Belgrade, Serbia

[bjd]

We crossed the Danube to the fortress on the other side. It's called Petrovaradin. There are some houses, the fortress and a park where people go for a walk, and wedding parties go to take photographs.

Novi Sad seen from the fortress

[bjd]

[mich64]

Enjoyed experiencing a bit of Serbia. It is a destination we have thought of investigating so this was a good introduction. Our lack of knowledge of the local languages is something we struggle with when we think of expanding into Eastern Europe but it will be something we will deal with.

The subtle differences in community life, café culture, landscapes, architecture and markets are what we enjoy about travelling to new locations and I see all of that in your photos.

I admire your adventurous spirit.

[bixaorellana]

Yaay, you're back & you brought us presents! Wonderful pictures, Bjd. You & your friend must have been congratulating yourselves over the decision to visit Belgrade.

Of course you know I'm a big fan of your photos, & you really do justice to what's obviously a beautiful city. I love that the Optika has a building with eyes & eyelids. And on the eye theme, the pince-nez on this page are great.

Petrovaradin seems to be a nice mixture of venerable & modern, and so beautifully kept up.

Eager to see more, please ma'am!

[Deleted]

Enjoyed looking over the new collection of photos, bjd.

The gypsy girls begging reminded me of the ones I came across in England. They were always in the High street trying to make you buy perfumed dried flowers. Very pushy indeed.

It seems like such a clean and organized place. Did you find it quite easy to maneuver through?

[bjd]

Thanks, all.

Yes, Deyana -- it was fairly easy to get around, although the first day we spent about half an hour looking for our hotel. I had looked at the address on Google maps and it looked close to where we got off the airport bus. But then we just couldn't find the street and everyone we asked sent us off in different directions. But generally, people in shops and transport spoke English and we just wandered, so once we got a street map from the tourist office, it was quite simple.

The gypsy girls were not selling anything -- just begging.

Mich, you could combine a trip to Serbia -- at least the north -- with one to Budapest. It's not far to Hungary.

Bixa, I don't think Belgrade is really a beautiful city -- much of it looks ratty and has ugly apartment buildings. There has been an effort to renovate the nice old buildings though. But it's all quite interesting. Novi Sad is prettier, although we only saw the centre. But one positive thing about Belgrade is the green spaces and parks -- even the ugly buildings of New Belgrade (the post-war residential area of apartment buildings) have lots of grass and trees around. And many streets have trees on them.

[bjd]

Some miscellaneous pics for you:

Belgrade




skateboarders


The fancy Hotel Moskva (where we didn't stay)




An ATM is hidden in these flowers

[bjd]

The wall around the zoo

[bjd]

On the main pedestrian/shopping street







At the toll booth on the highway between Novi Sad and Belgrade


Zemun

Candles are lit at the entrance to a church








Sparrows on chairs beside us when we were having a beer

[mich64]

Indeed bjd, the combined trip of Serbia and Budapest has been given some thought. I now have to go and investigate Hotel Moskva, I want to see the inside, I am intrigued.

[bjd]

I took this picture of the Hotel Moskva from outside.

[htmb]

Bjd, I really like your photos!

I think the picture of the sparrows on the tables/chairs is clever, too.

[fumobici]

This is wonderful. Someone should be paying you to do this, now I want to be a tourist in Serbia.

[anshjain97]

Don't have much to say- but I would like to add my appreciation for your photos. I hadn't ever thought of visiting Serbia- but it looks interesting.

[mez]

Such a great variety of photos.

Thanks for sharing!

[Deleted]

Novi Sad looks like a really pleasant city, and of course it is so nice to be able to wander around such places without the presence of other tourists.

I really enjoyed the miscellaneous grab bag of street scenes at the end. They remind me once again of all the pictures that most of us could never take when we were actually paying for film. I still think of certain things I saw in the past with the idea "I wish I could have taken a picture of that."

[bjd]

Nov 4, 2013 11:52:35 GMT kerouac2 said:

Novi Sad looks like a really pleasant city, and of course it is so nice to be able to wander around such places without the presence of other tourists.

I really enjoyed the miscellaneous grab bag of street scenes at the end. They remind me once again of all the pictures that most of us could never take when we were actually paying for film. I still think of certain things I saw in the past with the idea "I wish I could have taken a picture of that."

Well, I'm sure there were other tourists - we saw a few Italians who can easily drive there, some Brits, some Austrian cars, and, of course, tourists from the other former republics. It was just not overwhelming and there are no special "must-see" sights. Even the two main museums in Belgrade have been closed for renovation for several years!

About the photos. I agree that digital cameras let us snap away, but I think my ideas of what photographs to take have also changed over the years. I rarely take pictures of monuments -- you can buy a postcard if you really want to remember what they look like -- but prefer shots to remind me of what it really looked like, or just things that catch my fancy.

[bjd]

I should add that there were young tourists who were there just to party. Belgrade has the reputation of being a party city every night of the week, especially on those splavavy along the river banks.

[bixaorellana]

Nov 3, 2013 20:48:47 GMT fumobici said:

This is wonderful. Someone should be paying you to do this, now I want to be a tourist in Serbia.

Yep!!!

Nov 4, 2013 12:20:17 GMT bjd said:

... I think my ideas of what photographs to take have also changed over the years. I rarely take pictures of monuments -- you can buy a postcard if you really want to remember what they look like -- but prefer shots to remind me of what it really looked like, or just things that catch my fancy.

Your method of taking pictures is what brings this area alive for us. We could easily go look at a wikipedia entry with its stock shot of a monument & come away with no idea whatsoever of the character of the place.

And of course your comments round out the picture. I understand, even with my fondness for scuffed & funky, why you say Belgrade is not beautiful. But what comes through for me is how the people there seem to love their city & their ways -- how most of it seems to be there for them, not as merely a presentation for tourists.

[bjd]

Thanks, Bixa.

Two weeks ago in Ottawa I talked with a friend of our kids -- she's Serbian from Novi Sad and came to Canada with her parents when she was 15 -- so about 15 years ago. She was happy to hear that I had been to Serbia for a visit and told me that what she missed the most and found the most difficult in Canada was that people didn't go out and walk around in the evenings. Especially in Calgary, where they went to live.

[bixaorellana]

Bjd, You have really hit on an enormously important point that bears on quality of life, public safety, social interaction, mental health, etc. etc.

I don't know about Canada, but it's certainly true in the US that few people seem to indulge in pleasant aimless strolling or sitting around in public places the way they do here or in your lovely photos from Serbia.

[lugg]

Thank you bjd, I really enjoyed reading this report. I have not visited Serbia although I have travelled through parts of Bosnia, Croatia and Montenegro. Many parts of which still show signs war damage in a similar way to that of Belgrade. I certainly would like to see Belgrade myself now after viewing this thread.

[bjd]

Thanks, lugg.

We have been considering where to go next on our annual city jaunt. My friend suggested Sarajevo. It's a place I have considered before (in the 1980s!), but didn't have time to visit when I went to Dubrovnik a few years ago. I did go to Mostar, but the war damage there was really obvious and spectacular. The damage in Belgrade is pretty much limited to the NATO bombing of 1999.

I would encourage a visit to Belgrade/Serbia if you are not a "must-see" type traveller. It's also cheap, the people are friendly (more so than in Croatia). I think it's quite hot in summer though -- you see air conditioning units in all the buildings.