Despite the Balkans' increasing popularity with travellers, Serbia remains a mystery to most.
In this guest blog, Serbian student and writer Jelena Farkic (who we met in Szeged, Hungary during our recent European trip) relates the charms of her hometown and Serbia's second city, Novi Sad...
If you are contemplating coming to Serbia, make sure Belgrade is not your first and the last stop. Discover some of the many delights this country has to offer as it would certainly meet any taste. Serbia will welcome you with the genuine smile on its residents’ faces, a glass of extra cheap lager beer and rich traditional dishes you may not forget for life!
For all those train-travel-lovers there is a possibility of experiencing the uniqueness of travelling by the old trains from the communism era- the aged, red, massive locomotive will slowly drag its waggons taking you to just any corner of the country. One of the significant stops is definitely not far from Belgrade- you can get there for not less than hundred minutes and several euro coins for a return ticket.
A journey from Belgrade to Novi Sad passes within the glimpse of an eye- all the way you may be watching the rolling countryside of the Panonian plain, then you start to see the city outskirts and the Danube, eventually getting the peak of the medieval fortress and bang! – there you are at the station being herded off with all the other travellers, being ready to infiltrate into the everyday life of Novi Sad.
What is so special about it, you may wonder. Being Serbia’s second largest city, far less hectic and laid back than Belgrade, it offers its visitors a beautiful giftbox in which they may find its culture, vibrant nightlife, delectable cuisine, friendly citizens and alluring charm, all wrapped up with style. Once you are there, you may want to stay longer than planned. The pleasant atmosphere that rules the city provides you with the feeling of comfort, tickling your imagination, bringing out many questions and making you more curious about the city with every step you make.
Summers in Novi Sad used to be lethargic and totally dull before. Then the story changed- within just a few years, it has become very lively and dynamic, partly thanking to numerous cultural events and manifestations that arose from the creative minds of young people and, one by one, came into being. The most significant one is certainly EXIT, unique for where it’s taking place. The Petrovaradin fortress, the most valuable cultural heritage that is proudly overlooking the city from the other side of the Danube, becomes the meeting point of many nations for 4 days in July. Just a few weeks prior, Cinema City Film and Media festival give the city a completely new image for more than a week, turning it into a global cinema offering 20 different locations to watch over 150 films of either domestic or international production. Novi Sad also holds the other prominent festivals from early to late summer which definitely portray the city as a multicultural social network.
The best way to meet the city is to meet its residents- you may find out a lot more talking to people than just strolling along the streets on your own, led by the map, ticking off every sight stated as touristic in one of your guidebooks. The friendly locals may lead you to the hidden corners of the city, introducing you to the specific rituals they have and also, depending upon your desire, they may teach you several phrases in Serbian language so you know how to greet and thank people, order your drink or make a toast, saying ”ziveli”.
You definitely shouldn’t plan your stay in Novi Sad thoroughly and in advance, as once you step on its grounds, you may be possesed by the feeling of pleasant unpredictability, but don’t you worry, you’ll find your ways through the city within a second.
Jelena Farkic is a student and writer in Novi Sad, Serbia.
Note that this is the original text that went through Tim's revision and what is left afterwards you may
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