Surprises of Serbia
It was a weird feeling traveling towards Serbia. It was hard not to have a preconceived perception of what Serbia was like. Would they be as hateful and evil as the Bosnians described? Would I be sharing the streets with those who sniped children from the mountains that shadowed Sarajevo and her history? It was hard not to think about it. I felt almost complicit in visiting Serbia and betraying the Bosnians. Almost as If I was leaving my bullied friend for one of more wealth and stature. It was sad, but traveling is about opening your mind, and that is what I intended to do.
We hopped onto our new bus that would take us from this desolate Bosnian town to the Serbian fortress known as Belgrade. Half-open eyes gave us the last energy they had as we slowly brushed past them to our seats. Our seats were comfy. Much comfier than the school-like bus that took us from Sarajevo. Before we knew it, the lights dimmed and we were set. We have heard allegations of Flixbus passengers helping themselves to the occasional luggage bag or two, so Carly and I took turns hawk-eyeing our bags on the top floor of the bus for every stop.
It was 2:00 AM and it was time to stretch our legs by crossing the border. All these preconceptions I had rushed back to my head, as we were surrounded by the darkest forest seeded with Pine trees. It felt like Sirius Black was hiding within the woods staring at our bodies that frenzied from the frosty breeze of the night. There were no smiles nor frowns. There was no messing about. You give the passport, you go. It was a 20-minute process as every individual got checked, as expected. Once everyone was done, we were given the all-clear to get back on the bus. Belgrade here we come!
Finally, the clock hit 6:00 AM and Belgrade was upon us. The buildings were much larger than those of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Instead of bullet holes in buildings, there were advertisements. It was a completely different world. Despite both being part of the former Yugoslavia, the juxtaposition of cities was if anything, unexpected. We got off the bus and walked an uphill battle towards our accommodation. A fight with stairs was always a tough one, always leaving my suitcase battle scared. But the fight was won and we had finally arrived. A lovely lady greeted us at the apartment and showed us around. She even let us off 5 Euros as she had no change and told us it was on her! You bloody beauty! As we hardly slept on the bus, we decided to recover that morning. A 4 hour nap was in order and boy did it go fast!
It was a beautiful sunny Sunday. Our accommodation was only a 20-minute walk to one of the most popular attractions of Serbia, the Belgrade Fortress. The best part? It’s free! We walked through the main street where all the big brands took part. From Adidas to Rolex, the wealth was evident. However, we were all about looking at them, from a great distance too. We eventually reached the fortress that was separated by a street decorated with Chinese flags from left to right. They either had an event soon or they really liked the Chinese. I believe it must of been the former. Regardless, we step over from the concrete jungle to the medieval masterpiece. A path lead through a park covered with markets. Popcorn, Balloons, Chips, it was all there! Although tough to resist, we persisted towards the wooden gates that once protected this very city. We walked through and are met with even more markets! The castle was filled with them! So much greenery and space that markets were not the only services happening. Within the fortress sat another park similar to the one out front. However, this park was filled with more family-friendly activities. From small kids undergoing a Karate class, to a UFC cage with fighters actively launching kicks into each other. The positivity and friendliness of the city was overwhelming. There was even an exhibition on retro American cars lined up across the grounds. What a fun day and what a fantastic vibe!
We decided to take such fun and buy tickets to our first introduction to medieval history that slept within the fortress. None other than the Medieval Torture Museum. Lovely! The more disgusted I became, the more appreciation and gratefulness grew. Tortures such as the ‘Rack’ that aimed to destroy your joints, or the ‘Iron Maiden’, where you suffer a slow and painful death sitting within the spiked walls of a wooden coffin. Arguably, these devices may be considered the lenient consequences. Although, I will spare you the details of the latter. I highly recommend checking out the fortress if within Belgrade and to avoid Medieval Austria, as by the sounds of it, is where most of the torture happened.
Moving on, we decided to check out the Serbian Orthodox Church that was on the other side of the city. It was gigantic! For now, the biggest Church we had seen. A beautiful blue and white exterior with a gold-filled design interior. So beautiful that a wedding was happening as were visiting! Thankfully, another free visit and one to add to the tally!
Unfortunately, the sun cannot last forever, and so the night began. We decided to get a quick McDonald’s dessert to keep us satisfied, and it certainly did. We strolled around with our Mcflurry’s where we entered the main square of Belgrade. A huge stage was set up and what seemed like rehearsals of Ballet dancers were actually warm-ups. We gathered around with most other citizens and waited for the show to begin, and so it did! A very thin man with long hair seemed to be a prince of some sort and was surrounded by 8 women who seemed to be guiding him towards a girl. I usually don’t follow ballet often, and this was no exception. A few Indian blokes beside me decided to put on the IPL Cricket on their phones, and now, my attention split. I would discuss more of the ballet and the meaning of it, but I simply could not tell you what was going on. An audiobook may have helped! But still, an appreciation for the dancers was given through a round of applause, as they made their glides and jumps look so very easy. A skill of athletic ability that I certainly can appreciate. Maybe one day I will watch it again.
Our trip to the Balkans has finally come to an end. I still have mixed feelings about my experience in Serbia, and still feel somewhat guilty. The idea of telling someone from Bosnia how lovely and sweet the Serbian people and their land was almost felt defeating. I don’t claim to be an expert on current relations between the countries, but I do hope nothing like the past happens again, as both countries have lovely and innocent people who deserve nothing other than the peace that unfortunately was disturbed.
We now depart Serbia to a place described as beautiful in every corner of the city, once declared the “Queen of the Danube”, and a focal point of culture and politics throughout their history. Budapest, we are coming for you!