My intention was to write two separate blog posts about the
happenings of the past several weeks, but the time has flown in so fast, and April disappeared before I knew it! So instead, I’ll divide this post up into the two dominating
features to have recently occurred:
1. A
quick trip home to celebrate my Granny’s 85th birthday, and 2. An amazing adventure in sunny (and
not so sunny) Serbia!
1. To home and back, just about!
Since I moved to Vienna back in September, knowing I would
be here for the whole school year, I already started to look ahead because I
had anticipated 2014 to be a year of big celebrations. On the top of my
priority list was my Granny’s 85th birthday, which fell on the 1st
April 2014, and this struck me as specially important because it is somewhat of
a tradition for our family to gather every 5th year for this
occasion; we have done so for Granny’s 70th, 75th and 80th,
so of course, we couldn’t leave out this one! Not to mention that Granny is
undoubtedly my biggest blog fan and subjects any visitor who passes through her
door to the latest hardcopy blog post.
I was hoping that this particular date might conveniently
fall over the Easter holiday period but luck wouldn’t have it. As the 1st
happened to be on a Tuesday, that didn’t work out as a particularly convenient
day for most, so thankfully, the birthday bash was planned for the previous
Friday evening instead. My plan was to fly in late on the Thursday night, spend
a long weekend at home and catch an early flight the following Tuesday.
Last year alone, I flew more than 20 times within Europe and
have been incredibly lucky not to encounter any problems besides a minor delay.
This time was the first time I was presented with what could potentially ruin
my whole plan to travel home that weekend. Lufthansa, the German airline which
I’d heard a lot of positive things about and I had booked flights with for the
first time, had pilots going on the biggest strike the company has seen in
recent decades.
I initially heard about the strike on the radio during the
news bulletin on a local Austrian radio station, while Steve and I were driving
towards Schneeberg (the tiny village instead of the mountain). I had hoped that
I simply misinterpreted it as I’m still what I consider in the early stages of
learning German. However, a couple of days later, Lufthansa sent a courtesy
e-mail warning of the strike to come and the potential of thousands of flights
being cancelled, with the one-time opportunity to rebook flights for free
within 24 hours of receiving the e-mail. I deliberated this option rather
thoroughly but figured in the end that, even if I did rebook my flights, there
was no guarantee that they wouldn’t be cancelled either.
I kept tabs on the strike action and witnessed on the
website hundreds of flights labelled as ‘cancelled’ for the same day I was due
to fly. Thankfully, somehow I narrowly avoided any problems with mine and was
luckily unaffected. Despite the potential strike stress, I enjoyed my flights
with Lufthansa and particularly appreciated the inclusions in the price, namely
included check-in luggage up to 23kg, as well as food and drink on the plane
(once including hot food and an alcoholic beverage of choice!) Nevertheless, I
was happy with the prospect of travelling by train in the coming months.
All in all, Granny’s birthday bash was a success and a great
opportunity to catch up with family whom I haven’t seen in far too long! It was
my first trip home that I dedicated entirely to quality time with my family and
now I feel like I should do that more often. We had a beautiful meal together in the Halfway House and my mum pulled off her best pavlova yet. It was huge and absolutely to-die-for! Despite a few mishaps during the making of it, everyone was impressed by the delicious dessert, even the restaurant managers, who were ready to sell it by the slice!
My older brother, Ryan, and I even
went on a run together to the local park and availed of the outdoor gym
facilities. He is preparing to run his first marathon in Edinburgh next month
in aid of Prostate Cancer UK and in memory of our late Uncle Laurence. On the
same day, I will run a mere 5km in the Austrian Women’s Run but I will be
thinking of Ryan attempting the full marathon – that’ll be an achievement!
