Belgrade, Serbia

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I arrive after taking an overnight train from Budapest. I must say the ride was an experience. I was in a sleeper cabin, and one of my roommates was Serbian. He was a nice guy full of Serbian pride. We had a fun time trying to communicate, as he could not speak much English, and I could speak no Serbian. The train was a bit run down, but this was okay. I could tell when we were getting close to Belgrade, for this area was war torn. You could just see some of the devastation and the lasting effects of war. We arrive in Belgrade and exit the train. I now have to find out where to go. My directions were a little sketchy. One of my other roommates was a Japanese young lady, and she was in the same boat as me trying to find how to get to her hostel. We both asked each other which way to go, and after we decided neither of us knew either way, I take off to find my hostel on my own. I did find a policeman along my route, and I asked him the way. He just pointed up this hill. My mind was telling me that if this was incorrect, how frustrating this would be due to the weight of the backpack on me going up a hill.

After going through this shady looking park area, I arrive at the top of the hill and see one of the landmarks listed in the hostel instructions. I follow the street to the address, go down this little alley, and make my arrival. I was thrilled to be there. I go in, and am warmly welcomed by Daniella in my hostel. She was one of the friendliest and warmest people that I have ever met upon entering a hostel. She was very informative, and as it was too early to check in, I sit for a short time just relaxing and chatting with her. Daniella told me where the walking tour was, so off I go. The meeting point was at Republic Square. The Republic Square, once known as Theater Square, is sometimes considered the favorite place of meeting and goodbyes.The meeting point was behind the bronze statue of Prince Michael on a horse.This was not a far walk from the hostel, so I got there a little early and chatted with the tour guide. She was a local, and it seemed she would be enthusiastic about giving the tour. Come to find out, Republic Square is always crowded, one of the busiest places in Belgrade, and is one of the central business areas in the city. Most people will say 'Let's meet at the horse', but in 2000, a modern public clock, named the Millennium clock was installed in the square. The clock is placed on a tall stand, and it also displays current weather conditions. With the addition of the clock, Belgraders are now more likely to say 'Let's meet at the clock' than 'at the horse'. It became clear that Republic Square is Belgrade’s must-see and I was happy to be there.

We start the tour and are taken to many of the hi-lites for Belgrade. Come to find out, Belgrade is of the greenest capitals in Europe. Saying that, this picturesque capital has been witnessing turbulent history over the years. If my numbers are correct, forty armies besieged the city, and thirty eight times this capital was reborn from ashes. I couldn't help but notice the war torn area in some of the places we went. The tour guide would give us the history, and I could see the shrapnel holes and damaged buildings from the bombardments. I could not imagine what it would have been like to have been there during those times. We go down streets where the buildings look to be rebuilt, but there are some buildings that remained that are a reminder of the war times. We continued on and came upon Fortress Belgrade. You walk up and you see the medieval entrance with a wooden bridge, as well as two look out towers sitting on the confluence of the River Sava and Danube. This is the core and the oldest section in an urban area of modern Belgrade. After an introduction to the fortress by the tour guide, we go in. My understanding is that for centuries the city population was concentrated only within the walls of the fortress, thus the history of the fortress, until most recent history, equals the history of Belgrade itself. We walk around and have small stops where the guide tells us or explains certain facts or historical things about the fortress. We stop and are explained about the statue of the Victor (or statue of victory) which is one of the most famous landmarks in Belgrade. The statue holds a falcon, on watch for the new threats on the horizon, in one hand, and a sword of war, ready to counter these threats in the other. It’s looking forward across the confluence of the Sava and the Danube, and over the Pannonian plain, towards the distant Fruska Gora mountain, and towards what was at that time the Austro-Hungarian empire. Something I found interesting, and a bit humorous, was that the statue was originally supposed to be placed on the Terazije square, but ended up at the Belgrade Fortress after people complained about its nudity. Funny. Anyway, we then proceed to Kalemegdan Park, the most popular promenade for Belgrade citizens. We stop for a moment to take in the surroundings and listen to the tour guide tell us more of the history surrounding the area where we were. After this last bit of history is told to us, the tour breaks up, and we are free to make our way back. I do so, but all along I was starting to not feel all that well. I get back to the hostel, and just want to rest. On no...sickness is upon me. I have never been sick while travelling, and I did not really have anything to take for my cough and sore throat. The ladies in the hostel were very kind to me, and gave me some kind of mixture to add to water and drink to help with the flu like symptoms. I very much appreciated this. I must say, this was probably hands down one of the most friendly hostel staff I have ever come across. I met four wonderful persons, and I gave them little catch phrases for their names. They were as follows in the order I met them; Dashing Daniella, Terrific Tamara, Irresistible Irena, and Sassy Sadja. Never has a hostel tried to make me feel so welcome. The Hostel was Hostel Bongo, and I definitely would recommend staying there. Anyway, I need something to make me more welI, so I make my way to a local pharmacy and purchase some throat lozenges to help with the throat, and go back to the hostel to just sleep. I was suppose to check out in the morning time, and my plan was to take another walking tour that would take you to the different areas of the Communist era. I had looked forward to this, but with me hardly able to hold my head up, I axed that idea. I knew my flight was to depart a little after midnight, and I was just going to leave my bags in the hostel and walk around all day. Plans swiftly changed. I asked the hostel if I could rent my bed for the day, and they graciously accepted. I was very happy that I could just lay there all day. I have never done this before. It was a weird feeling, but one that taught me that I was not immune to getting sick while travelling, and should be prepared for anything.

I stayed in bed all day, and I had asked the hostel worker (Tamara) to notify me at a certain time where I could get up and get cleaned up. I also asked her if she would be so kind to call a cab for me that would take me to the airport. This would be much quicker than taking the train, and I would get dropped off at the terminal where I needed to be. My return flight home had me leaving Serbia and flying to Moscow, Russia, and then back to Atlanta through JFK in New York. I dreaded the flights with the layovers, but I knew I had no choice and just had to deal with it.

I must say I had a wonderful time in Serbia the time I was not ill, and I hope to return someday to further explore this wonderful friendly country. There is so much history there, and I only feel like I get a short introduction. I am thankful that I was able to come here, and I feel very fortunate to once again be able to travel to a distant land and experience the sights, sounds, tastes, and general overall feeling of a different land and culture.

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