SADDLE SORE AND FANCY FREE - Uzice, Serbia

..........previous post about our wanderings around Belgrade, capital of Serbia........

Rich and Tito, Uzice, Serbia

Excited to be on the move again, we embarked on what we were assured would be a slow and torturous train journey to Uzice in the south west of Serbia. Instead, we found ourselves on a brand new train, very modern, with big clean windows, and announcements in Serbian and English. Minutes into the trip we were well out of Belgrade, and into farmland, mainly growing mainly corn, plums and berries. This eventually gave way to wild green forests and red roofed cottages as we headed further into the hills and through many tunnels.

Train to Uzice, Serbia

Ain't nobody! 

We had no idea what to expect of Uzice, having heard varying reports. There's no way you could have called it beautiful, but there was certainly a shabby charm to the place, and the surrounding greenness and cooler climate were a welcome change from Belgrade. We had a room right in the centre, near the town square which is proudly beloved by the locals. The square was surrounded by socialist-era buildings including the either atrocious or funky (depending on your view) Hotel Zlatibor. It must have been the height of modern architectural fashion decades ago, but unfortunately the decay had now set in. The hillsides surrounding the town were filled with red rooved apartment blocks cascading down to the centre of town. 

View of Uzice, Serbia

Along the river in Uzice, Serbia

The "fabulous" Hotel Zlatibor, Uzice, Serbia

Our little apartment, Uzice, Serbia

Town square in Uzice, Serbia

We had a lovely time in Uzice exploring the town and outskirts, finding quiet places such as the huge hillside cemetery (no creepy statues this time!), quirky little churches and the biggest statue of Tito ever built (that was slightly scary close up!). There was a lot of history with Tito in Uzice. For a brief look at that time in Serbia, also see the last blog post. Uzice was involved heavily with the Partisans, and when Yugoslavia was liberated at the end of WW2, eight towns in Serbia were especially favoured by Tito, even having Tito added to the beginning of their names. This was dropped in the early 1990s.

Man hole cover with original name, Uzice, Serbia

Socialist-era design on apartment block, Uzice, Serbia

The Serbians love a good chandelier in their churches

Quirky old church, Uzice, Serbia

We didn't have much luck with exploring the Old City and Fortress, as a renovation job was being undertaken, but we wandered around the hill paths instead finding views, peace and quiet. The 1900 hydro power plant under the fort was compelling, apparently being the first such plant to be built using Tesla's theory of alternating current. What this theory actually means is a  mystery to us, but we know from the Tesla Museum we visited in Belgrade, it is the achievement he is most famous for! By the way, a fun video about Serbia's most famous personality is HERE. 

Uzice also had a city beach, but it wasn't quite up to Belgrade's standard. Actually, it was a bit uninviting and dire.

Lovely part of the river near the hydro plant, Uzice, Serbia

Relaxing in the park, Uzice, Serbia

There were plenty of delicious food options in town, and we had an amusing visit to a small local restaurant. Although we could pick out a few things on the menu we had heard of, it was all a bit confusing. The waitress took the time to translate things for us using her phone, and to double check she knew exactly what we wanted. The end result was amazing, and it was difficult to choose a favourite between the pasulj (another bean casserole) with a sausage and the chicken wrapped in bacon on skewers. What a feast!

Yummo meal of pasulj, kobasice and bacon wrapped chicken!!!

Our first fine day in Uzice (there had been a bit of drizzle), we hired out bikes for a ride along an old train line. The idea was to ride out to a monastery on a lake, but after more than four hours of riding uphill on an uncomfortable seat, Sal had had enough, and we decided to call it a day. It seems the crappy, cheap rental bikes in Asia are more suited to her delicate bits!! Ironically, Rich was in his element on the bike, with no pressure on his knee, and could have kept riding all day long! However, it was bliss to be out in the serene, green countryside, riding through the gorge and surrounded by the cliffs and forests. Although there weren't many bird sounds, there were insects galore, and Rich did spot an otter along the river. The trip back was by far the most fun part, with the slight downhill slope allowing us to freewheel for the most part.

Raring to go at the start of the day!

