The day started, just like the previous one, in Belgrade, with a good homemade breakfast of bananas and raspberries. And yoghurt, of course. After that, I did a quick workout and packed my suitcase, because today was the big day: I was going to Novi Sad!
But I have to say: public transport in Belgrade is not that easy to understand. There are buses. But when and where they run are two questions that can only be answered with a mystical pendulum. And of course I didn’t have that with me. So I set off, bag and baggage, in the direction of the main railway station. And on foot. And contrary to the expectation that a central station should perhaps be in the city centre, it was an intense 50-minute walk from there. And today, appropriately, there were bright blue skies and a good 27°C. Oh yeah…
When I arrived at the main station, I was very excited at first: it was super modern and well signposted. Since I know the Cyrillic alphabet quite well (thanks to my involvement in the Russian class in grade 10!), I was able to order tickets at the Serbian ticket machine without any problems – and met Ioana from Romania, another participant. Together we travelled 36 minutes by train from Belgrade to Novi Sad. Without any delays. No cows on the tracks. Simply on time. That’s something you’re not used to from the German railways. When we arrived in Novi Sad, we made use of the free bus service. Actually, it’s not free at all. But if you can’t pay cash because you forgot to change money, with a bit of luck you’ll get a free ride from grumpy bus drivers.
We were accommodated in the Hotel Aleksandar. An incredibly beautiful hotel with sauna and fitness room. And breakfast. For a price you can’t even get a pizza for in Germany. Around 16:00 I went with other participants to the OPENS cultural centre, where we were welcomed, among others even by the EU Commission. Six keynotes and a full head later, we went on a city walk to an art gallery that creates exhibitions with leftovers from the Yugoslavian war, which was incredibly impressive. Afterwards we had dinner with all people from the project and a night walk back to the hotel. Full head, full stomach and tomorrow we will continue with a heart full of passion!
Yours, Anna Lisa