<p>Travelling — it leaves you speechless and then turns you into a storyteller. The first time I ever got to experience a picturesque sunrise while on a flight was on this small, early morning, pocket-friendly Air Serbia flight to Belgrade, Serbia. It was one of the most beautiful sights I’ve seen till now.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Somehow, in the weirdest possible way, the best thing that happened to us before we reached Belgrade were all the negative reviews and questions thrown at us by friends, family and lots of random fellow travellers we had the pleasure of meeting on our Euro trip.<br /><br />After holding on tightly through a lot of turbulence and a rather scary landing, we finally arrived at the small Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport with rock bottom expectations only to be welcomed by a few local friends (the people with whom my friend on the trip, Roshan Swamy, studied with in Spain). The next two days we spent there taught me never to judge a book by its cover.<br /><br />One thing that’s common between Serbians and Indians is the highest level of hospitality shown to guests. And what better way to explore a new city than with Marko, Sanja and Slobo who practically lived all their lives in that magical place?<br /><br />After the amazing yet exhausting flight, we went straight to our fully furnished, spacious and affordable apartment which was located in the centre of the city to freshen up and take a quick power nap after which we were all set for our urban exploration. <br /><br />With empty bellies, we took a walking tour around the old city to further build our appetite. Our hosts took us to Zadarska Street which is the oldest street in the city with amazing restaurants serving authentic Serbian food. Starting off with a shot of ‘Rajkiya’, a locally made fruit brandy, my infamous binge eating skills were put to shame with the sheer size of the dishes being served in the old restaurant called Sesir Moj. <br /><br />It was after this satisfying meal that we started falling in love with everything Belgrade has to offer. The place somehow reminded us of Bengaluru as it had a lot of greenery and parks everywhere filled with beautiful people. We hit all the famous touristy spots such as St Michael’s Cathedral, the National Assembly and finally, the Belgrade Fortress which is also home to the Military Museum. The fortress, which is located on top of a hill, shows off a spectacular view of both old and new Belgrade which is beautifully nested alongside the Danube River. This, in fact, was one of my favourite viewpoints in all of Europe.<br /><br />Once the sun set, the entire face of the city changed from being calm and relaxed to a colourful, neon-lit nightlife paradise with streets full of bars, nightclubs and pubs playing loud music and bustling with thousands of people thoroughly enjoying themselves. Our tour guides/friends/hosts took us straight to few of the best pubs and clubs in the city where we joyfully spent the rest of the night.<br /><br />The second day in Belgrade was anything but disappointing. We decided to go to the last on our list but the most interesting (in my personal view) tourist attraction in which is the Tesla Museum. After learning about Nikola Tesla’s life history, we were committed to experiencing what the locals would do on a day off and started driving towards the nearby forest. <br /><br />Interestingly, on our way to one of the best cafes located on top of a hill, in the middle of the forest, we stopped for a quick photo session outside a little piece of our country all the way in Serbia — the Indian Embassy. Our next stop was for a sumptuous lunch at one of the many riverside restaurants at Ada Ciganlija which is a river island that has artificially been turned into a peninsula, located in the Sava river’s course. The place was so peaceful and calm that we spent the entire evening there just looking at the sunset. Thus ended our short urban adventure in this beautiful place and there we were hoping to travel back in time and do it all over again. <br /><br />How to get theren<br /><br /> We took a Qatar Airways flight from Bengaluru to Paris and then back from Budapest to Bengaluru. The round trip cost for one was Rs 47,000. We took an Air Serbia flight from Munich to Belgrade which cost Rs 12,000 one way for one person.<br /><br />Places to stay<br /><br />We stayed in an Airbnb apartment in Belgrade. The tariff was Rs 5,000 per night.<br /><em><br />Kartik Raja<br />(The author can be contacted on kartikraja@hotmail.com)</em><br /><br /></p>
<p>Travelling — it leaves you speechless and then turns you into a storyteller. The first time I ever got to experience a picturesque sunrise while on a flight was on this small, early morning, pocket-friendly Air Serbia flight to Belgrade, Serbia. It was one of the most beautiful sights I’ve seen till now.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Somehow, in the weirdest possible way, the best thing that happened to us before we reached Belgrade were all the negative reviews and questions thrown at us by friends, family and lots of random fellow travellers we had the pleasure of meeting on our Euro trip.<br /><br />After holding on tightly through a lot of turbulence and a rather scary landing, we finally arrived at the small Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport with rock bottom expectations only to be welcomed by a few local friends (the people with whom my friend on the trip, Roshan Swamy, studied with in Spain). The next two days we spent there taught me never to judge a book by its cover.<br /><br />One thing that’s common between Serbians and Indians is the highest level of hospitality shown to guests. And what better way to explore a new city than with Marko, Sanja and Slobo who practically lived all their lives in that magical place?<br /><br />After the amazing yet exhausting flight, we went straight to our fully furnished, spacious and affordable apartment which was located in the centre of the city to freshen up and take a quick power nap after which we were all set for our urban exploration. <br /><br />With empty bellies, we took a walking tour around the old city to further build our appetite. Our hosts took us to Zadarska Street which is the oldest street in the city with amazing restaurants serving authentic Serbian food. Starting off with a shot of ‘Rajkiya’, a locally made fruit brandy, my infamous binge eating skills were put to shame with the sheer size of the dishes being served in the old restaurant called Sesir Moj. <br /><br />It was after this satisfying meal that we started falling in love with everything Belgrade has to offer. The place somehow reminded us of Bengaluru as it had a lot of greenery and parks everywhere filled with beautiful people. We hit all the famous touristy spots such as St Michael’s Cathedral, the National Assembly and finally, the Belgrade Fortress which is also home to the Military Museum. The fortress, which is located on top of a hill, shows off a spectacular view of both old and new Belgrade which is beautifully nested alongside the Danube River. This, in fact, was one of my favourite viewpoints in all of Europe.<br /><br />Once the sun set, the entire face of the city changed from being calm and relaxed to a colourful, neon-lit nightlife paradise with streets full of bars, nightclubs and pubs playing loud music and bustling with thousands of people thoroughly enjoying themselves. Our tour guides/friends/hosts took us straight to few of the best pubs and clubs in the city where we joyfully spent the rest of the night.<br /><br />The second day in Belgrade was anything but disappointing. We decided to go to the last on our list but the most interesting (in my personal view) tourist attraction in which is the Tesla Museum. After learning about Nikola Tesla’s life history, we were committed to experiencing what the locals would do on a day off and started driving towards the nearby forest. <br /><br />Interestingly, on our way to one of the best cafes located on top of a hill, in the middle of the forest, we stopped for a quick photo session outside a little piece of our country all the way in Serbia — the Indian Embassy. Our next stop was for a sumptuous lunch at one of the many riverside restaurants at Ada Ciganlija which is a river island that has artificially been turned into a peninsula, located in the Sava river’s course. The place was so peaceful and calm that we spent the entire evening there just looking at the sunset. Thus ended our short urban adventure in this beautiful place and there we were hoping to travel back in time and do it all over again. <br /><br />How to get theren<br /><br /> We took a Qatar Airways flight from Bengaluru to Paris and then back from Budapest to Bengaluru. The round trip cost for one was Rs 47,000. We took an Air Serbia flight from Munich to Belgrade which cost Rs 12,000 one way for one person.<br /><br />Places to stay<br /><br />We stayed in an Airbnb apartment in Belgrade. The tariff was Rs 5,000 per night.<br /><em><br />Kartik Raja<br />(The author can be contacted on kartikraja@hotmail.com)</em><br /><br /></p>
