Belgrade to Zagreb

David reflects on his impressions of Belgrade.

Serbians can be very gregarious and friendly people. They are still a poor underdeveloped country. No thanks to the previous Soviet occupation. Belgrade is over 1 million people but you can't get a meal at the Main Bus Station Lasta. Cold sandwiches wrapped in Saran or pastries. No kitchen or cooks. I bought a ticket to Zagreb a couple of days ago but after paying around $40 I was given some change. Most change is in bills but she gave me a coin. Most coins are like pennies and I gave it to a street musician playing the violin. Now I find that coin was admittance fee to get in the boarding area at the Bus Station. I had to go to the desk and after showing my ticket, the attendant said she could not give me a replacement. I lost it so had to go to another line and purchase a permission slip for around $1.80 to get into the boarding area. I laugh about it but this is just one of many reasons Serbia will never get anywhere until they change. The Danube runs through Belgrade and Budapest. Expensive tours are given in both cities with meals and a tour up and down the river. Could you get a boat to Budapest from Belgrade...absolutely not. I think they are still at war with each other.

I still have never understood why they had a war in this region? Never even mention Kosovo anywhere in this region. Why? I don't know but people get quiet and give you a funny look if you mention Kosova is on your list of places to see.

The weather has been as gloomy as the city. If you are in the tourist area, everything is overpriced and glitzy. Outside of that everything is run down, falling apart and broken...including the people. You could get on a Tram one day that was hot and overcrowded then on the way back it would be new and airconditioned comfort. I used my first Tram ticket and tried to buy another at a kiosk to return. The man said he didn't sell them and when I asked who in the area did, he replied...this is a free country...no body pays to ride the Tram. I seldom saw anyone validate a ticket when they got on so ...when in Rome.

Smoking is in the Bar at the Bus station. If you don't smoke you sit outside in the rain. No food is served in the only indoor space just alcohol , coffee and soda. The coffee is Belgrade normal coffee. It is Turkish and is like a powder. They have boiling water added to it...stirred then poured off the top into a cup still leaving a residue like mud in the bottom. It is not bad just different. What is served in the tourist area is your typical overpriced Starbucks style .

I gave some money to a Roma woman and her child. She was in the boarding area so I assumed she had a bus ticket. She sat on the ground with her small child who would run up to anyone and hug them. He was friendly and I think it was also a ploy to extract a coin or two but he was not annoying. I guess I best say goodbye and find my gate...there are over 60 of them . Oh Oh....the boy is on me now and wants to add something to my Blog. He keeps hitting on the key board while I keep trying to show him pics of my family. He'll have none of that. His brother is politely trying to see the pics.

I pack it up as my bus has arrived and guess what....I have to pay a baggage charge to stow my bag and am only allowed my small computer bag as a carry on. Cash only and of course I gave my change to the Roma woman so had to rush to a kiosk to get change and was the last to board and got the worst seat in the back. I slept most of the way until a border guard woke me and requested my passport.

When we entered Croatia, everyone that had a cell phone started calling their friends to say they were on their way. The man next to me went on for over 20 minutes and all of them were LOUD. I wasn't sure anyone was on the other end and if so he never let them talk. I took out my hearing aides, put in my ear plugs and went back to sleep until after 7 hours we disembarked at the Zagreb Bus station.

I ATM'ed some Kuna and stashed my Dinars along with my Euro , bought my first and only Tram ticket and boarded the Tram for Ravnice Hostel. A few stops and a short walk and I was challanging some American travelers from California to a game of Ping Pong. While they practiced I unpacked. The Hostel was nice, fairly new, clean, and didn't have air-conditioning. The weather had changed like the countries from cold, drab,rainy and gloomy to hot, bright, clean and cheery.

I passed on the Ping Pong and went out to look for an adapter to replace the one I left in Amsterdam. No luck but took a Croatian dinner of stuffed sweet peppers at a local restaurant. Things were much more expensive here!

The room was cool when I returned and I slept well.

The free Breakfast was Corn Flakes, Bread and instant coffee. Hey it was free! I took the Tram to one of the city centers. Everything here was clean and nice. Still a lot of old block buildings and graffitti but it was clean and kept up. New paint, manicured parks everywhere, new Air Conditioned Trams, restored old buildings, and cobblestone streets. While to AND from the center, I was given a young ladys seat. I thought she was getting off but no they give their seats up to us old folk. I took the first offer and refused the second. I still have some pride though it is much nicer sitting after walking all day.

