Distance travelled: 318 miles
With another reasonably long day of driving ahead we took the decision to set off earlier than we had previously planned and missed going into Sofia. This would allow us to negotiate the border crossing into Serbia and get to Belgrade in time to rest properly and explore a little. We were both feeling the effect of these cumulative long days and Murray had a heavy cold. I had hoped we would meet up with my dear Bulgarian friend Nadia, she had been a great foil in Islamabad when the way of life there became a touch frustrating. I was really saddened not to see her as a result of our plan change but due to our early start I didn’t think she’d appreciate meeting for a cup of tea on the Sofia ring road at 7 a.m. on a Sunday.
We left the sweet Centaur Hotel at Rila and headed north towards Sofia though the pretty rolling countryside and cut around the ring road in good time taking two hours to get to the border. Quite a queue had already grown so we deployed the diplomatic routine and got through in double quick time.
As soon as we entered Serbia the scenery changed dramatically. The road was carved into a gorge bordered by steep craggy hills, swathed in an autumnal forest and a beautiful river surged beneath. It was spectacular and made for another glorious day’s driving. With Simon and Garfunkle playing ‘Homeward Bound’ we were positively buoyant!
Before reaching Nis, birthplace of Constantine the Great (who’d have thought the Roman Emperor would have been born in Serbia?! They got around those Greeks – as Serbia was then part of Greece – I had to double check as I was getting my Greeks and Romans confused), we made a roadside stop for a picnic in the glorious sunshine – ‘making hay’ while we could as the forecast for the next few days was looking a bit grim. Rifling through our remaining Army rations (still neither of us had plumped for the beef and cassava – at this point I think I should add (as I don’t think I have before) they are all a little out of date and I presume would have been ready for the bin had they not been donated to us.) My chosen tuna and bean pasta was still just about edible, Murray telling me dates were simply advisory! I have so far survived unaffected to write on.
I’d been in touch with the lovely Danilo, one of the very long standing and loyal bar staff at Gordon’s Wine Bar, who originates from Belgrade. He had given us some restaurant recommendations and on the strength of that I had booked our night’s pit stop on the south side of the Danube in Zemun, New Belgrade. The hotel Zlatnik was nestled in a residential area on the right side of town for a quick get away the next day. It was perfect. We arrived in the middle of a Serbian christening, what a lively affair that was! Lots of singing, smoking and joviality! Everyone one we met was utterly charming, spoke great English giving us a wonderful introduction to Serbia, but shamefully all too brief. We crashed out for the afternoon and only headed out later in the evening to a local traditional Serbian restaurant that Danilo had recommended and where we had hoped to see chickens running around the restaurant – impossible to pronounce but well known by the locals: Stara Srpska Kuca. The chicks did not materialise but we had a thoroughly good supper, were very well looked after and were satisfied with the cat lounging in a fur lined cardboard box as representative of the hoped for menagerie! Perhaps the cat had something to do with the lack of chickens?
The bar at the traditional Stara Srpska Kuca restaurant, where every version of local ‘brandy’ was on offer. It would have been churlish not to have tried at least one!
Whitesides on the Road 