple of beers bigger than our heads. Just how I like them.

We completed the circuit with a look at the main mosque, and then stopped off for a (very) late lunch. Apart the random dowsing of dried parsley everywhere (not sure about that), the food was lovely and I was really enjoying being able to sit outside while enjoying warming food and cold beer.

Then it was time to race against the clock, up one of the most vertical hills ever to see the sunset from the Yellow Fortress. We were very close to sunset so it was pretty much exactly on the horizon by the time we reached the top, but to be honest I think it ended up perfect timing. It was one of the most beautiful sunsets ever, and it just seemed to get better and better with every passing minute. If there's one thing about me, it's that I'm insufferable with a sunset. 10 new photos every minute!

Remember me saying that Sophie and I are two peas in a pod? Well, we even managed to pack matching outfits without planning it! Naturally we decided we just had to wear them on the same night so we had a coordinated cocktail dress code to head out for our big night out.

We started at a restaurant called Klopa which again was round the corner and recommended by our apartment host. It was a lovely restaurant and we had their specials platter which was honestly the most insane amount of food I've ever been served. We had steak, veal, potatoes, roasted veg, salad and a mix of sauces. It was as if they'd mistaken us for a table of 4! But it was insanely good. It also felt like they'd mistaken us for a table of 4 when it came to the booze. Rakia is the local tipple of choice in Bosnia and it's basically like flavoured brandy. Not for the faint hearted I would say. Luckily we were up to the challenge and managed 6 each; they just kept getting brought to our table!

That pretty much set the tone for the rest of the night. We drank A LOT and had a great time. We found a cute little cocktail bar where we got chatting to some locals, and then went with them to a nearby nightclub for a dance. Unfortunately, it was also the final resting place of my leather jacket, which I put down on the side and then never saw again. RIP. And RIP to us and our hangovers the next day.

Thanks to all the rakia, we were seriously suffering the next day. We had had grand plans to explore more of the rural areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but needless to say we were not up to any of that. We barely made it out on a little walk and for a tragic little lunch. The two photos of me sum it up quite well; the second is instagram, the first is the reality of how I actually felt.

Luckily the day wasn't a complete write-off. We still made the effort to explore and make the most of our last day in the city. We went and tried the traditional Bosnian pie, Burek, which was incredible. We also had turkish tea, some pastries, and a look around a cute little market. All in all, not a bad effort.

We were back to a low key dinner for our last evening, and I had an amazing falafel plate. Although the coleslaw was made with this salted yogurt that they love over that side of the world and that sodium whack nearly killed me (and Sophie when she tried it).

The next morning we were homeward bound and waving Sarajevo behind. Me and Sophie had the most amazing first holiday together and I would highly recommend Sarajevo to anyone. I'd really like to return to Bosnia and Herzegovina to explore the Herzegovina side, which is more rural and old-worldy from the looks of it. As a lover of weird and wonderful travel destinations, I feel a certain duty to shout from the rooftops when I really enjoy a lesser known place. And Sarajevo was simply beautiful, especially at the time of year we went.