Balkans day 10: Serbia

After missing out on the bars in Bar, a smokey place in Skadarlija was the perfect spot to have a drink or two and enjoy some jazz. Well-rested, I got up the next morning to explore the massive Kalemegdan Park fortress, situated at the confluence of the Danube and the Sava.

Sava meets Danube

A penetrating rain shook free all residual sleepiness as I strolled around the area (wearing my HWÆT t-shirt; Beowulf in Beograd!). The fortress has apparently been besieged a ridiculous number of times, and there’s evidence of a settlement here during the Neolithic. The place is decorated with a number of very lethal-looking weapons of war from the nearby military museum.

War machines

I said yesterday that Belgrade is like Sarajevo but more so. That’s not true in all respects. One big difference is that there are no prominent mosques in the centre (or at least I didn’t see any), and no obviously Ottoman-hangover areas like the bazaar in Sarajevo. Crucially, burek is still obtainable, though, and I got some before hopping on the bus to Beograd Centar.

The next five hours were… uneventful. I’ve been waxing lyrical about the beautiful places I’ve been through, and so for the sake of balance it is my duty to inform you that the plains of central Serbia in March are very uninteresting indeed. Winter has left them behind, but spring doesn’t seem to have arrived, trapping them in a diluted interregnum whose colour palette is grey-brown, dull cream, and occasional streaks of green.

What remains of the Blue Train near Topčider

A representative scene from the train window

The train is a modern DMU, and stops absolutely everywhere. It’s surprising that there doesn’t seem to be a fast train between Serbia’s #1 and #3 cities. Eventually the terrain gets more interesting as we peel off from the Great Morava river to follow the South Morava up into the hills, but by now it is getting dark, so I turn to my blogging. Only an hour left till Niš, which the guidebook has good things to say about! I’m looking forward.