Belgrade, Serbia

We caught the commuter train from Novi Sad to Belgrade on what seemed like the best quality transport so far. Air conditioning, leg room and space for luggage. It certainly was an easier journey even with the 30min delay waiting for it to arrive.

In the evening we ventured to the Gypsy Quarter to a restaurant called Zlatni Bokal, where, having experienced a meat platter in Novi Sad, we shared another one between the three of us. It was good, though waiting for the dishes to arrive was painfully slow.

We managed to convince our guide Zoran to accompany us for some drinks in the city and found a few bars recommended by him. By the end of the night we'd learned quite a bit about him.

The next morning we headed to the Belgrade fortress, took some photos. The inner walls appear to be largely in tact, but there aren't really any buildings and it's now just a park for runners and ice cream consumption. It did afford some spectacular views of the surrounding area.

We had some Orangina (nostalgia drink) at a cafe and on the way out visited the war museum. I find that once you've seen one bladed article, not long after, you've seen them all. There wasn't much in the way of English descriptions which was a shame, but the number of artefacts was impressive. It was interesting seeing the perspective on the most modern conflicts from the view of the Serbian people; they weren’t fans of NATO. No photos allowed, but most artefacts in glass cases don't usually produce good photos.

A short stop in the business district for lunch at Aurelio where I had an average pasta dish. We had missed the 3pm group meet to head to the beaches at Savsko Jevero, so made our own way by taxi. Savsko Jevero is a sports and recreational lake that looks like it used to be part of the Savsa River, until it was sealed at both ends, like an artificial rowing lake. Now it's the location of pebble beaches, cafes and water sports. Further inland there are rock climbing venues, cycle hire, rowing clubs and other activities. On a Tuesday it was pretty busy, I expect at weekends it's horrendously busy.

Later that evening whilst having dinner a flash thunderstorm with matching winds developed without warning, prompting the locals and business to take immediate and affirmative action, closing umbrellas and closing their exterior bars. We were told to immediately pay as the outdoor eating areas were rapidly dismantled around us. A couple drinks before bed at the bar next to the hotel, then sleep in preparation for our bus trip to Sarajevo.