Happy Birthday to the Queen of Europe's Skies - JAT

The perfectly-ironed, snow white and navy dress playfully flickered against the hot tarmac. The steps to the plane were for giants and the air hostess looked like a real princess. As the only child on the scheduled flight to Amsterdam the pilot shook my hand at the door and offered to show me his “office”.  As a shy 7-year-old I refused but later, encouraged by mum, I accepted. Kolja, the charming middle-aged pilot, shared his Pavlova cake with me and showed me the bewildering array of buttons around him. One of the princesses came into the cockpit with a glass of juice rather than a plastic cup. We ate the cake with a metal spoon not Mc Donald’s cutlery.

The year was 1979 and it was my first ever flight. My mum took me to Holland to meet relatives on a scheduled Yugoslav Airlines flight from Belgrade to Amsterdam.

In 1927 Aeroput (as JAT or Yugoslav Airlines used to be called) was founded and this year is celebrating its 85th birthday. This makes JAT one of the oldest airlines in Europe.

I haven’t used Yugoslav Airlines, JAT, for a long time, tempted away by so-called “cheap tickets” on Wizz Air where you pay little for your ticket and get little by way of service in return. In order to avoid the ruthless demand for everything to be paid in Euros even though neither Serbia nor England are a part of the EC, I decided to book with JAT. And guess what - I had a pleasant surprise, my ticket was cheaper than one with Wizz Air, as JAT flies daily to Belgrade they fitted into my plans perfectly, we flew from Heathrow not the airport at the far end of a long traffic jam, and my luggage allowance was 30kg! I knew I couldn't pack half the house into 30 kg but the fact that I was not going to be exposed to check-in desk staff hunting for extra nanograms so they could charge me an astronomical excess baggage fee, made a huge difference. I could start my journey relieved of any stress or any extra demands which may pop up before I arrived in Belgrade.

The JU211 flight from London to Belgrade was full and surprisingly there were lots of kids who simply took over the plane. They had priority even before we boarded – at the queue during check-in, a JAT employee guided them from the queue and straight towards a check-in desk. Once on the plane they were the centre of JAT's universe. Special milk, special baby food, but for us ordinary citizens not even a drop of alcohol was offered. We, the grownups, were offered a questionable ham and tomato sandwich and warm coke, while the little Kings and Queens got the warm milk. We couldn’t have a proper drink, but the little ones got a choice of organic juices reserved for the under-sevens.

I was sitting surrounded by lots of foreigners. Next to me was a Scottish father with his son whose mum is Serbian. On my left was a young family on the way to a new life in Serbia. They didn’t speak Serbian but the father proudly announced that he could speak Slovenian.  Behind me were 3 female generations – grandmother, mother and daughter - on the way to visit daddy in Belgrade. They didn’t know anything about Serbia or Belgrade but they were looking forward to exploring and learning. The youngest member of the family, the 3-year-old girl, struck up a friendship with a Serbian boy slightly older and desperate for a cuddle over the back seat. For the rest of the flight they played in the aisle and talked nonsense to each other to the amusement of the whole plane.

In front of me was a nicely dressed lady who was flying to Belgrade after a long visit to her daughter and her family in London. I asked her for the time as I don’t wear a watch. She promptly replied “12.30”.

Confused, I asked is that our time or their time. And she quickly replied:

“Our Time. Yugoslavian...”

You see, Yugoslavian time still exists, as does Yugoslav Airlines....

By Tara

Visit to the Spa in Serbia - Visit to the Vrnjacka Banja

 I had decided to spend ten days in Vrnjacka Banja which is a spa situated in central Serbia, 200 km south of Belgrade close to Mount Goc and in the valleys of the Vrnjacka and  Lipovacka rivers. 

The return bus fare to Vrnjacka Spa is 850 dinar which is about £8 including the seat reservation. With your tickets and seat reservations you will get a small coin which gives you access to the departure platform for the bus. The buses are comfortable, clean and with air conditioning which is very important during the hot months of summer. At the moment, the Serbian Government is investing a huge amount of money in the motorways. Driving though the countryside is very pleasant, picturesque and during May when everything is in full bloom, very lush. The journey lasts around 3 ½ hours with short stops in the cities of Kraljevo and Krusevac to pick up other passengers. There are no toilets on the bus and the only snag is that you have to rush out of the bus station in either city, buy one of the special coins from the ticket office where queues could be a mile long, then run to the toilet! If you haven’t told your driver about your toilet excursion there is a good possibility he will leave without you!

