There were many articles today commemorating 10 years since the NATO bombing of Serbia. I would like to point out some of them I find good.
Yankee in Belgrade
Balkan file
Nothing against Serbia - be sure to check out the "NATO trail" map
Pecko pivo - that last documentary is great, with English subtitles too.
I already wrote about the bombing some time ago. (comment on
NATO bombing of Serbia - 10 year anniversary)
Hundreds of Belgrade cityskape and skyline photos at SkyscraperCity forum, collected from all over the net. Browse slowly and get to know Belgrade from a different perspective. (comment on Belgrade cityskapes and skyline photos)
Orli Fridman explores the feeling of guilt among the Serbs: "Above all, the Serbian younger generation want to forget and to live a normal life. Those who want to remember and remind others are perceived as an obstacle to normalisation. To be normal here is to be part of Europe: to sit in the coffee shop and talk of things that do not happen here." (comment on The question of collective guilt)
360 cities is a really great website with 360 degree hi-rez photo panoramas of European cities. Among them, you will find also Novi Sad and Belgrade. Make sure you switch to full screen mode, and try various lens options from the right click meny. How do they make these photos anyway? Resolutions are amazingly high, enjoy! (comment on 360 panoramas of Belgrade and Novi Sad)
Tommy Marchant of Black Tomato made a short videocast guide through Belgrade - talking about Skadarlija, rivers, hidden stuff etc. Go see it on their site! (comment on Under the skin of Belgrade)
So you always wanted to know what it's like in Kosovo these days after the independence, but were afraid to go there yourself? Fear not, Johnny and the Lars explore the area for you, focusing on the most interesting stuff - piracy, radioactive streets, strange architecture, food and drinks. Explore this video blog from the beginning, highly recommended. Also check out DFBMBE's blog for more Kosovo coverage. (comment on Kosovo will never be the same)
The first blog I'm aware of that's completely dedicated to good looking Balkan guys. Pictures are most probably selected by gay gays, but somehow I don't think straight girls will mind the selection. Now where's that blog dedicated entirely to Balkan girls I wonder? (comment on Blog with balls)
Animal suffrage organization Four Paws managed to release three 'dancing bears' from captivity in Serbia and have them transported in a nature resort in Bulgaria. Politika article implies that this noble effort is taking away the 'working tools' from Roma families. Journalist also sarcastically remarks that the bears were not willing to go to EU but were taken there by force.
(comment on
Bears in the EU)
Bruce Sterling holds a lecture on user experience, branding and design using an example of Balkans. Great stuff. via @DanicaR (comment on User Experience in Balkans, Serbia and Belgrade)
Pescanik website is back, after being hacked and forced to go offline for a week. More about Pescanik in this article by Srdja Popovic. (comment on Pescanik back on the web)
An old Serbian saying states that the JAT air hostesses are the only air hostesses in the world that die of natural causes. So don’t be surprised when you find out that, instead of young, slim, and beautiful babes (and guys) (you saw in videos, movies with a peculiar plot, or practically, every other air company you flew with), you will be served by ladies much, much older than the plane you are flying on. And our planes are quite old. Not to worry, the story also goes that pilots and crew are some of the best in the world, and you will arrive to or leave Belgrade safe and sound.
The Airport is small, but rarely crowded, so you shouldn’t have any problems getting around. The airport is nevertheless, at safe distance from the city center, and most people will find it difficult to walk 20km to reach Belgrade. That’s why we recommend taxi or bus or (mini) bus shuttle service.
Be careful when catching a cab, most cab drivers will try to exploit the unsuspecting and naive passenger such as yourself, so remember never to accept a ride that will cost you more than 10 euros and that the number of people and the size of your luggage don’t affect the price of the ride. The Cab ride lasts about 20-45 min, depending on the traffic, and riding the bus will take about 30-50 minutes of your time, making one stop at (in, on) New Belgrade. Still, the best, fastest and cheapest way is, of course, to have a friend come pick you up. If you don’t have friends in Belgrade, make some.
Good news: Germanwings just announced that it will launch a new low budget route Cologne/Bonn – Belgrade in September 2006. Prices go as low as 19 EUR for one way ticket! You can already book your tickets on their site. From 2nd September you will be able to fly three times weekly to Belgrade (and back maybe). Hopefully this will be only the first in a series of “no frills” and discount airlines to make Belgrade its regular destination.
Assumption is that tourists’ interest for Belgrade is still pretty low. But also the fact that Serbs need visa for almost every country in the world represents a problem when it comes to last minute deals and offers that these companies rely on.
Still, there are also other ways to fly cheap in vicinity of Belgrade. Wizz Air recently connected London and Zagreb, Croatia which is not that far from Belgrade. Train ride lasts for 6 hrs, and there are 5 departures daily, plus you get a chance to visit Zagreb, also a great city. Many other European low budget airlines fly to Sofia, Bulgaria and almost all of them fly to Budapest, Hungary. Both Budapest and Sofia are approximately at the same distance from Belgrade as Zagreb, but trains run very slowly, so I suggest a bus ride. One more city in Croatia is on the map for low cost companies, Dubrovnik, certainly worth a visit. More info about these and other cities in the region on Belgrade daytrips page