Tuesday, October 10, 2017
Sofia, Bulgaria – Niš, Serbia
The bus from Sofia got to the border with Serbia in one hour. The border formalities took almost another hour. After that we were allowed to proceed into Serbia.
The road from the border, mostly plain, became interesting when it dove into a deep ravine and went through a series of tunnels closer to Niš. At 7 pm I was in Niš.
I had no reservation, just a couple of hotel names on my list and went to search for them. Both were fully booked. I asked at one of the hotels where I could stay for one night and they sent me to the Eter hotel where I took the last vacant room.
The hotel and the room looked fantastic, all for 45 euros, breakfast included. I went to bed feeling grateful for that everything was going smoothly so far. At the same time this long streak of good luck worried me. They do not last forever. Something bad was bound happen. I wished I knew what it would be to prepare myself.
Wednesday, 11 October 2017
Niš – Smederevo
My last night’s premonition turned out to be true. Good luck does not last forever.
In the morning my gold earring went down the drain in the shower, literally. It was inexpensive, just a long earring shaped like an icicle, but I liked those earrings.
Trying not to dwell on the loss, I had an excellent buffet breakfast at the hotel and checked out. The hotel receptionist confirmed that they registered me with police which is a requirement for all foreigners arriving to Serbia. This must be done within 24 hours after crossing the border. Hotels do this for their guests. If staying at a private house visitors must submit registration forms themselves.
The only attraction that I saw in Niš was the fortress. The entrance to it looked promising.
Inside it was simply a city park to where the locals come for a stroll. A few structures within the remnants of the fortification walls were mostly rundown. Below is a sample of what is located in the fortress.
Instead of trying to see more of Niš I treated myself to a nutritious lunch. Later it proved to be a good move because I had no chance to eat dinner and this lunch was the last meal of the day.
On the way to the bus station I bought from a local artist a pair of simple silver earrings to replace the lost ones. My ears were pierced when I was 10 years old. Since then I always wear earrings and without them it feels like I am not fully dressed.
After 3 hours on the bus I was in Smederevo. Two things that I wanted to see brought me here – a medieval fortress and the Danube river. I had to take a taxi from the bus station to the hotel. First I tried to walk to it as I often do, then I got hopelessly lost and gave up. My room was in a regular Serbian house that the family rented out for some extra income. The guesthouse Maslina Rooms has excellent reviews online, location and all, but it is a big difference from my luxurious and modern accommodation last night. Oh, well, these are the ups and downs of living on the road.
Thursday, 12 October 2017
Smederevo
My first impression of Smederevo on the previous night was not favorable. Grey concrete buildings and air filled with smoke made me hastily cancel my reservation for the second night in this city. The owners of Maslina Rooms looked disappointed and then perplexed when I asked if I could have breakfast at their house because I noticed that there was no place to eat in the area. Their first response was that Maslina Rooms did not provide this service. Then the owners thought about that a little and decided ‘why not?’. I was served a hearty homemade breakfast that included a shot of rakia. I do not normally drink that early in the morning, but my hosts insisted and it was hard to refuse.
The family went to great lengths to make sure that I was comfortable in their house. This explains the high ratings of Maslina Rooms on Booking.com. I changed my mind and stayed for another day. Before moving to my next destination first I should make the most of my time in Smederevo.
Here are some interesting facts about Smederevo that I found on the Internet.
The modern founder of the city was the Serbian prince Đurađ Branković in the 15th century, who built Smederevo Fortress in 1430 as the new Serbian capital. Smederevo was the residence of Branković and the capital of Serbia from 1430 until 1439, when it was conquered by the Ottoman Empire after a siege lasting two months.
During the First Serbian Uprising in 1806, the city became the temporary capital of Serbia, as well as the seat of the Praviteljstvujušči sovjet, a government headed by Dositej Obradović. During World War II, the city was occupied by German forces, who stored ammunition in the fortress. On 5 June 1941, a catastrophic explosion severely damaged the fortress, killing nearly 2,000 residents.
Smederevo has a recent history of heavy industry and manufacturing, which is a result of active and aggressive industrialization of the region conducted by Tito’s regime during the 1950s-1960s era. Previously, this entire geographical region had a heavy focus on agricultural production. The city is home to the only operating steel mill in the country, previously known as Sartid. The plant was privatized and sold to U.S. Steel in 2003 for $33 million.
Following the global economic crisis, U.S. Steel sold the plant to the government of Serbia for a symbolic $1 to avoid closing the plant. The plant was renamed Železara Smederevo and employs about 5,400 workers. Finally, in year 2016, the Serbian government managed to strike a deal with a Chinese conglomerate HeSteel that purchased the effective assets for $46,000,000 what many consider to be below market rate.
The Smederevo fortress is large. Similarly to the fortress in Niš, it is a park enclosed by fortification walls. The entrance is free. People come to it for a jog or to walk a dog. It is a pity that the walls are covered with graffiti like many buildings in Smederevo. Some parts of the fortress were renovated and look great. I spent the entire morning leisurely wandering around the fortress grounds and half of the afternoon daydreaming on the bank of the Danube.
I understood why I did not like Smederevo at first. For some reason I pictured it as a green place which it is not. It is an industrial city with a port. The mismatch with reality led to the initial disappointment. It was good to spend a whole day in Smederevo and to enjoy what this city has to offer.
Friday, 13 October 2017
Smederevo – Belgrade
After the second night in Smederevo I parted with my kind hosts who treated me like family.
The day was Friday, the 13th and I was a little worried that things could go wrong. I needed to get by bus from Smederevo to Belgrade, the capital of Serbia, and from there to take the train to Budapest, the capital of Hungary. There was a chance to miss the connection in Belgrade and I did not have the train ticket. What if all tickets to Budapest had been sold out?
Two roads go from Smederevo to Belgrade. One is a faster motorway; the other is a more picturesque road along the bank of the Danube via the city of Grocka. I chose the latter. The bus left Smederevo at 9 am; one hour later we were still traveling and the train’s departure time was 11.35 am.
Eating grapes before going to bed caused issues at night. I did not get much sleep. Somehow I forgot my first aid kit at home. It was the first time in my life when I went on a trip without that kit. I hoped that there would enough time in Belgrade to pop into a pharmacy and to buy some medication.
The bus was in Belgrade at 10.30 am. I ran from the bus station to the train station. They are close to each other, but still require a few minutes to get from one to the other. Thankfully, the tickets to Budapest for the departing train were available. I had a quick coffee and a sandwich in a café at the station thinking that I would get more food on the train, exchanged the remaining Serbian dinars to Hungarian forints and skipped searching for a pharmacy. My train was about to depart.
I probably got one of the last tickets for that train because it was full.
Most passengers traveled only to the border. They left the train at the last Serbian station. After passport control on both sides of the border the train was inspected by a Hungarian customs officer. Dressed in overalls and armed with a flashlight and a screwdriver he looked more like a technician. The officer checked under the seats, unscrewed a ceiling panel and shone his flashlight into the opening. Nothing was hidden there and our train continued its route to Hungary.