Serbia or Syria and Day 23!

My room is right above the front door of the hotel and the recycling bins and has been so warm I sleep with the windows open.  The inside ledge is a great place to dry your clothes, but I really don’t want my undies to blow out and float over the streets!

I failed to set my alarm so I could wish the group “Farewell!” at 4:30 AM.  I heard noises throughout the night with people in the streets and recycling clinks and clanks so I thought I would hear our group.  

Sleeping with one ear open is not productive nor leads to clear thoughts.  I awoke at 5:30 thinking I was already in SYRIA!  “Oh, I have a couch in my room like in Slovenia,” and totally discombobulated not being able to remember the schedule for my first day in Syria!

I finally awakened enough to remember I was still in Slovenia, I had missed a final goodbye to the group that left, and I was going to Serbia not Syria!  Oh, the day can only get better!

I wanted to cover a controversial topic Damir talked about on the bus, but I didn’t want to spoil my Lake Bled vibe several days ago.  He has tried to tell us the wrongs committed by various Balkan countries along with all the positive things.

The Pitan Bay lies between Croatia and Slovenia.  Prior to WWI, the bay belonged to Slovenia.  After WWII, Slovenia and the bay became part of Yugoslavia.  

Local farmers changed the course of the river flowing into the bay to irrigate fields, and no one cared until 1991 when both countries became independent of Yugoslavia.  With the river as a border between these two countries, what part of the Adriatic Sea belonged to which country?

Slovenia had lost access to international waters when the river was diverted.  They tried to blackmail Croatia to give the river back, and Croatia said, “No”!  In retaliation, Slovenia used its veto power to blocked Croatia’s admission to the EU for 2-3 years.

These normally friendly neighboring countries handed the problem to an international court to make a decision which both countries agreed to accept.  Slovenia lifted its veto, and Croatia joined the EU.

Knowing that a decision was coming soon, in 2017, Croatia bugged the phone conversations between Slovenia and the panel of judges.  They discovered Slovenia pressuring the judges under the table to favor Slovenia!

Croatia’s parliament met and pulled out of the arbitration process due to unfairness.  They stated they would not accept any decision from the court, but the court continued.

In 2018, the court’s final decision gave 2/3 of the Pitan Bay to Slovenia and 1/3 to Croatia.  Slovenia achieved their objective of access to international waters.  Croatia refused to accept the ruling.

As this hot topic continues, who gets to fish in Pitan Bay?  After years, this is not resolved.  To complicate matters, Slovenia might block Croatia’s bid to join the Schengen area since all EU countries must agree.

Isn’t politics wonderful!

As I was packing my bags last night, I noticed pink stains on my beige pants.  I only have two pairs and the others had developed black marks on the back after wearing them for several days.

I realized my beige pants had been slightly wet when I packed my bags leaving Croatia, and my beautiful fuchsia packing cubes had bled on my pants!  Drats!  I was scrubbing pants last night and hoping they were not dripping wet this morning.  The window ledge worked well getting them partially dry, but those packing cubes are goners when I get home!

Serbia with pink pants here I come!

I can still zip my suitcases, but I know I am way over my 50 lbs weight limit to fly home.  I was pitching stuff last night, and I’ll have to do a final purge as we leave Serbia.  Remember that clothes expand as you travel!

At dinner one night, I asked several people what food they missed at home and couldn’t wait to get back to enjoy.  Robyn said milkshakes!  You know what I said…diet Mt. Dew!

We meet our new guide for Serbia, Dejan, and with Damir…we are dropping him off in Zagreb…load up.  Damir is in the middle seat next to me, and I tell him my dreams had come true!  An hour later, a quick hug and goodbye to Damir, and we are on our final leg of our Balkans’ adventure!

On an extremely foggy day, Dejan talks to us about education and Serbia.  In grades 1-4, students have the same teacher each year, and in grades 5-8, there are different teachers for different subjects.  He described students being less distracted in the past versus today and blames a lot of this on screen time.

Serbia’s population of 6 million is declining at a more rapid loss than even Croatia.  The previous census was 7.2 million residents.   Not only is brain drain to blame, but the mortality rate is out-pacing the birth rate!

Belgrade has two million citizens, and when it was the capital of Yugoslavia, it was compared to New York City.  In 1987, the first McDonald’s in southeast and Central Europe was built there along with the first Coke bottling plant.  

Our guide grew up in Belgrade so he knows it well.  Independence was declared in March, 1991, and open rebellion against the new government started in April and May.

In 1990, Milosevic was still the dictator of Yugoslavia.  Belgrade was a city open to eastern and western cultures.  However, the government tried to be both communist and capitalist.  

For forty-five years in Yugoslavia, education including university had been free.  People had jobs, healthcare, and houses.  It was said you work eight hours a day, sleep eight hours, and have fun for eight hours.  Citizens had time and resources.  

However, when Milosevic took control, he was the worse person possible because he used peoples’ emotions and feelings against them.  People felt free to express themselves, but he was really controlling them with fake propaganda and the media.  

