Serbia

Overview

I first crossed by Belgrade very quickly, only staying a few hours, knowing that I would be back to catch my flight back to France. I had tips from a local and when I came back I was shown around by friends made on the way and friends of friends which were the best guides I could have hoped for.

12^th August

I was quite scared they wouldn’t let me go through the border. With COVID and the regulation they don’t accept our certifications as payback and I would be there slightly over 12h (the time allowed). Also I know they really check for those arriving by plane. By land they seem to not care. They didn’t ask me anything, just checked my passport to stamp it. We talked more about all the stamps in my passport than my arrival in Serbia.

Once in Serbia I went to some of the places recommended by a friend of my brother except for the Fortress. I was too tired carrying my bag around with the heat and I’ll be back in a few days. I did go to St Sava, a beautiful orthodox church, to a park, to recommended places for lunch. After I had to go back to the bus station. I wanted to avoid taking cash but couldn’t as you had to pay an extra tax on top of your bus ticket right when entering the zone with all the buses. It was weird to me. Why isn’t on your bus ticket already? Anyways, I took off for Skopje.

To North Macedonia

What happened next in North Macedonia.

21-23^rd August

Nina and Sava are super nice. We talked quite a bit in the bus and they are super nice. After we arrived they took me to a bakery and got some typical pastries that we ate in the park. When cafés started to open we went to get something to drink before they took their bike home. I went back to the park to read until my room was ready. Almost as soon as I got there I got a text from my friend’s brother. He remembered I arrived in Belgrade today and offered to show me around. We went out for lunch and then walked all around the fortress and the waterfront, as well as some other neighbourhoods. We walked quite a while sometimes through streets I never would have found. In the evening he took me to two different bars to try some local Rakija. It was super nice of him to take the time, I saw most of the city and everything I hadn’t had the time to see before.

The next day I was just exhausted. I planned to see Nina again before leaving but other than that I stayed in bed except to get some food. My last day I met with Nina. She came from her town and took me to a small eatery about 30 minutes from the centre, on the way to her university. We had some burritos like sandwiches and it was delicious. We walked around a bit more until she walked me back to my hotel so I could catch my cab and my plane. Hopefully we’ll manage to meet again, either in Serbia or somewhere else.

To 2022

What happened next in 2022.