Fun fact time...did you know that Sarajevo is home to the oldest tramline in Europe? The Austro-Hungarians used it as a test site. Or that Sarajevo hosted the 1984 Winter Olympics? Or that Bosnia managed to avoid McDonalds right up until 2011, when the first one opened in Sarajevo?

Not that I had any desire to visit it, as the local food here is deeeelicious. Especially the stuffed stuff. That is, cabbage/vine leaves/capsicum/onion stuffed with mince and rice in broth. Yum.

A lot of the wider city is filled with those ugly grey communistic buildings that we are coming to know well, but Bascarjia - Sarajevo's Old Town - is so cute with its single story buildings snuggled together, their roofs slanted like hoods pulled low over the eyes. It has a cosy old world feel, and we explore the pedestrianised, cobblestone streets which are cluttered with stores selling carpets, lamps and copper trinkets - again the Ottoman influence is strong.

Cats and dogs wander everywhere, and during our walking tour we pick up a stowaway - a rather battered looking dog that's afraid even of the cats and seeks shelter between our feet. He follows us all through town, sitting quietly at each stop...every time we think he leaves us, he reappears from an alley to again trot alongside. At one point another stray dog has a go at him, it's a bit scary but he comes away alright. We affectionately name him...well we all give him a different name, but he doesn't seem to mind. Good old Barry/Billy/Bobby/Bazza.

During our walking tour we cover the main sights - the Sebilj fountain (drink from it and you will return to Sarajevo), the beautiful Gazi Husrev-Beg Mosque, the (Orthodox) Church of the Most Holy Mother of God, the (Catholic) Cathedral of Jesus' Heart, the Jewish quarter and the site of the assassination of Franz Ferdinand (Archduke and heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne) and his wife Sophie. This event was said to be the spark that ignited World War One.

Marina, our local guide, also shows us the pretty courtyard in Morica Han, a 16th century building that used to be a free travellers inn and where we later visit for some Bosnian coffee. The coffee is served in the traditional copper pot and cups, short and strong with a sugar cube, and Turkish delight on the side. I'm not a fan of coffee but I had a sip of Mark's and it was actually pretty good. What I really loved though was the coffee set...I'm kicking myself now for not buying one in the markets. It's similar to the Turkish coffee sets but a little bit nicer, I thought.

And then it's onto the heavier stuff of the Bosnian War. Understatement of the year.

When I was researching our trip, I came across the following statistics which really hit home for me as to just how horrific the Siege of Sarajevo was, and also how long lasting the psychological impacts will surely be.

"UNICEF reported that of the estimated 65,000 to 80,000 children in the city, at least 40% had been directly shot at by snipers; 51% had seen someone killed; 39% had seen one or more family members killed; 19% had witnessed a massacre; 48% had their home occupied by someone else; 73% had their home attacked or shelled; and 89% had lived in underground shelters"

In the early to mid 90's Sarajevo was almost completely surrounded by the Bosnian-Serb forces, who cut off water, food and electricity to the city. The city was continually shelled (an average of 329 shells per day), and the number of people killed or missing in the city during the siege is estimated at nearly 10,000 (over 1500 children), while 56,000 were wounded (nearly 15,000 children) and nearly every building damaged or destroyed.

A short drive through town takes us over the Vrbanja Bridge, renamed as Suada and Olga's bridge for the first recognized victims of the Bosnian war - two women who were shot on the bridge whilst marching in a protest with others from all ethnic groups rallying for peace. It was on this same bridge that Sarejevos 'Romeo and Juliet' were killed. 25 year old Admira Ismić (a Bosniak) and Boško Brkić (a Bosnian-Serb), were a couple who had connections on both sides of the war and had arranged safe passage to escape the city. However as they ran across the bridge, Bosko was killed by a sniper. Admira was also shot, she crawled over to Bosko and died wrapped around him. Their bodies lay there for four days while either side argued about who was responsible, and their story became a famous one plastered all over the papers.

We also drive down 'sniper alley' before Marina takes us to the War Tunnel Museum, where 25 metres remain of the tunnel that served as a lifeline to Sarajevo during the siege. The tunnel was built in four months, running from the city, underneath the airport and up to the small section of the city border still under the Bosnian army control. The tunnel was narrow and dangerous with water underfoot and wiring overhead. Permits were required to use the tunnel and it could only be used for bringing in supplies - not for escape.

After watching some harrowing footage from the war and walking through the section of the tunnel, we saw examples of these supplies in the museum including a popular wartime canned food which Marina compared to dog food - but this was her boyfriend's favourite childhood meal.

She explains that as much as possible, the people of Sarajevo tried to maintain a normal life - amongst the horror, children still had to grow up, they went to school, couples fell in love and were married, theatre productions ran by candlelight...life had to go on, or what was the point?

And then Marina shares her own story with us. She was one of the 'lucky' ones who escaped the city with her mother, and lived in a refugee camp in Germany. Her father was in the army and stayed behind. She was two years old, and did not see him again until the end of the war. Communication was near impossible, and she described the anxiety of never knowing whether the care packages they sent arrived for him, or if he was even still alive. Despite this and the poor conditions of the refugee camp, she says they were just thankful to be safe. When it came time to leave Germany and return home she was sad to leave her best friend, but she told her not to worry - she could come and stay with Marina when the war came to Germany. War was all she knew, and to her it was a normal part of life that must happen to all children.

However as she speaks about the horrors of maternity hospitals being bombed, civilians killed by snipers while waiting in line for water, and the complete lack of international assistance, her anger and frustration are subdued but still evident. Although the UN were present, their orders were to remain neutral - they could not assist, only monitor. So if anything, their presence gave a false sense of security to the people in Sarajevo and led many to risk exposure that endangered their lives. It took a tragedy for the international community to finally intervene properly, after the UN protected 'safezone' of Srebrenick was attacked and 8000 Muslims were massacred, while the UN could only sit and watch as they waited for an order. Somehow I had never heard this before and it was, to say the least, a shock.

So by the end of all this, I'm standing in this small room looking at Marina with tears in my eyes as she comforts us, and knowing that this is the wrong way around. "I'm sorry if I sound sad, it is something that was hard but we are moving on, we are okay," she says. We thank her sincerely for sharing her story with us, it was incredibly personal.

On the bus back I feel overwhelmingly angry and sad that this just happens again and again and we never learn, we remain ignorant at best or participate at worst...but most of all I just feel tired, exhausted by so many stories throughout our travels that drain my hope for humanity. In this moment I have very little affection for the human race.

And yet these people, after all they have been through, still carry on, still have hope. That's pretty bloody amazing and inspiring.

To attempt to end on a happier note, I'll completely change tack...

Sarajevo today has a surprisingly busy and fun nightlife! (how was that?) On our first night here we had a delicious dinner followed by cheap shots and cocktails while getting to know Matej and our fabulous tour group, who became great friends over the next few days. It's relatively tourist free in Sarajevo, so when Mark and the boys kicked on to a nightclub afterwards they seemed to surprise the locals.

"You're from Australia?? Why the hell would you come to Sarejevo?!"

Simple. How could we not?