Driving in Serbia

I thought that the driving culture in Ukraine and Poland was the worst in Europe, but the menacing drivers in Serbia are on a par with the motorists in these two countries. Every man and his dog are in such a hurry here that they might as well just save the paint when it comes to painting the white lines on pedestrian crossings. Pedestrian crossings are hair-raising entities here, rarely life-threatening but still nerve-racking. Sometimes, you have little choice but to stop steaming cars in full motion, and the drivers are more than willing to run you over in order to save themselves from being late for coffee and smokes with Ratko at the local Macchiato. 

If the drivers do try it on (I'll rephrase: when every driver tries it on), either: 

(a) Give them the finger;

(b) Scratch the car doors with a knife as they fly by you when you're in the middle of the road;

(c) Walk as slowly as possible IF they do suddenly brake to stop to rub it in

You've got to love Serbia for its inconsiderate charm ...

Novi Sad - In and around the Market Square ...

Town Hall: Non-renaissance style

 Zmaj Jovina Street: The main shopping Street in Novi Sad, and one of the oldest, extending from the Market Square to Vladicin Court (see below)

View of the Orthodox Cathedral Church of St.George

 Vladacin Court: Residential Palace of the Serbian Orthodox Bishop of the Diocese of Backa. Built in 1901.

The Roman Catholic Virgin Mary Parish Church

Petrovaradin Fortress- over the bridge and up

Petrovaradin is a town and part of the agglomeration of Novi Sad. Petrovaradin Fortress has a complex system of underground galleries and tunnels, while the Novi Sad City Museum can also be found on the upper plateau of the Fortress. There are a couple of decent, reasonably-priced restaurants close to the clock tower. Choose the right table outside and you can have the luxury of stunning views over the river and Novi Sad. 

It is worth walking to the Fortress from the centre of Novi Sad (20-25 minutes).

The view over the rooftops of the old town of Petrovaradin ...

Novi Sad Liman district on the other side of the river ...

Beočin

Beočin - the "white father". Not a bad way to spend a few hours if you feel the need to escape Novi Sad. Departures from the main bus station in Novi Sad at 10:35, 12:15, 13:20, 14:20, 15:10 and 16:00.  Line 78. One-way ticket costs around 180 RSD, a little over 1 GBP. Buy tickets at the counters inside the main building. 

Three landmarks of note to see - the Church of St.Vasilije Ostroški (Orthodox), Beočin monastery (Orthodox) and the restaurant Beli Čin is well worth a visit owing to its etno-style charm and relaxed atmosphere.

https://www.google.rs/maps/place/Beo%C4%8Din+monastery/@45.1865292,19.7250395,15z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x8bf65e47c821dfc9

Church of St. Vasilije Ostroški - the miracle worker 

Approaching Beočin Monastery ...

In the Monastery's grounds ... and below - the Monastery in all its glory ...

Restaurant Beli Čin 

As you can see below, the etno-style Restaurant Beli Čin is worth a visit for the sake of its peaceful and charming surroundings. We didn't try any food but we have heard that the products are local and meals are freshly made. We wouldn't expect otherwise. The owner is most helpful and he even called his friend to drive us back to Novi Sad.

As you walk to the monastery from St. Vasilije Church, you will see the restaurant on your left hand side.

Bus travel tips - Novi Sad to Belgrade

To get to the bus station from the centre of Novi Sad, or from the main road which dissects the city, Bulevar Oslobođenja, take the number 4 bus. 

If travelling between Novi Sad and Belgrade by bus, the "Lasta" carrier is worth plumping for because of the leg space and abundant air conditioning. It also travels via the highway between the two cities. It is a little more expensive than the other companies, but not by much.

Many of the carriers pull up at every haystack, stopping in places as bemusing as "Inđija" which, before I had learned the Serbian alphabet, naively led me to believe I was only a hop and a jump away over the Serbian countryside to New Delhi. But no, it is pronounced een-jee-jah.

So the motorway is the way to go - learn the word "autoput" and you'll be fine.

Here's the timetable for buses leaving Novi Sad. The English option may not be functioning (I clicked on it today and was greeted with the Cyrillic script), but you can easily change the date and find Beograd (Belgrade). 

http://www.gspns.rs/red-voznje-medjumesni.php?selected_lang=lat

You can find some of the Serbian terms related to timetables in the PAGES tab under "Travel tips - timetable vocabulary"

Ah, the wonders of Serbian trains

 Evidently euphoric, these old boys...

Ah - the Novi Sad-Belgrade line - high-tech, spotless, speed machines guaranteed. Here, whisking the wife away in style on our way south to Vrnjačka Banja. We decided to take the train to Belgrade from Novi Sad - a 90 minute journey. It can be much cheaper than going by bus - two return train tickets to Belgrade in April 2015 cost around 960 RSD - around 6 GBP. Two return bus tickets would be closer to 13 GBP, and the journey is not a great deal quicker, though air-conditioning is a plus when you travel by bus (not all have air-con though). Who cares? 6 quid is a snip. Imagine paying 6 quid for two return tickets between London and Leicester ...

After having lunch in Belgrade, we made our way to Belgrade bus station for a 16:30pm departure to Vrnjačka Banja. More to come on this glorious spa town soon ...

The wife and I in oh-so charming surroundings ...

More to Serbia than meets the eye

The first time I touched down in Serbia was in 2008, after accepting a teaching post just over the border in north-east Bosnia. Travelling on the highway from Belgrade to the border with Bosnia, I had little to go on in terms of forming my first impressions of Serbia. However, I suffered from culture shock and a half when my driver and I trundled through Bosut, a sleepy village whose only real asset is the possibility to escape it via the nearby Sremska Rača border crossing with Bosnia. Deprivation, run-down, dreary. The driver then proceeded to show me her Croatian, Euro, Dinar and Bosnian Mark currencies which nestled in bulk in her purse. 

There is more to Serbia than meets the eye, though. Allow me to briefly mention Poland for a moment. Poland's landscape is comparatively bleak compared with Serbia's - and I spent four years in the former. Poland's cities generally revolve around a central Market Square. Not so in Serbia. One could amble around Novi Sad and Belgrade at will and there's always something to look at with interest, or in disbelief. A bit of bustle here. An argument there. Varied architecture. Even Sremski Karlovci, a quaint little town a few miles south of Novi Sad, has more to offer than the major Polish city of Poznan, in my view.

There is more to Serbia than meets the eye, I reiterate ...