Walking. Gossip. Travel.

Tag: Belgrade Trip

Belgrade Trip – Getting Back from Luton Airport

I had a slightly (very) sub-optimal arrangement to get back to Newmarket from London Luton Airport, although I’ve realised if I can get slightly earlier flights back then I can get a National Express bus straight back. Unfortunately, the final leg of that service isn’t operated a night, so I had a few hours wait at the Pret landside with a 99p filter coffee. They have power and seating, that’s all I really required. I was suitably productive though, so the time wasn’t wasted.

The coach can arrive at any of these gates it seems.

As a slight side issue, why are they being that precise that a coach will be leaving one minute late? And I accept there are more important things to worry about in the world, but when you’re meandering around outside an airport at 04:30 these things provide at least a modicum of amusement.

Here it comes.

Four of us boarded. This route just flits between Luton Airport and Cambridge, obviously much busier later in the day taking passengers from the airport. They need more legroom on these coaches, that’s my summary of the service.

Morning Cambridge!

Then a 20 minute walk to the railway station.

It’s all happening now.

There’s the Ipswich Rocket at platform 5 that took me back to Newmarket.

After a quick sausage roll at Greggs waiting for Wetherspoons to open, I then had the £3 breakfast and £1 unlimited coffees. I quite a few coffees to stay awake, but as Tony Blair said, “that is that, the end”. Well, for the Belgrade trip anyway. I’m conscious I’ve skipped great chunks of the history, food and culture that I thought I’d write about, but there we go, maybe I’ll get back to it another time. Oh, I didn’t mention, that was one of the better Wetherspoons breakfasts so all was well with the world.

September 17, 2024
Belgrade Trip – Wizz Air (Belgrade to Luton Airport)

The delights of check-in started with having to queue up to get a printed boarded pass, as this is one of the airports where I couldn’t check-in using the app. There was a 25 minute queue here, but it was worth it when the staff member at the desk noticed a queue dodger and sent them back to the end of the line. As a British citizen, I obviously rely on people in power to enforce the queueing system as it’s simultaneously important not to see society collapse into a heap, whilst also not being brave enough to mention anything to the individual directly who might be responsible for civilisation falling by not respecting the queue.

The flight was on time, always a delight. The airport is in two bits, the rickety old bit and the more shinier bit which they’ve constructed. They call it Terminal 2, but it’s all joined together, but the budget airlines go from the more rickety bit of Terminal 1.

And another queue to board. But, a golden opportunity to stare at my phone, something I always try and take advantage of. I’m not one for monitoring my screen time, other than to sometimes ponder that it isn’t enough. However, I digress.

If you boarded from the front half of the aircraft you could use the air bridge. If you were in the back half of the aircraft you were despatched outside to walk up the rear steps. I was randomly given a decent seat once again, this time an aisle seat near the front. I don’t pay for seat reservations, but if I did, then I’d go for an aisle arrangement. I boarded the aircraft and some old woman was in my seat in what appeared like a bid to sit next to her friend. I suspect they were about to ask me to swap seats, but since they didn’t speak English and I didn’t speak Serbian, I was sitting where my boarding pass told me to. Without sounding middle aged and grumpy, of which I’m only one as frankly I still identify as a millennial, if it’s important enough to sit next to someone then just pay the bloody seat reservation fee. The woman spent the entire journey with her head in her hands propped on the tray table. The guy by the window seat looked as confused as me as to how that appeared to be comfortable. However, each to their own. The fare was again around £10, ridiculous value for money and I had no complaints about any part of the service. Wizz Air don’t have a great reputation in some quarters, but as yet I’ve not experienced any problems. Although, give it time….

This was after landing at Luton Airport, it’s a bit blurry unfortunately but it’s important to show willing….. The aircraft was an Airbus A321, registration code G-WUKV, which had already been to Istanbul and back earlier on during the day. They certainly work these aircraft hard, but it’s not yet a year old as it was delivered to Wizz Air on 29 September 2023.

With that, I just had the expedition to get home and that didn’t allow much time for sleeping.

September 17, 2024
Belgrade Trip – Business Club Lounge at Belgrade Airport

With some time at the airport given my penchant for early arrivals, I thought I’d use my new Priority Pass card to pop into the airport lounge. There is a more decadent lounge next door which is operated by Air Serbia, but this is the general lounge that anyone with a lounge card type thing can get into.

The staff member at entry was polite and efficient with me, but she was having altercations with several other entrants to the lounge who asked questions. She spent most of the time talking loudly to people on the phone and I’m not sure she realised just how many lounge customers she was evidently annoying judging by their reactions when they entered. One customer already in the lounge told her to shut up, not in a way that was intended to be heard by the receptionist, but I think it cheered the soul of the lady who said it.

