Belgrade

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For my journey to Belgrade, I had a 4 berth compartment on a modern Austrian train that had come from Vienna on its way to Belgrade. The only other occupant was my new chum Boris from Sarajevo so he gave me a few trips on things to see when I got there. Shortly after getting on the train the porter came up and warned us there had been many thefts on the train in the past and to keep the door locked at all times!

After a fairly good nights sleep (we were woken up a the Serbian border for passport formalities) I arrived in Belgrade and walked to my hostel as I didn’t have any money until I found an ATM. Belgrade has a compact city centre and I know I’m not doing it justice but there isn’t all that to see apart from the Kalemegdan Fortress.

The fortress that has been built, modelled and remodelled by Celts, Romans, Byzantins, Serbs, Austrians and Turks over more than 2,000 years. It has a multitude of various towers and ports, and two long walking/biking paths along both rivers.

I know I say this every trip but the hostel I stayed in (Spirit Hostel) was the best I’ve ever visited, it had ethernet ports at every bed, free breakfast, kitchen, TV, stereo and was all brand new!! There was one problem with though, it was empty I was the only one staying there!! So on my first night I had a wander round the Bohemian district (which is where all the bars are found) but then headed back to the hostel and spent the rest of the night drinking on the balcony with the girl working there. She advised me that the Belgrade beer festival is the place to go in August, its what the Munich beer festival used to be like before it became a victim of its own success.

On the second day in Belgrade I visited Zelen which was over the river from Belgrade, it was a quaint, somewhat rural town and was well worth the trip. On my visit there I passed an anti-NATO campaign. All over the city I had seen anti-NATO stickers and this seemed to be the culmination of them. One of the banners asked why NATO were bombing them. All the Serbs I met were very nice hopefully they have learnt from their recent past.

Unfortunately I could only spend one night in my luxurious hostel and the next day caught the bus to Sarajevo.

Boring Bits
Spirit hostel, next to Fortress
Bus to Sarajevo, get tickets at bus station next to train station – depart every day at 16:00 arrive at 23:00.

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