We booked one of the best hotels in Vrnjacka Banja called The Breza, which was one of the hotels built for senior army officers. As times changed the hotel lost its glory but it’s still functional.  Officially the hotel has 3 stars but I think it should be rated lower, or refurbished. The carpets are not very clean, the hallways are dark, almost dirty, and the electric wires in some rooms look very scary – connected by isolation tape. My bed was a mattress which was ripped in the middle (I only found that out on our last day). We stayed in one of the apartments which overlooked the promenade and the park. Outside our windows there was a small balcony covered in the grass and fems. We had a TV in the room which during the day had only two channels and both of those in Serbian but during the evening you could get CNN. Our phone line was working and the fridge made a really strange noise so we decided not to use it at all. The bathroom was huge but really 1970s style. After a week the receptionist moved us to a different room which was much better – spacious, with a better mattress, a sofa, and extra bed. The TV worked during the day but we didn’t have a fridge. I preferred this room. The hotel has an indoor swimming pool, internet room with fast connection, library, restaurant and a room for table tennis, and, most importantly, a hairdresser – a cheap and good hairdresser. A cut and blow dry is only £4!!! The hotel accepts major credit cards but they prefer cash.  Breakfast is very basic – eggs, cheap salami, bread, cheese, butter, marmalade, jam, tea and coffee. As we were on half board we decided to have dinner as well which was freshly made, with different dishes every day and two choices. Also the staff was so friendly they would give you anything you asked for and if you are spoiled like me then you are in heaven. During our stay the hotel hosted two big conferences with people from all around Europe. The hotel was very accommodating and staff marvellous: hard working and always ready to put guests first. For that reason I am planning to go back and stay with in the Hotel Breza again regardless as to whether there are newer, more westernised, or better equipped hotels in the area.

I decided to take my mum on this trip to Vrnjacka Banja as she had a operation there years ago and the doctor recommended that she visits a spa regularly.

The Romans first came here for their health between the 2^nd and 4^th centuries, calling it AQUAE ORCINAE. The natural mineral waters here are an intrinsic part of the treatments – either by drinking them, inhaling steam, bathing, colonic irrigation and so on. You see a doctor when you arrive, and he prescribes the best utilization of the spa waters for you.    

      

The central part of Vrnjacka spa is a well kept park, and we found there a memorial to the British doctors and nurses who helped Serbian soldiers during WWI. 

Just outside the park is a castle called Belimirovic which is today a museum with three permanent exhibitions: photographs from 1914- 1918, a room with furniture before WWI and an exhibition of Easter eggs. Also concerts, ad hoc exhibitions, and plays take place here during the summer in an event called “100 days – 100 cultural happenings. On the opposite side of the castle on a small hill, there is the oldest building in Vrnjacka Banja- the Church of the Nativity of the Holy Mother of God built in 1834 by Prince Milos Obrenovic, and well preserved.

The tourist office at Vrnjacka Banja is on the main street and easy to find. The girls are very well informed and happy to help with any enquires. As it was out of season I asked to hire a bike and she recommended a person near the Hotel Kralj whose main business is to repair old bicycles. He was happy to rent me one, in good condition, pink, girly as he said for 90 dinar which is £1 an hour on condition that I gave him some form of ID. I gave him my driving licence. He looked in his 70s but very fit for a man of his age. He also recommended a route to take. Of course I didn’t get a helmet - they are not obligatory in Serbia. Cycling up to the Hotel Borjak which is just outside Vranjcka Banja and in the hills wasn’t easy. Firstly I didn’t have a map and secondly I asked a small kid for directions who just said yes and brought me almost to the Goc Mountain which is opposite of where I wanted to be. An elderly lady sitting outside her house advised me in a motherly way that bikes are not for girls and that I was too far away anyway, which made me to turn back and cycle downslide which was a fantastic feeling. Nature is pristine here, and you can easily sit in the middle of the forest watching birds or admiring stones packed with different minerals. On the way down I stopped at a restaurant on the river and with a huge garden. It was very refreshing and I had 2 course meal for less then £8 including drinks and tips. 

The next day I arranged to visit the Zica Monastery which is around 25 km outside Banja.

The Zica Monastery is an endowment of King Stefan the First Crowned and built between 1208 and 1220. Zica was the first seat of the autonomous Serbian Archbishops and it was there that 7 medieval Serbian rulers were crowned. It is painted in red – the royal colour of Serbia. The most significant part of the church is formed by the latest frescoes painted between 1309 and 1316. Nearly nothing has been saved from the once rich monastery treasury except the holy relic – the right arm of St. John the Forerunner laid in silver, which was brought to the monastery by St. Sava. Today it is preserved in St. Mary's Cathedral in Sienna. The Monastery was heavily bombed during WWII by the Germans and set on fire during their occupation.  Today it is a women’s monastery and there is only one fifth of the frescos left. The nuns support themselves by working on the land, making teas and honey which they sell. Worship takes place every day at 5 pm and I would recommend it to anyone. The singing is beautiful and the acoustics in the church are very good. The whole atmosphere is made more mysterious by closing the entry doors and the ancient rituals at the end of prayers.

There are other Monasteries in close proximity to Vrnjacka Banja such us Ljubostnja , Studenica and newish one - Sv Petka. Also it is possible to organise a wine tour and horse riding.

Evening life in Vrnjacka Banja includes lots of walking up and down or sitting in the gardens of so many cafés and restaurants. Alternatively you can listen to live music, a concert or go to the cinema. Or even better just go to bed!

