Belgrade was really just a stopover in my way to other places as yet undetermined. I was just happy I was able to figure out how to get there from Romania.
I was in Belgrade a few years ago. I arrived after dark in poorly lit parking lot on a very quiet side of town. My first impression this time was how much it has grown since then. The modern bus station was still just a parking lot but now it’s well lit and connected to a tram station. It’s surrounded by new residential and office high rises. I almost regretted not staying on a houseboat on the Danube like I did last time. The houseboat was in the middle of nowhere back then. It was pretty cool but a couple mile walk to the town center. I decided to just get a room in town this time. A wise decision I think. It turns out that the hotels are mostly hostels now and still pretty remote.
This time, I thought i would make better use of my short stay and get a room in town. I was surprised when I ended up with a pretty lux 5th floor room and a nice view for not much more than sofa cushion change (in a rich person’s house).
I stayed three nights because it is a pretty big city. I figured that would be enough to cover it all since I wouldn’t have to walk back and forth to the houseboat. And to top it off, somehow I learned the trams were free. I still walked a lot. Covered a lot of ground. New town, old town and a few miles on the pedestrian trail along the Danube.
It was pretty cold when I was in Belgrade. It is a typical Europe old town. Not ancient. Mostly 1800’s architecture. A whole lot of concrete. There is a pedestrian shopping street that is set up for the open air cafes but even with the table heaters, there were few takers.
I would be hard pressed to come up with a reason to visit again. I was happy to take a few pictures and hop the bus to somewhere else when my 3 nights were up.
Translated. Kosovo is forever Serbian. Never Albanian.
Remodeling by NATO cruise missile. Still standing though.
There is still a lot of animosity coming from Serbians. On the way to the bus station, the tram passed the ruins of the Ministry of Defense. Ruined compliments of a few well placed tomahawk cruise missiles. There is a banner a block long on the 1st floor complaining about Albania’s treatment of Serbians or something. Maybe there is a book, with pictures this time, that will finally clear it all up.
It was an easy border crossing into Bosnia and Herzegovina and a pretty drive over the mountains in Sarajevo. Say what you will about Serbia, but border patrol coming and going was super easy.
The next place was Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina. And no, I don’t know why it has two names. I have been to Sarajevo before and it is one of my favorite cities. It’s got a good spirit even after their war with Serbia just 40 years ago.
The little villages along the way are underserved with transportation so they use the passenger vans going between Belgrade and Sarajevo to get around. As the bus I was in rolled through the windy mountain road, it filled up with old people and a lot of their crap in plastic bags. I gave up my seat and stood most of the way. I had a good view of the side of the litter strewn highway for most of the drive. The bus started clearing out just a few miles out of Serajevo and I finally got to sit down again. It’s a prettybdrive for sure.
I was watching the progress towards Sarajevo on Google maps. It was still light out so it would be a nice walk along the river on my way to find my room. Then the bus turned left and headed up over a mountain and into another valley. I saw a sign out the window saying welcome to Serbia. It actually was a sign for Republika Srpska. With the similar spelling, you can see why the confusion.
I have tried to figure who was who and who did what during the war. I read a book without pictures even. Still don’t get it and the existence of the Republika Srpska is new to me. Although it is legally part of Bosnia and Herzegovina, they are pretty pro Serbia with Russian backing. I think that’s why the busses from Serbia stop there rather than Sarajevo.
I didn’t think much about the bus driver confirming my East Sarajevo destination. But I knew it was time to gird my loins for an adventure. About 20 minutes into the Republika Srpska, the bus pulled into a parking lot and everyone got off.
Instead of a nice sunset stroll, I was in a whole nother country (Automomous region it turns out) and the nearest bus stop to Sarajevo was still a mile away.
I stopped at an ATM for bus fare and a grocery store to buy some smoked meat to hold me over and break the stupidly large bills into bus fare. Google maps showed the bus routes and times from my stop. The next one I needed was 30 minutes out do zi just kept walking until I was at a stop when the bus arrived. Another 20 minutes and I finally got into my room way after dark.
I am way behind in my updates but the photos are up to date. https://photos.app.goo.gl/KAZjURN2pHsq7vhh8