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Belgrade - the city of contrasts

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Staying only for three days in Serbia we decided to spend them mostly in the capital but also stop in Subotica heading to Belgrade from Hungary. This was the first time I saw war damages - a realy poignant view.

Belgrade is not a beautiful city – it’s dirty and heavy traffic enhances this negative impression you have just after arrival. Nevertheless, if Serbia is on your itinerary only for transfer reasons, stay in Belgrade at least for one day to see some of its highlights. The region (i.e. former Yugoslavia) has a very turbulent history and during the 20th century it used to be a scene of many sanguinary conflicts.

If you head to Belgrade from the northern part of the country, i.e. from Subotica or Novi Sad the best public transport is railways. Trains are cheap and relatively comfortable. The only drawback is the speed. A journey from Subotica to Belgrade took more than three hours (it's 200 km). If going directly from Budapest you can take an overnight train. The same goes with Sofia, Bulgaria. There are no low-cost airlines operating in Serbia. The nearest low-cost destinations are in Hungary and Croatia.

Favourite spots:




	Marshal Tito's grave

Although the city is really ugly it has some fine museums and other sights. One of the most interesting places is marshal Tito’s grave. After his death a huge mausoleum was built. There is also a museum of Tito. The whole complex is a good example of personality cult, so widespread in Yugoslavia under Tito. Near the mausoleum there is a small etnographical museum (you may omit it if you have previously visited the Etnographical Museum in central Belgrade. The easiest and cheapest way to get to the Tito’s grave is to use the public transport. From the centre (the bus stop is near the Etnographical Museum) there is a trolleybus 41 that goes directly to the mausoleum. When riding on the trolleybus look through the windows and you’re likely to spot many buildings damaged during the war. Many of them still do have holes made by bullets.

What's really great:




	Demonstration in Tesla Museum

The Etnographical Museum mentioned before is a great place if you are interested in the culture of the visited country. The museum has a rich collection of apparel and household tools not only from Serbia but from many other countries that once were united under the name of Yugoslavia. Also the citadel is worth a visit. For me a must-have was a visit in the Nikola Tesla Museum. This physics genius was Serb although most of his life he spent in the United States. Even if you are not interested in physics at all you’ll like the visit. There is a guided tour in English and there is a great show, when you can see the application of many physics rules as well as light swords!

Sights:




	Town Hall in Subotica

We arrived to Serbia from Hungary and thanks to this we had the opportunity to see Subotica, a middle-sized town close to the Serbian-Hungarian border. There aren't many sights in Subotica but definitely it's a great place for a one-day-long stay.
All things that are worth a visit are located in the very centre of the town. Along Korzo, the main boulevard, many Art Nouveau houses are located. Korzo goes almost from the very train stations and leads to the Trg Republike (Republic Square) where an Art Nouveau town hall is located.
Another interesting building in the centre of Subotica is the Synagogue located in Trg Sinagoge. It's been placed on the list of endangerede monuments of the World Monuments Fund and is under reconstruction now.

Accommodations:




	The junction of Danube and Sava rivers

In Belgrade we stayed at a person contaced through Hospitality Club. This is a great idea if you want to meet interesting people on your way. It's also a great value if you're travelling on a tight budget. If you want to be a member of Hospitality Club it's necessary to register at www.hospitalityclub.org. You don't have to offer accommodation to other members.
In Subotica there aren't many budget opportunities. We just went to the Turist Information Office (Korzo 15, near the train station) and asked for budget accommodation. The lady told us that the accommodation mention in our LP guide isn't available but arranged another place for us (for free). It was Studentski Dom Bosa Milićević (Segedinski put 11). It's a dormitory with a hostel on the highest floor. The conditions are decent as the place was renovated recently plus the price is affordable - 880 dinars (ca. 11 euro) per person per night in a double room with shared bathroom. The kitchen is also available.

Restaurants:




	Burek

What's interesting about Serbia is the fact they have their own kinds of junk food, meaning not only the Americans can invent such things. It's worth trying as ćevapi (or ćevapčići) as well as pljeskavica are a bit different from what everyone knows from American fast foods.
Serbian cuisine is strongly influenced by the Turkish one. This goes with the above ćevapi and the same is with burek. It's a pastry with meat or cheese. In Subotica (but only there) we also found sweet bureks with e.g. cherries.
A good place to try burek in Subotica is Lipa, the most famous bakery located in Dure Drakovića Str. In the same street there is the Boss Cafe, a mix of a cafe and a restaurant with Italian food. It's relatively expensive, but still a beer is 2,5 euro.
In Belgrade fresh vegetables and fruits can be bought in the fruit&veg market near the train station. Peaches and grapes in Serbia are exquisite.

Published on Friday October 19th, 2007 by adampl

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