The bulk of the food choices were the cold meats and salad items. They were passable, but I was amused by the plastic plates provided that don’t hold the weight of more than about three slices of cucumber. I suspect this is deliberate to avoid piling up of food, there are reviews stretching back some time about this matter.

The drinks selection in the fridges. There were plenty of signs warning customers not to take anything from the lounge.

The coffee machines and the quality of the espresso was decent.

The signage said these were ham, but it transpired to be tuna which I was convinced that I wouldn’t like. However, after trying it rather than wasting it, it wasn’t entirely disagreeable.

Beer. It’s not exactly a wide selection of craft beers, but it could have been worse. It wasn’t the cleanest lounge and there was the air of despair about the whole proceedings, not helped by the lack of natural light. I suspect that at some stage in the near future that it might be wise to update and modernise this lounge.

The lounge was basic, and it’s badly reviewed by any real measure. For my purposes, this was a handy lounge with plenty of power points, snacks and drinks, so it worked well. If I had paid £25 or so for the visit, I think that I might have been rather less surprised and delighted. Anyway, after two hours of excitement of listening to the receptionist tutting at customers, it was time to board the Wizz Air express back to London Luton Airport.

September 17, 2024
Belgrade Trip – Back to the Airport

Drawing this ‘fascinating’ series of posts to an earlier close than I anticipated as I need to start getting on wittering on about with this week, it was time after three days in Belgrade to head back to the airport. I worked out that I didn’t have to worry too much about Internet connection during the bus journey, as I could get the bus ticket QR code emailed to me rather than relying on the screen staying open. Given my lack of roaming options, I did though have to find public wi-fi to buy the ticket and luckily that was available not far from the bus stop. It was far too bloody hot again, but I didn’t dare sit in the shade in case my airport bus came and immediately drove off. The buses are only around every 40 minutes and I wasn’t risking sitting in the sun for any longer than necessary. It’s not that I moan about the heat a lot, but…… Incidentally, the bus ticket cost around 30p, so I couldn’t complain too much – or at least, no more than normal.

On the inwards journey it was dark and so I hadn’t seen anything, but it’s a rather picturesque view on the approach to and from the city.

And safely at the airport. One little problem with the bus is that it wasn’t air conditioned, so at least three people were struggling with the heat (I know this by their desperate attempts to fan themselves) and I can’t say that I was overly enjoying it. One person fell over which I suppose added to the excitement of proceedings, but it still seemed sub-optimal for all concerned. But, I’m always pleased to arrive back at the airport and I had cut this one very fine and arrived just four and a half hours before the flight. Once again, my caution of missing a flight does lead to some considerable sitting around airports, but I think that I might have mentioned that before.

September 17, 2024
Belgrade Trip – German Embassy and Ukraine

Hopefully I won’t publish a post before I’ve finished it like yesterday, but this is short and sweet so I might manage to avoid such incompetence. Anyway, I liked the German Embassy’s unsubtle way of showing support for Ukraine by having this outside. I mention this as the link between Serbia and Germany seems fascinating to me, the latter is the former’s largest trade partner and Germany is supporting the Serbian bid to join the European Union. However, Germany recognises Kosovo and that has caused tension, although there seems to be an air of inevitability about that now, without my getting involved with international border disputes (which I accept are beyond the remit of this blog). The German Foreign Office web-site mentions the disagreement on the Serbian page, but the Serbian web-site makes no mention of the issue on their German page.

But it was a little sign of love for Ukraine.

September 17, 2024
Belgrade Trip – Mercure Belgrade Excelsior (Accor Hotels)

Oops, in my enthusiasm I published an unfinished version of this post. My two loyal blog readers must have thought I had very little to say.

The reception area of the hotel, which is a grand 1920s affair which is an Accor hotels franchise. It has just celebrated its 100th birthday as it first opened on 15 March 1924, having been planned as a clinic but changed to a hotel during the building process. It was seized by the Nazis during the Second World War and used by the German General Staff, then it returned to a hotel in 1948 and it was owned by the employees. Privatised in 2008, it fits nicely into the Mercure branding and I like that they’ve retained its heritage.

The welcome at reception was immediate, friendly and engaging, which was handy after my little expedition to get to the place. The staff member excited and delighted me by telling me that I had been upgraded to a better room, which was very optimal.

Before I reached my room, I knew it would be just a little decadent as there was a seating area outside the room in case I needed a rest before arrival.

The room, which I admit looks a little drab in the photo, but it was dark outside and I hadn’t turned all the ambient lighting on. It was quite sizeable, with a large bathroom and it felt well building as I didn’t hear any noise from inside the hotel.

I had a balcony that I didn’t want to fall off as it looked a little low to me.

And the view of the Serbian Parliament building. I accept there are quite a few trees in front of it, but it’s definitely there.

The exterior of the hotel, my room was the second floor balcony room on the right hand side.