On March 9th, 200,000 people gathered to protest leading to fights against the police.  Milosevic used tanks and the army to stop the rebellion and arrested lots of citizens.  Surprisingly, this was supported by western countries who believed the propaganda.

With war in Slovenia and then Croatia, protests stopped in Belgrade, but the country was slowly falling apart.  About 200,000 young  people who had been protesting left in mass.

Civil war resulted in late 1991, as the Serbia army left Slovenia and the only part of former Yugoslavia still intact was Serbia and Montenegro with a huge army.

In late 1992, there was an explosion of inflation and a economic crisis.  Serbia was isolated internally much like Russia is today.  Inflation was due to a massive printing of money which devalued it.  People used their savings for everyday life.  In just a few years, a huge middle class educated population with multiple houses hardly had enough to eat!  An average salary became $3/month, and people had to spend this quickly since the next devaluation could be tomorrow.  

There was no public transport, and young people, fueled by the media, wandered the streets.  No one would correct their behavior, and the government sent organized unofficial groups of people to harass and even commit murder blaming it on someone else.  There was no control of goods or people.

After all, the best business is war!

Our guide discussed his four years of high school where students chose to go towards a trade school route or a general preparation of studies to enter a university.  He said the streets were a complete mess!  

Large grocery stores would be completely empty except for maybe one item like jars of mustard.  Smuggling and the black market were rampant.  Belgrade wasn’t actually a war-zone, but it felt like one with abundant drugs and weapons.  As a 14 year old boy, he could have bought a hand grenade for $5.00.

When the young people fled Belgrade, it left room for the rural young people to come.  Military service was mandatory, but you could receive military training on the streets!  

As a high school and then university student, Dejan’s military service was deferred until he finished school.  Then it was a choice of military or civil service, and he chose the latter working in a hospital for 1 1/2 years.  In the midst of this chaos, cultural life continued with music and the arts.  He told of walking from gallery to gallery viewing exhibitions.  

In 1997 while he was a university student, he was active in protests.  Milosevic had lost the election but didn’t want to admit it.  Curfews were enforced, and police beatings were common.  The university organized a hospital on campus, and students would sneak out on the streets at night to bring injured people in for treatment.  

Milosevic finally admitted the election results in spring 1997.  In 1998, there was a large rebellion in Kosovo.  By October, 2000, the main goal was to get rid of the dictator!

We come over a hill and there it is…the blue Danube!  And it is blue!  

The second longest river in Europe, the Daube drains into the Black Sea.  It flows through Novi Sol, the second largest city in Serbia, and our destination.  It is also the shortest commute between the North Sea and the Black Sea.  When NATO bombed Serbia in 1995, multiple bridges were destroyed in the city.

The 300 foot deep Danube had the best caviar in the world at one time along with a record 800 lb sturgeon before a dam and hydroelectric plant in 1960 changed the river. The river also provides a moderate continental climate with a Mediterranean influence and four distinct seasons.  A drought for the past few years revealed German ships sunk during the waning part of WWII.

The Daube creates a mild climate which is perfect for grape production.  Other agricultural products include corn, wheat, sunflowers, and sugar beets.

Fruit brandy is very popular, and this agricultural area produces apple, quince, pear, and the most common in Serbia, plum.  Different countries have different strength of brandy.  Bosnian is usually 36-38%, Serbian is 45-47%, and Herzegovina and Montenegro is 52+%.

We settle into our new hotel rooms, take a quick orientation walk, and head to a restaurant for a typical Serbian meal served for a family gathering.

We are greeted with a spoonful of wild strawberry jam or “forest” strawberry jam.  Delish!  

Dejan and I try the Serbian plum brandy.  Mine is served in a typical glass, but Dejan’s is in a native one.  

It is made for sipping, and oh,la,la, it clears your sinuses and slowly burns on the way down!

Our FIRST course is a selection of cheeses…cow, goat, sheep, new, old, and an assortment of five different pates…pulled pork, paprika , corn and peas, peppers, fennel and ???…on warm fresh baked rolls, AND cheese pie which are like cheese blintzes.

This is enough for the entire dinner, and it’s just starters!

Normally a clear broth soup would be next.  We’ve been having lots of soups which I love, but often I wanted to throw some extra veggies in them.  We forego the soup this meal.  Thank goodness!

The main course is similar to “under the bell” like cast iron cooking with chucks of pork, potatoes, and carrots.  It’s good, but I’m full from appetizers!

Dessert is a beautiful pastry with thinly sliced apples curled inside baked with walnuts and cinnamon and served with cream.  This is one of the best meals we’ve had in a while!

My room was too warm for me and the last several hotels have turned off their air conditioning.  I open the window, but I’m on the first floor, corner room, of two major streets.  It would be just perfect if a pigeon flew in!

Even with all the noise, I fall asleep but wake several times during the night.  I think it may be time for me to head home to my own bed!

I’m glad I’m in Serbia and not Syria as GJ keeps on Traveling!