The main Market was in full swing and after some coffee and fresh squeezed OJ, I found my adapter and returned to charge my computer. Now I am off for a city tour. This is truly a very classy city as are the people. It is very culturally oriented with lots of museums, galleries and the people are friendly. real, and TALL..the men all average around 9 feet.

The Vuka

David should have been in training for this trip. He barely managed to get out of bed today. Legs and feet are very sore from climbing Mount Belgrade and 5 flights of stairs daily.

While crossing the street in Belgrade I noticed that when the light is green for a pedistrian and you cross, a car may still run you over. Pedistrians do not have the right of way. I've seen cars push there way through a crosswalk that was clearly against a Red light for them.

Nikola Tesla was awaiting him. David was on the way to board the bus and stopped to purchase a ticket for the Tram. The attendant said something and he replied a Bus ticket, you know for the Tram please. She said...I know perfectly well what you want, I only want to know "How Many". David realized he forgot his hearing aides and climbed back 5 flights to Mr Walkers to retrieved them. Then as he boarded the bus, he noticed a photo op but NO camera. David was in no mood to do another 5 flights of stairs and boarded the crowded Tram.

Standing in a Tram can also be a strain on the body as the Tram lurches forward then stop then forward then stop...and we haven't even left the station yet. Then the overwhelming body odor and not knowing whether it is yours or ???.

It seems the last day or two have been spent trying to navigate the streets to no avail. Three maps in hand, three different languages and none in English. The Cyrillic alphabet consists of 30 characters that barely resemble our Latin alphabet with each character representing a different sound. David knows Da for yes Ne for no and Hvara for Thank You. He did manage to get off at the correct stop then proceeded to get lost while exploring the neighborhood in search of the Nikola Tesla Museum.

Nikola was the most outstanding inventor EVER. He was from Serbia and worked for Edison but the two completely disagreed on everything. He quit Edison and partnered up with George Westinghouse to win the contract to illuminate the White City and the whole Chicago Colombian Exposition in 1893. A year later they built the Niagara Power Co...the first of it's kind and a life long dream of Tesla's since he was a young boy. JP Morgan backed his effort to build a world telegraph station on Long Island with another in Colorado Springs but Tesla wanted 7 of them throughout the world . He wanted them to be free for humanity and when JP Morgan couldn't figure out a way to make money, he folded the project and Marconi got the credit when his station on Cape Cod succeeded after Tesla. When Marconi received the Nobel Prize , he told the Committee that he was not a scientist and had no idea why it worked only that it did. Edison stole the other Nobel Prize that also belonged to Tesla. Tesla lived almost 90 years and died in 1943. New York Mayor Guardia gave a speech in his honor and the funeral was packed at St John's in NYC where he was buried but later exhumed and his cremated remains put inside a brass ball I got to end my tour seeing. Unfortunately David had no camera to verify the occasion. David is not sure of all his facts as poor hearing sometimes distorts the message. The fact that he found the museum was a triumph in itself. He walked home, got his camera and returned to the Vuka.

The Vuka was the highly recommended Serbian restaurant that closed early the evening before. It was packed when he arrived around 3pm for lunch. The Veal Goulash and noodles with a Serbian salad accompanied by delicious Serbia bread was worth it. A great Turkish coffee and Fresh Bowl of Raspberries with Ice Cream finished off the afternoon and he returned for an early bed.

Slavisa, a CouchSurfer in Belgrade left a message that he would like to meet to show David some of the City when David returns in August. David purchased his bus ticket to Zagreb for tomorrow.

...Late Night Dinner???

David had worked up an appetite exploring Belgrade. He researched the restaurant scene determined to find a good Serbian restaurant to compare to what he had the night before. Thinking that most Serbians don't go out to eat until around 11pm, 10:30pm seemed an appropriate time to dine. David noticed the resident lodger, who offsets his rent by doing odd jobs to help out, had just mopped all 5 flights of concrete stairs and was mopping the entrance carpet with the mop! David didn't say anything because he spoke no English anyway. He caught the Tram but got off a stop too late and had to back track to get there. It was a pleasant evening and still crowded for a Monday night. He noticed a few places were closing up and sure enough by the time he arrived at 11:30 the VANU and all surrounding restaurants had there kitchens closed. He bought a " Serbian" sandwich at a fast food joint on the way home to snack at midnight. So much for treating himself.