While feeling spontaneous at home, I popped into a local
hairdresser on the off-chance that they may have time to cut my hair. Without
really thinking much about it, I asked for a complete re-style that would give
me a whole new look with short hair. I used a picture of Anne Hathaway, as I
had been likened to her by some complimentary strangers, to explain how short I
meant. It was better not to have an appointment or too much time to think about
it; otherwise I wouldn’t have done it at all. I’ve always wanted to have my
hair really short but never quite had the guts, even though I’d been told before
that I would suit a pixie cut. Now I’ve done it, I’ve instead been likened to
Miley Cyrus and have divided opinions between those who think it’s great and
suits me well, and those who politely say, “Well, it’ll grow back,” meaning
it’s not their cup of tea. I’m still getting some shock reactions, many weeks
later, from people who haven’t seen it yet and don’t recognise me! That’s when
you know you’ve had a good haircut.
2. Sunny times in Serbia, via Budapest!
During the Easter break, Thomas and I planned a trip to
Serbia – somewhere within reach by train from Vienna and a place I set in my
sights since moving to central Europe. We had a rough
itinerary in place:
travel by train to Budapest (3 hours); spend a couple of hours in the Hungarian
capital; take the train from Budapest to Novi Sad (6 hours); spend 3 nights
with a friend I studied with in Finland, Nikola; catch a train from Novi Sad to
the Serbian capital of Belgrade (1 ½ hours) and spend 2 nights there; then
travel back to Vienna again by train via Budapest (total: 14 hours).
I was excited to return to Budapest again, despite having
been there just a couple of weeks prior to this trip! Firstly, it is a
fantastic city that I could easily spend more time in, and secondly, the new
metro line had just been opened one week previously. I was curious to see the
new metro (underground) line, as I had already seen pictures online and it
looked so futuristic and well-designed. In reality, even though we didn’t
manage to see more than two or three stations, it doesn’t disappoint. The use
of natural light is a very clever part of the design that makes the underground
station feel a lot less dark and claustrophobic, with a much better circulation
of air than I’ve experienced before. It’s a job well done, in my opinion, and I
think I wasn’t the only one to be impressed!
Novi Sad
After a while, it was time for us to board the next train to
Novi Sad for which Thomas had made reservations. The train was coming from
Russia and terminating in Belgrade, and appeared to be made up of mismatching
puzzle pieces. Every carriage was from a different country and was completely
different to the one next to it. We were lucky to have a comfortable and modern
Czech wagon for the duration of the journey. Although, despite being the newest
part of the train, the toilets didn’t work and the conductor had serious
problems trying to close the exit door while travelling at a speed upwards of
50km/h. We ventured down to the older sections of the train to use the
functioning facilities there instead.
Boarding the train at the same time as us was a Serbian man,
we guessed, carrying a tiny, worn, old school suitcase that wasn’t fully
closed, and only stayed in one piece thanks to two straps buckled in at either
side of it. This man, whom we later named ‘the vodka guy’, whistled, sang and
talked to himself from the first moment we saw him on the train platform. He
said something to us that we couldn’t comprehend and Thomas predicted that he
didn’t have a ticket. He was right. The guy ended up paying double and forking
out twice, first in Hungary, then later in Serbia.
The vodka association came when I went on a mission to the
restaurant section of the train for coffee. Our favourite guy was there
ordering some alcohol for himself, while the man behind the counter desperately
tried to understand what he wanted. Eventually, he ended up handing over his
own empty quarter bottle, which the waiter filled with Finlandia vodka, then
the, probably already drunk, customer ordered a further two beers, and paid 7€ for
the lot. From what I know, at home you would never be allowed to fill
somebody’s personal bottle with liquor as you’re limited to sell by the glass.
There, it seemed the rules differed, but the vodka of choice was at least a
decent one (of course, my biased self would say that anywhere Finland is
mentioned!) Maybe the vodka guy just thought it was ridiculous that coffee
(1,60€) cost more than beer (1,50€).
I’d say our favourite passenger was an interesting one for
the passport control authorities, who spent an hour checking everyone twice,
once on the Hungarian/EU/Schengen border and again on the Serbian border. It
was easy to tell when we had crossed the Serbian border, as I had my passport
stamped and the train journey became a lot slower. The remainder of the
journey, which should have taken half the time, was about 100km (~62 miles) and
lasted 3 hours. Nevertheless, it was worth it for our welcome to Novi Sad.
