WINTER WONDERLAND- Two Festive Months in Serbia

......a post about general travel options in Albania.....

Although our choices for where to spend December were limited, we still had a tough time coming to terms with the idea of being in Europe for winter. We honestly thought those chilly days were behind us and had no inclination to return to freezing weather. Funnily enough, we have had some travels to cool climates in the past couple of years by choice - Nepal in winter last year, for example and Cairo in January 2020. Our memories of being cold on these occasions were still vivid in our minds, and our yearnings to get back to the heat of South East Asia were strong. Unfortunately, the days of actually being able to choose where one travels are behind us all, and so after weighing up all the options we decided our best overall choice was to travel back in Serbia. 

Tasmajdan Park, Belgrade, Serbia

Winter street scene, Belgrade, Serbia

Man playing flute in winter sun, St Sava, Belgrade, Serbia

Serbia had been good to us- we will never forget the relief we felt escaping to there after leaving the UK in July. It was a country with no PCR testing required for entry, a free three month stay with no visa, no issues what-so-ever upon entry, no restrictions on travel within the country and, at the time, little to no restrictions with regard to curfews, masks and lockdowns. We felt like we were in paradise the first time we were there, and as a result will always be grateful for having Serbia as a wonderful travel option. 

Arriving back at the Sun Hostel, Belgrade, after three months away was as close to coming home as we experience in our lives on the road. The lovely staff and guests there welcomed us literally with open arms, and we almost felt as though we had never left! The hostel was extremely cozy and warm- our biggest fear was allayed. Over the following weeks, we realized the advantage of being in a country where there is a heavy winter. All the buildings were designed for the cold weather, pleasantly heated (sometimes almost too much), hot water showers were reliable, and plenty of good quality second-hand winter clothes were cheaply available in the markets. Also, venturing outside into the cold for the first time in Belgrade, we realized when one is properly rugged up and walking for any amount of time, the body is perfectly warm, and if the temperature drops, there are plenty of cafes and shops to pop into and warm up. This sharply contrasted with our experiences in Nepal and Cairo, where the buildings were certainly not built to be warm in winter, hot water was an absolute luxury in budget rooms, and even cafes and shops were not heated, so there was no escape from the cold. 

Old building with posters, Belgrade, Serbia

St Mark's Orthodox Church, Belgrade, Serbia

Modernist building, Belgrade, Serbia

Kids playing in the snow, Belgrade, Serbia

Enjoying the novelty of snow, Belgrade, Serbia

After being excited at seeing snow forecast on the internet, Sal could hardly contain herself  looking out our window the morning after the first snowfall. A thick white layer had covered everything in sight, and the winter wonderland effect was like something out of a movie. However, when we decided to go out and enjoy the chilly atmosphere, we realized what a complete pain it is to try to walk on slushy, partially frozen ground and navigate our way around people with umbrellas, whilst not falling over on the slippery path. Luckily these conditions only lasted one day. Although the snow hung about for days after, the footpaths cleared and unfroze, and it was a pleasure to be able to walk normally, and take in the wonderously white streets and parks. There was really only two days where the snow had frozen and the unpleasant conditions stopped us from wanting to venture outside. This was a much better situation than we had anticipated.

All the lovely outdoor cafe areas closed due to snowfall, Belgrade, Serbia

Tram in Tasmajdan Park, Belgrade, Serbia

Winter plane tree, Belgrade, Serbia

Rugged up against the cold, Belgrade, Serbia

December and January were chock full of celebrations in Belgrade, and it was a brilliant time to be there. Christmas was a completely different affair than the one we had experienced in Thailand for the past years. None of the high pitched sea gypsy music and dancing in circles in a hut on the beach and no feast of goat curry so spicy no non-local could possibly eat it. No giant shell and tropical fruit decorations, no banana tree Christmas tree, and no catching up with best friends. On the other hand, we had a wonderful new group of friends to celebrate with, and although the Western Christmas carols and decorating the hostel with snow flakes and Santa decorations was foreign to us, we got into the spirit and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Newly renovated St Sava church on Christmas Day, Belgrade, Serbia

Christmassy cafe, Belgrade, Serbia

After a lovely family-style Catholic Christmas on the 25th December, where all the staff and long term guests cooked and shared food, Gregorian New Year's on the 31st December was a huge party, where Serbian guests took over the hostel for a fantastic night of loud music, wild dancing and drinking Serbian beer, wine and rakia. Serbian, or Orthodox Christmas came a week later on the 7th January, and unfortunately we missed the traditional burning of the oak leaves outside St Sava church due to the pouring rain and cold. Instead we chose to stay in and cook and eat more food with our hostel friends. The Julian calendar New Year's on the 14th January was more subdued (everyone was becoming slightly party fatigued!), but still great fun. We made dips and snacks, and danced to traditional Serbian folk music until midnight. 

Dule, the hostel bunny in the snow, Belgrade, Serbia

The most ironic celebration for us was Australia Day, as we haven't been in Australia in January for at least 12 years! Due to the many Aussie close friends and guests associated with the hostel, the staff have taken on Australia Day as a holiday too, and love the particular Aussie traditions associated with it (minus playing cricket in the park or going to the beach, of course!). We set up John Farnham and Kylie Minogue on Spotify, put some Red Faces clips on the TV, and got to work making an Aussie feast consisting of a sausage sizzle, potato salad, fairy bread and sticky date pudding (we snuck in that last one!). 

After two months of busy partying, we felt we needed a change in February and decided to spend the month in Novi Sad, the second city of Serbia, about an hour away from Belgrade.