Beograd in Serbia...Balkan Baptism

JAT air served a sandwich snack with a Chocolate covered Prune as dessert.
David thought that an odd dessert until he realized Plum Brandy is one of the National Drinks and Prunes are dried Plums. David slept the rest of the flight.

He ATM'd 20,000 dinars then for 250 dinars ($3) he took a Bus. He was told to get off at the Last main bus station stop. A taxi would have been about $75. Everyone was exiting the bus so David asked the driver ...is this the Last stop? He said this is the Bus Station Lasta. It was the NAME of the bus station not the Last Stop...but he didn't understand English and I realized that this was the correct exit.

It was a short walk to Mr Walker's Hostel. David buzzed the Manager and he cheerfully encouraged me to come on up. Fifteen minutes later he found David on the fourth floor huffing and puffing. Oh I would have carried that for you. How about just carrying me!

The manager said David would have to wait about 30 minutes as the last couple was just checking out and he needed to tidy the room. A middle aged couple came down, thanked him, dropped the key and left. He tided up the room then gave David the key. David realized that the couple never had any luggage and a notice advertised that rooms could be rented after 10 am for a short time to "freshen up" or get laid!

Dinner with the tourists in the Bohemian Section of Belgrade

David paid the current 3 nights for $60 then took off to the Bohemian section of Belgrade. Belgrade is on top of the Mountain...1000 steps up...turn left....1000 steps up...turn right....1000 steps up...whew. David managed to make it to the Bohemian section for a nice dinner of Meat and Cheese with Silovice Brandy and Wine. He retired late that night then awoke around 8 am all ready to go. He took a shower then his Meds and an hour later fell asleep again while checking his email. He awoke again at 2:30 pm!

Rain Rain ...go away

The cold damp and gloomy weather continued on Saturday. Good day to read some more before meeting Joe and Hugh. A stop at the outdoor Market on the way would be nice. Saturday is a big Market day.

No Travel Alarm Clock to be found at the Market. David stopped for a snack then arrived at Mulligan's Irish Pub, our meeting point. The same bartender was there and remember David. Alex, a regular customer that has lived in Amsterdam for 20 years arrived, just as he does everyday for his 4pm glass of wine. Alex remembered David and they chatted about his Marathon running. He did NYC everyyear. That is where he is from, but at 67 years old he has 2 stents in his legs and no longer runs. Joe and Hugh arrived and after a couple of pints of Guiness we walked over to Smokies for some Budda Cheese. It is a strain of Dutch Canabis that Joe just had to try. We then parted until we meet in Phoenix and David went home to bed early to insure he would wake early and not miss the plane. He did but the train to the airport was out of commission and a late bus got him there on time.

First Day in Amsterdam

Peter and Jeannette were on their way to Germany and on to the Czech Republic for their annual 2 week vacation. Peter just recently received his eagerly awaited retirement in May so now both were free to do as they please. David had delicious leftovers for breakfast then went back to bed. Joe Duffy, his friend from Phoenix, flew in from Ireland while on holiday. They were supposed to get together at the Bull Dog Coffeehouse that afternoon around 4pm. David awoke at 2pm finally refreshed and over Jet Lag. He showered and ran out the door. While on the Tram to meet Joe he realized he forgot to put in his hearing aides. Just then a gentleman across the aisle asked him what number Tram was this. David replied he only spoke English. The man, very puzzled said , so do I and asked the lady behind him much to everyones amusement.

Joe, and his friend Hugh, an Englishman the worked for an airline based out of Phoenix, was waiting on the Cafe Terrace at the Bull Dog Coffee Shop and were both quite Mellow. They passed the joint and ordered another beer from the waiter. David got some food and chatted a spell before making arrangements to meet Saturday at Mulligans Irish Pub, an old haunt of David's. We went our separate ways and David walked almost all the way home while reorienting himself we his favorite city ...and stopping by a Smart Shop for some Majic Truffles. It was an early night.