Upon arrival, my friend and classmate from my Master studies
in Finland met us by car and helped us settle in to his apartment, our
accommodation for the next 3 nights. He kindly gave up his apartment for us for
the duration of our stay while he stayed with his family. We enjoyed a warm,
traditional welcome from Nikola’s parents, beginning with a standard shot of
Rakia – very similar to the fruit brandy, Pálinka, of
Hungary. You can feel it burn your oesophagus as it eases down your throat and
detoxes your insides. A refreshing way to start our Serbian adventure!
Despite a long day travelling, we were up for checking out the local
nightlife of Novi Sad since Friday night is the most buzzing night of the week.
The city centre was literally just across the road from Nikola’s apartment so
within minutes we found ourselves on the ‘party street’ of the city. It is a
very narrow street, crowded with people walking through it or sitting outside
enjoying an outdoor drink from one of the many bars with tables and chairs
spilling out onto the street. We blended in with the crowd, while also relaxing
with a drink and availing of the optimum opportunity to people-watch. The way
girls dressed up to go out reminded me a lot of back home in Belfast - that is to say, they didn’t leave much to
the imagination! Later, we ended up in a straight-edge bar, where one of
Nikola’s friends works, that happened to be the only non-smoking bar in Novi
Sad. It was a very chilled out, alternative place that resembled a quirky
living room that had simply been converted into a cosy bar. It certainly got
our approval!
The next day, we were treated to an amazing, home-cooked Sunday lunch,
thanks to Nikola’s mum. It consisted of meat, meat and more meat! The Serbian
eating and drinking culture doesn’t seem to differ too much from Hungary, so
judging on that I believe that the portions are huge and you eat until you’re
about to burst! The food was delicious – tasty, chicken broth soup to start; huge
meat (chicken & pork) casserole with pickled paprika and salad for the
main; and to finish, a rich, rum and chocolate roulade dessert. And of course,
before starting to eat, the tradition is to settle your stomach with a shot of Unicum
first – a bitter, herbal liqueur that may be mistaken as medicine.
After a very filling lunch and some time to digest, we headed out for a
cycle along the Danube river. Among the sights were ruins from the 1999 NATO
bombing of Yugoslavia, as well as the contrasting well-designed cycle lanes and
outdoor facilities, such as a manmade beach, gym, running track and many more
sport options. I was impressed by how active people seemed to be there, but
also surprised by the constant reminders of the bombardment left sitting for 15
years. I can imagine if Serbia becomes an EU member state at some point in the
future, the place will be covered with EU-funding placards, much like how I
remember Lithuania to be.
The main tourist attraction of Novi Sad is the magnificent,
well-preserved fortress, where you can walk around and take in the stunning
360˚ view of the city, overlooking the river Danube. It spans over a large area,
hosts a huge music festival every summer, and its walls continue into the old
town, a UNESCO world heritage sight; another interesting place to people-watch,
or rather, to be watched – the locals who live there tend to hang out their
windows and simply watch the world go by. Hungry from the sightseeing, we went
to eat pljeskavica, the traditional Serbian burger which I can only describe as
a large patty of meat served to us in thick pita bread. If that doesn’t fill
you up, I don’t know what would!
Our Serbian adventure in Novi Sad was taken over by a delightful
spontaneity. We were lucky to encounter completely spontaneous happenings that
turned out to be the best way to spend our time there! On the Saturday evening,
we found ourselves at another alternative location where free vegan food was
offered and a sca/alternative rock band from Belgium played, combining many
genres of music in one. Because we were already there early, before the band
even showed up, we managed to evade the entrance fee. However, since the band
was so incredibly entertaining – there were at least 7 of them, playing many
instruments and involving the audience in their performance, e.g. with a conga
line lead by the trumpet players (we even stepped outside for a second but one
of the trumpet players quickly summoned us back in while he still played!) – I
bought two of their CDs.
The following evening, Thomas had the random idea to shoot some hoops
before the sun set so we grabbed a basketball and set off to the old court
where Nikola used to play as a teenager. We burned off some of that filling
food we’d been gorging on and made our way back to the apartment, planning on a
chilled evening in and an early night. Instead, we spontaneously stumbled upon
an event that we happened to notice on the way past the local synagogue. Turns
out, we were just in time to catch an evening of classical music and opera
singing performed by the students of the music academy, completely free of
charge. We had a magnificent evening enjoying specular performances from
incredibly talented piano, violin, viola, clarinet and saxophone players, as
well as my personal favourite feature of the evening, an entertaining opera
singing duo.