Out of the depths, Uzice, Serbia

Beautiful dam on the way (spot the Sal), Uzice, Serbia

Looking for the best route through, Uzice, Serbia

A little video of some of the fantastic route along the transformed old train track, Uzice

The other highlight of Uzice was a day trip (by train, of course!), to see a massive cave nearby. The entrance to Potpece is the biggest in the Balkans, and it was a good thing we got to see that, as the rest of the complex seemed to be closed. It didn't matter one bit, though, as the round walk to and from the station to the cave was the wonderful highlight. The bucolic scenes of small farms and cottages in the hills was a breath of fresh air. Birds twittered away, and butterflies followed us through the small paths alternating sun and shade. Gardens were spilling over with flowers, and apple, plum, walnut and pear trees abounded as well as the last of the raspberry canes. Most properties had several old buildings on the land, some of which which looked ancient, and some sort of warehouse or shed for either fruit processing, or pottery making. The new houses built were mostly enormous and often quite grand, leading us to think either there is a lot of money in orchards here, or it is very cheap to build a house! As trains returning to Uzice were few and far between, we used the opportunity to while away a couple of hours with several beers at a small shop near the station. A pleasurable end to the day.

Looking through the web, Potpece, Serbia

Lovely little old village house, Potpece, Serbia

Plums galore, Potpece, Serbia

Typical little old house, Potpece, Serbia

Loving the shady walk, Potpece, Serbia

Old shed, Potpece, Serbia

Sal walking towards the cave opening, Potpece, Serbia

We very much enjoyed exploring a different town, and we looked forward to .......the next part of our trip in Serbia, in Kraljevo and Nis..........

HOT TIME, SUMMER IN THE CITY - Belgrade in July

....previously, our arrival into Belgrade from the UK.......


As we settled into our new place in Belgrade, we were delighted to find a fantastic market named Kalenic around the corner. Berries, cherries and stone fruits such as plums, nectarines and apricots were in season, so we made it a point to have loads of fresh fruit everyday and make the most of it while we could. An added attraction was the affordability eg. a kilo of raspberries were 300 dinar/£2.30, and plums 60 dinar a kilo/£0.45. Supermarkets were handy for some items, but people generally preferred to frequent market stalls for meats, fish, honey, bread.....almost anything fresh. Flea markets were pretty common all over the city, with second hand goods simply spread on the pavements in clusters. Kalenic, however, had a huge treasure trove of stalls selling not just second hand clothing, but electrical, antiques and books, and was terrific for a rummage around.

Flower seller, Kalenic market, Belgrade, Serbia

Here's Belgrade, within the Balkans

Lovely fruit for sale, Kalenic market, Belgrade

Produce galore at Kalenic market, Belgrade

Random albums for sale, Belgrade

Street ads, Belgrade

We had a fun time trying new foods, and found the Serbian cuisine varied. Burek and pita were the king of fast foods here, and were very similar- both puff pastry with varied fillings (meat, salty cheese and fruit being common) and served by the slice. Serbian food is famously meaty, which suited us fine! Some of the main rostilj (BBQ) favourites included cevapi (similar to a kofta, or a rolled meat patty, served in fluffy bread), kobasice (a flavourful sausage in bread) and pljeskavica (something like a especially tasty burger). The punjene pljeskavica was particularly indulgent, being a burger patty stuffed with cheese and ham, in fluffy bread with condiments galore. Most items were so massive we were content with sharing one between us. We particularly liked the complimentary additions to these foods- a choice of many kinds of salads and sauces. We also tried some more "home cooked" dishes such as goulash and muckalica (both stews made with pork), punjene paprike (stuffed capsicum), sarma (stuffed vine leaves or cabbage leaves) and prebranac (a bean casserole). Serbians also enjoy a salad with their meal. The srpska salad was based on tomato, cucumbers and onions, and shopska was the same but with salty cheese added. Although we didn't partake in too many sweets, the krempita had to be tried (!), as it's a traditional Serbian cake- they really seem to love cream here. In the last post we mentioned the lack of Turkish influence in Belgrade, but we subsequently found it in the cuisine!

Shopska salad

Yummy kobasice (sausage)

Mixture of pork goulash and prebranac (beans )

Devouring a sis cervapi (kofta sandwich)

Beer and tobacco were two of the most affordable items in Serbia, having very little local tax added. A two litre bottle of local beer (Rich's favourite was the amusingly named Lav) was 180 dinar/£1.40. Thirty grams of imported tobacco was 320 dinar/£2.50. Local tobacco was even cheaper. Most of the population seemed to smoke, and there weren't many places where it was not allowed. However, people seemed to be considerate, and we never found it overwhelming. The strong spirits rakia and loza were two common national drinks, the former most commonly made from plums and the latter from grapes. Visitors to our hostel were fond of these, and we were persuaded to partake in a shot or two to try (!!).

