Serbia: Novi Sad (Vojvodina)

Novi Sad, Serbia: path to petrovaradin fortress
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I got woken up early by Rachel because she had to get the train to Budapest, where she would fly home to Denver and back to work.  Certainly a sad day, as Rachel is an outstanding travel partner and so easy to get along with.  We've already been through nine countries together (in addition to this trip we've visited Bulgaria and Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina).  A good travel partner is hard to find.  I've been quite lucky.

I decided to take an afternoon bus to the city of Novi Sad, located on the Danube River in the autonomous Serbian province of Vojvodina.  Novi Sad is the second largest city in Serbia, population 215,000.  The Hungarians annexed Novi Sad in 1941 and, previously, it was an important city in the Kingdom of Austria-Hungary.  This influence is clear in Novi Sad's beautiful ornate architecture.

Novi Sad, Not So Sad

Novi Sad, Serbia: the clock tower at petrovaradin fortress
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En route to Novi Sad my beloved digital camera broke.  How, i don't know.  Therefore, the first two hours of my visit consisted of me attempting to find a Canon retailer on a late Saturday afternoon.  I did find my camera of choice, although $200 more than I would pay in America.

I roamed the stunning downtown, with its baroque churches and clean pedestrian zone.  There was a quaint urban park that led to the Danube which is now graced by several rebuilt bridges.  Why rebuilt?  Well, the American-led NATO strikes from 1999 destroyed the two major crossing points of the Danube, causing severe inconveniences to the mainly innocent Novi Sad population.

Novi Sad, Serbia: danube panorama (note remaining foundation from bridge bombed by nato in 1999)
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Today the bridge foundations are still visible in the Danube, standing as a  memorial to the absurdities of war.  I crossed the Varadin Bridge to visit the towering Petrovaradin Fortress, nicknamed the "Gibraltar of the Danube."  The fortress is also the site of the annual EXIT music festival which draws some of the world's best rock and electronic acts.

The streets leading to the fortress were pleasant and quiet.  The grounds of Petrovaradin were lush and laced with numerous walking trails.  Built in 1692, the current fortress features over 16 kilometers of underground passages.

Belgrade, Serbia: me and the scantily clad turbofolk dancer
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I took in the beautiful panorama of the Danube, bought a t-shirt commemorating the NATO bombings, checked out a massive poster detailing the before/after pictures of each bombed bridge, and then headed back into town to catch the bus back to Belgrade.

For my final night in Belgrade, I went out with Maja and one of her best friends to another outdoor club on the Danube.  The place was absolutely packed, with tons of young Serbs dancing to pounding house music around a pool.  We also visited another river club where Maja's brother was partying (curiously with some American Serbs), and then headed to one of my favorite clubs of the summer.

Novi Sad, Serbia: the main square
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I don't exactly remember the name, but, as with all other Belgrade clubs, was located on the Danube.  This club was had live turbofolk music, and, as expected, packed well beyond capacity.  Turbofolk is a phenomenon in the Balkans and is one of the few uniting factors among the different ethnic groups.  The music is a mixture of traditional songs with heavy beats.  It's really quite good.  The live band had dancers wearing skimpy outfits, so we couldn't resisit the urge to take many pictures (see pic of me and hot dancer).  It was a great time and a fitting end to my last night in Serbia.