Serbia in Good Health

 After I kicked my E. coli illness, I was able to re-appreciate my Serbian surroundings during my time in Belgrade.  After 5 days of injections at a local clinic, I was subject to a steady flow of antibiotics until they could verify that I was official E. coli free.  In layman’s terms – I was (not completely unfortunately) going to be stuck in Belgrade for a while longer.

Knez Mihailova, main pedestrian street, in Belgrade

Belgrade, like the rest of the Balkan cities that I have visited, immediately captivated me.  During my first day, I participated in a Free Walking Tour with some friends from El Diablo Hostel to learn the layout of the city as well as some practical information, like where the best rakia bar was located. 

 The tour was incredible and I enjoyed it so much that I joined the Communist Walking Tour later in the week, which was a more history-focused tour with the same guide, Tea.  

Belgrade Fortress - we added a little dandelion

Tea is a university student and Belgrade local, and customized the 4 hour walking tour perfectly for our small group’s questions and interests.  She is in her early twenties and has lived in Belgrade for her entire life.  She pointed out that even though she has lived in the same flat, she has technically lived in three different countries during her lifetime.  The impact, both on a personal and national level, of such a tumultuous recent history was a strange perspective to attempt to understand, especially coming from a background like mine. 

Tito's Mausoleum

I heard yet another perspective (obviously Serbian) of the history of the Balkans, and was glad to have a small group of likeminded travelers to discuss questions and comments we had during the tour.  Together we visited places such as Josip Broz “Tito’s” Mausoleum, the Belgrade Fortress & the Victor Monument, and view the beautiful Serbian Parliament building at night.  

Tea's grandfather was part of Tito's Pioneers (like the US Boy & Girl Scouts) and she let me try on their "uniform"

We also passed the Yugoslav Ministry of Defence headquarters and saw the still obvious damage from the NATO bombings in 1999.  Like my experience in Sarajevo, I was surprised by how recent these international conflicts occurred.  Reading or hearing about it is very different from seeing it, and it helped to leave a lasting impression from the stories that Tea had shared with us about her experience and her nation’s history.

House of the National Assembly of Serbia

 On a lighter note, Belgrade has an array of cafes and restaurants in their infamous Bohemian Quarter, and like the rest of the region has a delicious combination of East and Western cuisines.  As I mentioned in my previous Belgrade post, they also have an array of rakia flavors, which have an ability to make conversations and evenings immediately more lively and animated.  I felt that the city’s incredible vibe was one worth exploring in depth, and despite my initial reasons for remaining, I was glad to have the opportunity to spend so much time there.

During my days of recovery, I explored the Jevremovac Botanical Gardens with friends, strolled through the markets in the park overlooking the Danube, ate at cafes dotting the street in the Bohemian Quarter, and even went a little crazy and got a haircut from the hostel owner’s friend who owns a salon.  (If you know about my current haircut situation, this is where it was tamed after having a hostel friend initial chop it in Morocco a few weeks prior…) 

 

Though there have been many, one of my favorites “tourist attractions” during my year on the road was in Belgrade.  The National Bank of Serbia has an interesting exhibit about international currency and its history and development.  We had fun looking through the different bills (both Serbian and international), coins, and gold bars, but definitely only went for one reason: to have our faces printed on Serbian dinar bills.  It was a fun (and free!) tourist activity and the result was a unique souvenir.  

Bank employee who made us freshly minted Serbian coins 

Moving on from Belgrade, I knew that I needed to create a more specific plan and a timeline.  I had a flight from Montenegro within two weeks, and wanted to explore as much as I could before flying to London to see Damian.  I was extremely fortunate to meet Claudia and Amelie at El Hostel Diablo in Belgrade, who were headed to Istanbul and invited me to join them.

Coffee break with 'zito', a traditional Serbian wheat pudding with creme 

If you are curious how long term traveling works, my experience in traveling with Claudia and Amelie is a perfect example.  We had become friends when we shared a dorm room in El Diablo Hostel over the previous few days.  Since we were all headed in the same direction, we decided to take the bus together to Sofia, Bulgaria where I had intended to stay.  Within the duration of the short bus ride to Sofia, we were getting along so well that I decided to accept their invitation to continue onto Istanbul, leaving Sofia unexplored.  Long story short: you just make it up as you go along and when you meet cool people, you stick with them if you can.

Tito statue outside of his mausoleum

Looking back, it was nothing short of a gift from the universe that I met them.  Through that invitation I was not only able to avoid the continuously berated Sofia, but I also got to join two wonderful and interesting new friends in exploring Istanbul.  It’s incredible how people meet and become part of one another’s stories, both on the road and in life in general.