Honey...I'm Home

He managed a brief nap before the rising sun was coming through the window. David's Delta 244 was landing. Holland's weather was...well Holland's weather. It was overcast and in the sixties with an occasional glimpse of the Sun for a half hour or so. A ChipKaart was precured for local transport. David exchanged $300 for 190 Euros and then 59 Euros for 50 Euros of credit on the ChipKaart which was good for 8 years . Credit could be added as needed. When you boarded public transport you simply waived the card at a sensor that lit up to show it was registered and when you exit, you waive it again and it flashes the amount charged to your card for the trip. If you don't waive it on exiting, it assumes your riding the Trolley to the last stop!

David was on the train to the Amsterdam Central station and boarding the trolley for Jeannette and Peter's apartment shortly after. A warm welcome awaited with one of Jeannette's terrific meals and wine to follow. It was an early evening for all after some homemade Mushroom Soup followed by an outstanding Lasagna and Garden Salad ending with a Triffle layered with a vanilla pudding, fresh 'Dutch Strawberries, Whipped cream garnished with some dried Cranberries. Jeannette's other hobby is marrying people. She just married her next door neighbor and friend of over 20 years. We all slept well.

PREPARING FOR DEPARTURE TO THE BALKANS....and DEPARTURE

3 Days and Counting

David's stress level is increasing as D day approaches. The Itinerary has been written and rewritten many times. Most all necessary bookings have been made right from the Scottsdale computer is the spare bedroom. All systems are a GO and it's time to saddle up and giddy up.

The last minute decision to do this trip was inspired by David's poker buddy Muharem Beqaj or Burrito Mike as we know him. He mentioned he was returning to Montenegro, his birthplace , with his two teenage boys for two months to take care of some property he owns. He invited David to visit and after a week or two doing research, the trip in the planning stages and a round trip flight to Amsterdam was booked. David's longtime friends in Amsterdam were leaving the day he arrived so the first few days would be short so more time could be spent there before returning to Phoenix. David was unable to find a place to stay with such short notice and finally called his friends for assistance. They agreed to postpone their trip a day so he could get a key and stay in their apartment for a few days before departing to Belgrade Serbia to start his Odyssey.

It was to be an Odyssey through the land of Alexander the Great with over 7000 years of history. Belgrade to Zagreb....on to Split , Dubrovnik, Shkoder, Budva, Ohrid, Athens, Tuzi, Sarajevo, Kosovo, Macedonia, Istanbul, Varna, Bucharest, Plovdiv, Sofia ...back to Belgrade before returning to Amsterdam.

OK .. "D" Day

David is packing....and packing...and re-packing....and going to the casino to play poker! I'll be flying over your house tomorrow! David wants to wish his darling Grand Daughter, Ellie, a Happy Birthday as he will be in Amsterdam that day. Bon Voyage all!

 THE ADJUSTMENT BUREAU

David's Delta Departure left Phoenix at 3:30 pm and arrived in Minnapolis , Minnasota at 8:30 pm with his boarding time for Amsterdam at 8:44 pm . Sitting in Row 32 made him very anxious with only 15 minutes to make a Gate that he didn't know where or even what Gate it was. Pushing his way up front he disembarked the plane in time to see he had to make it to G4 and he was at F9. Well this was the best exercise he has had in the last six months. Arriving at Gate G4 he discovered the departure time was delayed an hour. His plane departed at 9:40 pm for Amsterdam. The Aisle seat was fine except the row in front and the one behind left about 18 inches for his long legs. Well nothing to be done as the plane was full. Thanks to Delta that they served dinner and his personnel Video computer in the back of the seat in front of him had a free selection of games, movies, news, documentaries, travel shows, etc . The best part was his flight attendant kindness. She poured him three LARGE glasses of wine while he ate and watched the new movie...The Adjustment Bureau. Excellent Si-Fi Movie with lots of twists and turns and a great ending. He watched Jamie Oliver , a chef that Jeannette and he highly admires. His seat mate, a young lady from L.A, was on her way to Amsterdam then on to Warsaw to visit both her Grand Mothers in Poland for two weeks then back through Paris to L.A. It is time for David to Nap before arriving in Amsterdam at 1pm tomorrow. It is hard to sleep when Dr Oz is on.