There were welcome snacks provided. I like welcome snacks.

And welcome drinks as well, all for free. As can be guessed, I like welcome drinks too.

I treated myself to breakfast in the mornings, and although I didn’t try any of the hot options, here they are as I have a sense of completeness…. Note the pastries, I tested those and was pleased.

They also had a fruit selection, which of course I could hardly keep my hands off.

Woooo, food photos from across the three mornings. I like continental breakfasts and mounds of bread, cold cuts and random cakes. The sauce in the penultimate photo is Ajvar and I suspect the hotel staff wondered where it kept going, but I got slightly obsessed with it. It’s a roasted pepper sauce with some chilli added, and I think some tomatoes and herbs. The breakfast room wasn’t very large, but it was a sedate experience that was all calm and comfortable.

And my welcome drink, which I actually had on the last evening. It’s a generic European lager, but it was free and the bar area was rather relaxing. I should have brought a book to read, but I didn’t, so once again I stared at my phone for thirty minutes.

I really liked this hotel, it wasn’t cheap, but the value for money was excellent and with the upgrade I was very pleased. The staff members were friendly, the room was spotlessly clean and I really rather liked my little balcony. If I return to Belgrade, I think I’ll come here again.

September 16, 2024
Belgrade Trip – Belgrade Waterfront

Having once again faffed about just a little, I’d better speed up my riveting thoughts on Belgrade as I’m now off on another expedition and so I’m in danger of never quite catching up with these blog posts.

I was aware that Belgrade Waterfront was controversial, it has been a substantial urban project and has been something of a joint partnership between the Belgrade authorities and the United Arab Emirates. It is a major reconstruction of part of the city, involving the demolition of tens of residential and commercial units and even the permanent closure of the city’s mail railway station. They had to resolve problems beyond this as well, moving shipwrecks from the River Danube, moving water pipes, electricity cables and rail lines. Parks have been created and there has been an increase in the amount of space available for pedestrians. The Government has given them 30 years to complete the project and we’re just under 10 years into it.

At the heart of the project is Kula Belgrade, or Belgrade Tower, which is 168 metres in height. It has now nearly reached completion and will consist of a hotel, serviced apartments and residential units.

A whole new waterfront pathway has been constructed.

In all fairness, it looks good and some considerable effort has gone into the design. It feels a little odd walking along the glass bits to the side, but I was very brave as usual.

The entrance to the shopping centre. Spot the two subtle international food brands.

And the ‘understated’ interior of the Galerija shopping centre. I’m writing this next to the Galleria shopping centre in Hatfield, there’s not always a huge creativity with naming. The shopping centre has over 300 shops, numerous dining areas, a cinema and thousands of car parking spaces. And free wi-fi, which proved handy as I don’t have any free data roaming in Serbia. On which point, it felt like travelling back ten years having to keep my phone off, it does nothing for my stress levels not being able to receive e-mails and check the news every eight minutes. I’m not into digital detox, but I digress.

I’m not sure that the pedestrian areas would be quite like this in the UK for fear of a child running down to explore them.

And that’s what it looks like from afar, all modern and shiny. The properties to the left are the new residential buildings that have been constructed as part of the whole project. And at least this part of the River Danube is accessible, as some other stretches really aren’t easy to walk down, but this one has seating, bins and even exercise equipment by it.

One of the public spaces that has been created by some of the new residential properties. There are tensions it seems, there is a very modern and expensive area of the city being created for the wealthy, almost separate from that of the actual city of Belgrade. Although, perhaps, it was ever thus. Amidst all of this, there have been sustained allegations of corruption and a misuse of money, but perhaps such thoughts are inevitable for any expensive project.

Something that I think is interesting is that looking back to the 1950s and 1960s, large-scale projects such as this seemed a marvellous idea in city centres. Street lines were swept away, heritage entirely destroyed and people moved out of areas they’ve lived for decades. All new shiny things are positive for urban renewal and the well-being of residents, but I wonder whether in 50 years they’ll look back and talk about the destruction of a large area by the river. For me, I thought it was all rather lovely, although little thought had been given as to how pedestrians were supposed to cross roads that they were working on. The solution seemed to be for pedestrians to barge their way into the road and make the cars stop, all slightly ironic given that this development is meant to be good news for walkers and cyclists.

September 16, 2024
Belgrade Trip – Monument to Stefan Nemanja

The building at the rear is the former central railway station, closed in 2018 for the creation of the enormous Belgrade Waterfront project (more on which later). The subtle little monument that was unveiled in January 2021, in what was a traffic island and car park, is of Stefan Nemanja (1114ish – 1199) who is seen as the founder of Serbia. The Waterfront project is controversial, but it has certainly seen the modernisation and improvement of certain areas of the city, this is rather a pleasant place to sit now.

