Belgrade is grey, social, eclectic, scarred and hot in the sun.
Where the Sava meets the Danube.
While I was in Romania I found out a few of the people I met in Berlin and hung out with in Copenhagen and Stockholm on the first leg of my Top Deck tour were going to be in Belgrade for a few days. I took this opportunity to change my plans slightly and meet up with them in the Serbian capital. I always planned to make my way here eventually, but it was great to get the push I needed to alter my plans. Obviously being here with friends changes the dynamic, it’s less about me and more about socialising, hanging out and seeing the sights. This has been a welcome change after a month or so on my own. There’s something to be said for sitting at a restaurant and talking or going out to get a drink together that is a great aspect of group travel that hasn’t always been an option for me when I am flying solo. Before my arrival I knew very little about the city, besides Serbia always having the most awesome Eurovision satellite call-in (that I often do an impression of “Hellloooo! Belgraaaade caaaalink!”). What I have discovered is a relaxed and social city, where a day is not complete without an ice cream.
Near Republic Square.
My journey from Brasov to Belgrade was a long and tiresome one. It involved a 10 hour train to the city of Timisoara in the north west of Romania, an almost sleep in a hostel, a 4 hour journey over the border to Vrsac and then another 2 hours on the train to Belgrade. I should point out here that there is only about 150ks between Timisoara and Belgrade, but that’s another story. Upon arrival at the wrong train station I found myself lost. It didn’t help that is was hovering around 35 degrees Celsius while I searched for streets that didn’t exist. I learned many cities ago that public transport maps are a traveller’s best friend, but it would seem friendly locals are their soul mates. I think I only looked lost for about 20 seconds before a young woman helped me find the street my hostel was on on the map. But she was not the only one. The teen on the bus, the two old guys who began cat-calling me in Serbian (possibly) who gave me directions and the offer of a lift on one of their motorbikes and the man who saw me looking at street numbers and my phone in confusion all helped me find where I was going. I was lost for about 2 hours in total but there was so many kind Belgraders who were willing to help me that I was a bit overwhelmed. I hope that how much I Blanche DuBois-ed this trip – that is, always relying on the kindness of strangers – is something I remember when I am a local again.
‘The Victor’ looks out over the city.
Belgrade is a city that has been damaged and rebuilt many times since it’s settlement. World Wars and battles brought about by the dissolution of Yugoslavia have meant the place has had to be rebuilt many times. The buildings are a mix of classic communist concrete, modern glass and ornate Art-Nouveau. Most of the marks of war are gone, but, the scars of the NATO bombings of the 90s are still present, with one blown out building still (barely) standing on one of the city’s busy streets. This place fascinated me, I found it to be a beautiful memorial and an ugly reminder all in one. Personally, I am interested by the history of this region and being that I don’t actually know much about it, I decided to try to educate myself. As I have mentioned before, I am becoming addicted to free walking tours and in Belgrade it is no different. I thought this would be a good chance to learn more about how Serbians see themselves. Our lovely guide took us through a number of places, she even gave us Serbian food and drink to try, but when she spoke I felt like I wasn’t getting the whole story. She discussed the NATO bombings, but not why they happened, or even that they weren’t UN sanctioned. The next day we paid for a ‘communist tour’ that promised to be focussed in historical events. On this tour we visited the House of Flowers, where communist leader and ‘President for Life’ Tito is buried. Not only is it his mausoleum, but also a museum filled with gifts he received from all over the world. Considering the size and expense of many of the gifts, not to mention the fame and influence of their givers, I gather Tito was a pretty popular guy. The mausoleum is set in a park on the outskirts of the city and was a real highlight. After the Tito-love fest, we continued on in Serbia’s history. Again, we heard only some of the story. The wars about the break-up of Yugoslavia were mentioned in passing. She left out a lot of stuff about Milosevic and his vision and ethnic cleansing campaigns. Maybe it is too raw, too recent, but for me it was a massive oversight. I remember how impressed I was in Berlin with the Germans’ ability to face up to a past they are not proud of; maybe this is the direction the tour guides and museums of Belgrade should think about when the past doesn’t seem so recent and the hurt isn’t so painful.
The now destroyed military HQ.
The city has a very social atmosphere. The pedestrian street Knez Mihailova is buzzing with cafes, bars, restaurants, shopping, street performance, singing One Directioners (seriously), vendors, tiny dogs, dolled-up Serbian women in towering heels, music, groups of friends and a hundred places to get ice cream. We walked down here everyday for food, drink and people watching. The wide street was clean and the atmosphere was friendly and relaxed, day or night. Close by is the old bohemian quarter Skadarlija, once a home for artists and poets, now the place to get authentic food and have a 5 piece band serenade you with Love Me Tender in Serbian while you dine. The people here love to get out an about and the streets are crowded regardless of the day of the week. The people also gather up on the top of the hill where the Kalemegdan Citadel stands. By day the fortress is is a tourist hot spot where you can enjoy views that overlook New Belgrade and where the Sava river meets the Danube. By night it is a haunt for locals who sit and kanoodle on the benches or sit in large groups and discuss the world loudly. There was even a guy playing the universal guitar song, ‘Wonderwall’, while all his friends and a few others (Including me) had a sing-a-long.
Night time at the fortress.
The social atmosphere has meant we have done a lot of what the locals do: sitting in cafes, strolling along the streets and of course, eating lots of ice cream. But there has been plenty of time to act like tourists. We explored The Nikola Tesla museum, about the inventor of the AC electricity supply system. We wandered around the inside of the world’s biggest Orthodox cathedral, which although unfinished, was a grand spectacle. We admired the colourful and often very beautiful street art. We explored the fortress and its many levels, gates and bridges. We sat in the park and watched the world go by.
Day time at the fortress.
I am not such a local when it comes to the Dinar, the local currency. As 100 Dinar is about $1.20 AU, My feeble mathematics brain struggled to figure out the thousands and thousands of dinar I had to deal with at many meals and sights. Luckily, yet again, the Serbian people working in places that take my money have been so accommodating in helping me as I foolishly walk sort through wads of bills that probably only amount to $20 or so.
In case I haven’t been clear, they love ice cream!
Besides the stress that comes from my inability to count, which follows me everywhere, I felt so relaxed and calm here Maybe because Belgrade didn’t feel like a place full of hustle and bustle. It is a social place where people eat, drink and are merry most nights of the week. The kindness of the locals and the was everyone seems to be up for a good time (or at least an ice cream) has made my visit to Belgrade a wonderful one.
Ali's adventure 