Our days were spent on our usual wanderings. We always enjoy marvelling at local religious monuments, wherever we are, and Belgrade certainly had plenty to appreciate. The Church of St Sava had to be the first on our list of things to see in Belgrade, not least because it was around the corner from the hostel. It was a visual icon of the city, and had literally been under construction since the 1930s. Work was interrupted by war, and was only completed in the 1980s. Unfortunately we were not able to see inside the main part of the church due to still ongoing renovations, but the crypt was a stunning taster. It's dedicated to the important figure of St Sava, who was the founder of the Serbian Christian church. Nowadays, it draws the local selfie crowds outside it's exotic looking exterior, which is based on Hagia Sophia in Istanbul.

Interesting mural inside chapel, showing icons in national dress, Belgrade

Outside St Sava Church, Belgrade

Selfie girls, St Sava Church, Belgrade

Interior, St Sava Church, Belgrade

A couple of other churches in a city full of them caught our eye, including the Byzantine style Church of St Mark's, where we thought we were being respectful, but were chased out by a cranky woman for taking photos. The interior was magnificent, with plenty of gold and icons.

Byzantine St Mark's Church, Belgrade

Stunning chandelier, St Mark's, Belgrade

Also appealing was the rich neo-classicism of the Church of the Holy Archangel Michael, where we were happy sitting for some time surrounded by faded frescos and serene choral music playing. (They were happy for us to take photos there!)

Peaceful interior, Belgrade

Number one attraction for tourists in Belgrade is the Roman-era Kalemegdan Fortress and surrounding park. It's quite a huge area, entry is completely free, and the views of the confluence of the two rivers- the Sava and the Danube from high up in the fort were spectacular on a fine day (which we had). Just as interesting as the history of the fort for us were the two Latin dancers intertwined and practicing a routine with the river as a magnificent backdrop!

Kalemegdan Fortress, Belgrade

Sal at Kalemegdan Fortress, Belgrade

View to the river, Kalemegdan Fortress, Belgrade

Confluence of the Sava and Danube Rivers, Belgrade

Dancers at Kalemegdan Fortress, Belgrade

Suburbs we visited included Savamala by the Sava River, which sported a brand new UAE-funded construction of expensive high rise apartments and river side promenade, and Dorcol, an area with leafy green streets, old style unobtrusive apartments and the only mosque in Belgrade- left behind from the Ottoman time.
Skadarlija, the Bohemian quarter, which we obviously visited at the wrong time, was completely deserted and although the cobblestoned streets were attractive and buildings had character, without people there wasn't much atmosphere.

Deserted cafe in Skadarlija, Belgrade

Deserted street, Skadarlija, belgrade

Quaint street corner, Skadarlija, Belgrade

Deco door, Belgrade

Colourful posters, Belgrade

Novi Beograd is a new part of Belgrade (as the name implies!), and during a brief visit there to see the Great West Gate, we had the impression of rows of neatly arranged streets, socialist style apartment blocks and trendy cafes. We did enjoy the soaring fort and town views from the Prijateljstva Park and the bridge on that same side of the river, and saw some deserted floating restaurants and even some floating hostels. Carp fishing was massively popular on Belgrade's rivers, and the size and number of carp the fishermen were catching was unlike anything Rich had ever seen.

Street art, Belgrade

Splavs, floating restaurants, Belgrade

Socialist-era Genex Gate, Belgrade

Old Zemun was our favourite area of Belgrade. Zemun was a separate town from Belgrade for a long time and many of the old streets, houses and town squares have survived- either decrepitly falling down or turned into cute cafes or restaurants. Starting at the top of the hill, we visited a cemetery containing what must be the creepiest tombstone we have ever seen in a graveyard, marvelled at the lovely view over the red rooves and golden church steeples, before making our way down the stairs to the old part of town, riverside promenade and finishing at the enchanting  Lido (see below).

Gardos Tower, Zemun, Belgrade

Looking out over red-roofed Zemun, Belgrade

Charming cafe in Zemun, Belgrade

Hiding in Zemun's backstreets, Belgrade

Simply horrific!!!!

The absolute highlight of Belgrade for us was the plethora of parks, shady spots to sit and cafes to rest up in from the heat. Parks were a real place to gather, play sports, rollerblade (very popular!), walk dogs, and most had playgrounds, a profusion of benches and drinking water fountains (water is safe to drink from the tap in the capital). Cafes were obviously a way of life here and a big part of the culture. We were never more than a few steps away from a coffee and/or food.