It just goes to show that sometimes planning a whole itinerary is much
less exciting than being open to spontaneity and relishing what a place has to
offer. Our time in Novi Sad could be likened to a relaxing summer holiday city
break, with gorgeous, warm weather the whole time and opportunities to simply
sit and sip a cocktail or eat an ice cream and watch the world go by.
Belgrade
Although we weren’t as lucky with the weather in Belgrade, we still
found plenty to keep us occupied. Another Serbian friend of mine, whom I’d met
in Finland, had kindly written us a list of things to see and do in Belgrade.
On our first evening there, we managed to catch the last of the good weather
and appreciate the amazing view over Belgrade just before the sun went down at
the Kalemagdan fortress. This fortress was just as impressive as the one in
Novi Sad, spanning over a large area and surrounded by a beautiful park.
Thomas had found us a stunning, central apartment to stay in so we were
within walking distance of the city centre and the hustle and bustle of
everyday life in Serbia’s capital. At this stage, we were just getting to grips with the Serbian dinar currency, which can make you feel deceivingly rich as even tiny amounts are given in notes, rather than coins. Despite the great location, we still wanted
to see some sights that were not within walking distance but required either
transport by bike (which we didn’t fancy in the pouring rain) or by bus.
Although the traffic was not as chaotic as in some cities we’ve seen before,
such as St Petersburg or Thessaloniki, it was still quite an adventure to
travel by bus in Belgrade and, of course, we managed to get ourselves lost.
Being the kind of travellers we are, we took it as all part of the adventure
and went about our problem-solving task of figuring out where we were, how to
get to where we wanted to go, and how the payment for transportation works. All
of that is rather complicated in Belgrade but we managed it and off we went!
Our bus journeys took us to the ‘House of Flowers’ which happens to
also be Tito’s Mausoleum, as well as the Museum of Yugoslav History. Despite
the negative association that many people might have connected to Tito’s name
as the leader of Yugoslavia, his mausoleum depicts him as a significant and
well-thought-of individual in history, with a legacy that still lives on. It
was a rather strange place with a room full of batons next to it, from the
traditional relay race held for Tito’s birthday. He had specifically wished to
be buried in the House of Flowers and it was only until recently that it was closed
to the public and constantly manned by military guards. It was a rainy day
while we were there and not many people had ventured out to see it, so the
whole atmosphere seemed a bit eerie to me. Though judging by the walking lanes
and arrows marked on the ground, they expect masses of visitors through the
gates every year.
Moving on from the Mausoleum, we took another bus to a part of the city
that we had heard a lot about – Zemun. It used to be a separate town from
Belgrade and you can sense why when you absorb the quaint charm of the small
area harboured next to the Danube. We tried to simply enjoy walking around it
but the weather beat us into submission and we settled for sitting inside.
Later though, we braved the rain again to admire the huge Temple Saint Sava and
the cute little popcorn stands that you find everywhere along the streets of
Belgrade.
In the evening, we ventured out in search of food along the adorable,
cobblestoned streets of Skadarlija – a pedestrianized old town part of the city
that I’m sure would be oozing charm in the summer. There were many lovely
restaurants to choose from and we chose one where we were also serenaded with
traditional Serbian folk music. What was difficult to cope with was the smoking
inside the restaurant. This is something I will never get used to and it
completely affects my choice of restaurant or bar. Despite this downside and
the miserable weather, we still succeeded in making the most of our time in Serbia.
Upon leaving the country the next day, embarking upon our 14 hour train
journey, I expected my passport to be stamped again to mark my exit from the
country. I have entry and exit stamps from visiting Russia and naturally
assumed the same from Serbia. However, no stamp was given so I guess either it’s
not necessary, or, according to my passport, I should still be in Serbia and I’m
like some kind of European fugitive! Nevertheless, we had an amazing time there and would recommend it to anyone.
No comments:
Post a Comment