Some people thought that it was a bit much, but President Aleksandar Vučić said at the opening that attempts to remove it (although I’m not sure many people would seriously think it would be removed) would fail as it represented “the anchor of the whole Serbian nation”. A Government press release said at the time:

“Vučić pointed out that today’s ceremony is not just an act of unveiling the monument, but an act of taking care of oneself and one’s identity. To stand here means repentance for all the years during which we forgot about him, but also the awareness that we have finally discovered the root from Serbia was created, stated Vučić.”

It’s an intricate design, the whole monument was designed by the Russian sculptor Alexander Rukavishnikov.

This is meant to represent a Byzantine helmet, although some commentators thought that it was more akin to a Kinder chocolate egg. I like it though, looking at photos of what this area used to look like, it feels like a focal point now. The 75 ton monument isn’t exactly subtle, but there’s sometimes a place for slight excess….. What they do with the former railway station is more interesting, it would have made a rather lovely national railway museum, but it appears now to be the new home of the Historical Museum of Serbia.

September 14, 2024
Belgrade Trip – Draft Bar (Not a Bloody Disappointment)

After my disappointment with the Docker Brewery, I decided to just go to a bar nearby to have justified to myself the walk out here. And I was surprised and delighted, there was a friendly staff member who greeted me immediately and explained they were just tidying up so excuse the mess, although it all looked fine to me. I checked if I wanted to sit outside, which I didn’t, before offering me a range of tables inside. I opted for the one nearest to the beer…..

The staff member kindly explained the concept of the bar, which effectively was self-service where you bought a card and then used that to pour your own beer.

After I got muddled up, the staff member came to fix the problem, although in retrospect it really is all very easy and it was my user error. I rather liked that you could pour any amount you wanted, as that enabled me to try six beers for just under £7. Untappd (my account is at https://untappd.com/user/julwhite for anyone bored enough to wade through it) is once again my friend here, it neatly lists the six beers that I tried here.

There were around 24 beers to choose from, along with another section which had ciders and wines on.

In summary,

(i) Hope, from Dogma Brewery. This was a juicy, hoppy and hazy beer, I noted nearly as good as Verdant.

(ii) BrrKaaa from Kabinet Brewery. This was light, hoppy and quaffable.

(iii) Cherry Kiss from Docker Brewery. This was a gentle beer with lots of cherry, but also almond, so it made it like a bakewell.

(iv) Wild Crow Exotic Gose 3 from Crow Brewery. This was a clever beer with a whole range of fruit flavours, the gooseberry added tartness and there was a softer fruit that I couldn’t identify as I’m not a fruit expert….

(v) Lollihop from Zebrew. A punchy and full bodied beer with lingering flavours.

(vi) Memento Mori from 3bir. There was a lot of kick to this, a full bodied stout with chocolate and coffee flavour.

The whole set-up was comfortable and very on-trend, especially with the engaging staff member who was keen to help at all stages. The beer selection was broad, covering plenty of beer styles, and although there was Guinness and a Brewdog beer, most were local beers and so they were all new to me.

This ended up being one of the best bars that I’ve visited this year, not just because of the innovative concept, but also because of the engaging service and comfortable atmosphere. There was some background music going, but that didn’t intrude into the atmosphere of the venue. It wasn’t the bar that I had initially intended to visit, but I’m glad it was the one that I ended up visiting. All really very lovely.

September 13, 2024
Belgrade Trip – Docker Brewery (Bloody Disappointment)

Well, this was all highly sub-optimal and one of the strangest encounters I’ve had when travelling. It was a bit of a walk out to this craft beer bar which is listed as a verified venue on Untappd and which I had anticipated on being a very positive experience.

This all looked promising and there were several other groups in despite it being the afternoon, it’s clearly a popular location. Anyway, with my choices made, the server said that the venue wasn’t serving beer. I can only think that I was perhaps meant to serve the beer myself, as there is a sign mentioning this, but then I can’t quite understand why they’ve got a bar set-up. And when I was sitting outside I watched a couple go in and then come out two minutes later looking confused and walking off, so I have no idea. It was all beyond me whatever was happening……

Slightly unsure what to do at this news, I looked at the weekend menu and thought it looked all on-trend and interesting, although I was there on a weekday and so it wasn’t appropriate to my visit. Slightly saddened as I had walked a long way to get there, I sat outside using the venue’s wi-fi and bemoaned the situation to Nathan by message. I decided that I’d just find a nearby bar and as it happened there was another one just opposite, so with not a great deal of positivity I went there. And that venue was Draft Bar and just as I felt the afternoon wasn’t going in my favour, I discovered one of the best bars I’ve been to. I’m confident that this bar is probably brilliant (the reviews are testament to that), but I ended up being pleased with how events turned out. More of which in the next post….

September 13, 2024