Another curious cultural attraction in Belgrade was the beaches along the Danube and Sava rivers. Being a landlocked country, Serbians have made the most of what they do have and have turned little sandy or stony areas on the river banks into lovely park-like areas, complete with facilities such as life guards, showers, toilets, changing rooms, picnic tables, drinking water, snack bars, cafes and even bars with sunbeds! We found them clean and well set up, and loved the concept. It was also a life saver on the 30+ degree days to be able to cool off in the water. Ada Ciganlija is the biggest of the beach areas, but we preferred the Lido on Great War Island in the Danube for it's smaller, more charming setting and sandy beach. It was also nice for us, personally, to be in a place where the people had no inhibitions about wearing next to nothing, and everyone was relaxed and excepting. The treed area behind the beach was full of people enjoying themselves playing cards, having picnics and BBQs, drinking at the bar and even camping.

Ada Ciganjia, Belgrade

Taking a break from the heat, Ada Ciganjia, Belgrade

Seasonal bridge to Great War Island and the Lido, Belgrade

Spot the Wally, Lido, Belgrade

We continued the strange feeling of being "anonymous travellers". Weird as it sounds, we fitted in physically in this city where fringe elements were apparent, if not common. People almost always spoke to us in Serbian, leading us to believe they often thought we were local. It felt good to be in an exotic location, but not to stand out as big, white tourists!

Old Belgrade doorway

Funky photo shop, Belgrade

Detail on Belgrade building

One of many lavish church spires, Belgrade

The city public transport system was quite unique, to say the least! Belgrade boasts buses, electric buses, trams and mini buses. The ticketing structure seemed quite complicated, and when we asked a local for advice, we were told "Oh, no-one EVER pays for public transport"! Apparently, locals ride for free, and if an inspector gets on, they just refuse to give any personal details and alight at the next stop! We felt a bit nervous about it at first, but when we realized that no one else was paying, we went with the flow, only seeing an inspector a couple of times, when we were able to hop off in time.

Sal began a slow investigation into the Serbian language, and was happy to find she had a head start, as many words and phrases were similar to Russian, both being Slavic languages. Almost everyone we met in Belgrade spoke English, so we found it very easy to communicate. An anomaly with Serbia is that they use both the Cyrillic alphabet and Latin letters. This proved slightly confusing, and almost like learning two alphabets, even though many letters were already familiar.

Empty old tram, Belgrade, Serbia

Rickety windows, Belgrade

City underpass, Belgrade

After Word War 1, Belgrade became part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia, right up until 1941 when Hitler invaded and it became an occupied city. As a result of this, the city was terribly bombed by both the Germans and the Allies.  It was eventually liberated by a combined Russian/Yugoslavian force. The fascinating Josip Tito had lead the Partisans, a resistance group, during the end of World War 2, and played a large part in Yugoslav's freedom. He was a contentious figure, people seeing him alternatively as a harsh authoritarian or a benevolent dictator, but the result of his leadership was the uniting of the six nations of Yugoslavia- Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Slovenia and Serbia (with Belgrade as the capital). The close post-war relationship with Russia soon disintegrated, either because Tito wanted to be more independent, or because Stalin disapproved of Tito's plan to incorporate Albania and Bulgaria into a massive Balkan bloc. Either way, they split in 1948, and Tito was in total charge of Yugoslavia until he died in 1980.
The whole area then subsequently became weakened, with some countries wanting to become independent, as well as many other problems. Slobodan Milosevic took firm control of Yugoslavia and huge, violent protests followed all over the country during 1996-1997. The fighting over Kosovo escalated, and for more than three months in 1999, Belgrade was comprehensively bombed by NATO, without approval from the UN. As well as hundreds of civilian deaths, the city was destroyed.  Eventually Yugoslavia was dissolved, and in 2000 after widespread protests, Milosevic was forced to concede defeat.
As is usual in our posts, this is a very simplistic version of the complex modern history of Serbia, and our apologies if it seems we have diminished or demeaned events or people's struggles in any way.

Still left reminder of the 1990s bombings, Belgrade

Street painting, Belgrade

Belgrade doorway

So, in conclusion, we loved Belgrade- it was the perfect place at the perfect time. And after some further travels, we suspect we may end up here once again.

Magnificent Belgrade corner

Arty city gate, Belgrade

Belgrade Central Train station- time to leave!

£1 = 130 RSD
AUS$1 = 71 RSD


......what we get up to next in Uzice, Serbia.......