                                                     

                                                                                      

For more information regarding travelling in Serbia please email Tara@ReadyClickAndGo.com

Bus ride from Serbia to Bosnia via Croatia

His posture was like Fagin’s from Oliver Twist, only he was collecting bus tickets not money.

“If we get refused entry I’ll blame you!“ he said, not making eye contact.
I began to calculate the number of passengers on the bus times the cost of the ticket and blessed all my debit cards stacked in my wallet. I had enough money to pay for return tickets for all of us, luckily only 12!
“Have you ever crossed the border with a British Passport?“’
“Many times, but not  the Croatian border from the Serbian side! “
He shook his head in disbelief and walked off, cursing loud enough for me to hear.
I felt bad but secretly I knew there shouldn’t be any problem travelling by bus from Belgrade into Bosnia via Croatia as I checked the FCO advice and they clearly state there are no visa requirements for UK nationals when travelling to any of these countries. The problem is that when purchasing your bus ticket no one asks you which passport you are travelling on as they presume that you are a national either ofSerbia, Croatia or Bosnia in which case you don’t need a visa and sometimes you can cross borders with local ID. I could cross the border directly from Serbia to Bosnia but the bus journey is horrendously long – 12 hours!
After a drive of only an hour and a half through the so-called Panonnian Sea of cultivated fields we arrived on the western border ofSerbia. A guard with a serious face half covered by his hat came on board and colleted the IDs, passports and travelling documents which Mr Fagin had collected. We quickly moved into the no-man’s land between Serbiaand Croatia. On the Croatian side there was a big decorated Christmas tree – I’m sure one wouldn’t be erected on  the Serbian side for our Christmas on the 7th January. Serbia and Croatia don’t celebrate the same Christmas but they have so much else in common. On the Croatian side there are lots of flags and in the corner of the lorry parking space I can spot the EC panel, a little bit damaged though.
Nothing happens and the 12 passengers including me are getting nervous, agitated and bored. Suddenly Mr Fagin announces we all have to get off the bus and go through passport control in a nearby building. Once in the building one of the older ladies asks an official if she could use the loo only to be refused as its’ apparently only for employees. We queue quietly, waiting for something to happen. I am the last one, childishly thinking if they refuse me the rest of the group could run off saying I am not with them.
Three girls young enough to be my daughters nonchalantly check my passport talking about boys and smoking. Was smoking banned inCroatia? I am sure it is in Serbia. The girls are clearly enjoyimg  their deep puffs which convinced me that smoking is de facto banned in Croatia but we are in the middle of nowhere, two days before Christmas, when most bosses are on holiday. Smoking is allowed today.
I came out of the building to meet Mr Fagin with a big smile, relieved that I was allowed to enter Croatia on my UK passport.
The drive between the Croatian and Bosnian border was monotonous and slow with a rattling coming from the old engine. The bus’s condition was very alarming , the seats were old, dirty, worn out and I was surprised it was allowed to cross international borders in its present conditions. I tuned my MP3 player into different radio stations which sometimes were Croatian, sometimes Bosnian, Hungarian, German and Serbian – all these different nationalities once lived in one country – Yugoslavia. It seemed Lady Gaga hadn’t arrived here  yet as all the radio stations broadcast music from the 80s. After three hours’ drive we arrived at the border of Bosnia but first we had to exitCroatia. The narrow road, not even a motorway, was packed with lorries from different countries: Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Croatia, Slovenia…Again a uniformed guard come on board to collect passports and again they were returned by Mr Fagin. To enter Bosnia you have to cross the River Sava and to cross the River Sava you have to go over the bridge which was built during Tito’s time -­ it was narrow and slowed down the crossing even further. Once on the Bosnian side, the passports were collected by Mr Fagin, presented to a bored official and returned to us swiftly.
After five hours and four border crossings Mr Fagin was more than happy, he even managed a wink. We had arrived in Bosnia.

Merry Christmas from Belgrade, Serbia!

I am sitting on the 3rd floor of my mum's apartment in the city center of Belgrade and emailing all around the world wishing a Merry Christmas to all my friends scattered around the globe, from Rachel in Nepal who is doing charity work after being dumped yet again, to Elke in Thailand after being made redundant yet again, to Fran in London doing an MSc in Environmental Science after deciding that she had enough of travelling. Out of sheer fun, I wish Merry Christmas to my friends in China even I know they don’t celebrate it. They do the same to me.

I can hear my mum on the phone to her brother in Holland and her best friend just across the river Danube which is just at the end of the number 706 bus in a different part of Belgrade and wish them a Merry Christmas too.
Despite the celebratory feelings we, the Serbian people, don't actually celebrate Christmas on the 25th December. Our Christmas comes a bit later on the 7th January - some people in the West call us the "Eastern Catholics". This is because of our use of the traditional Julian Calendar, under which December 25 falls on the Gregorian calendar's January 7. The Julian calendar, a reform of the Roman calendar, was introduced by Julius Caesar in 46 BC and it has a regular year of 365 days divided into 12 months, and a leap day is added to February every four years. Hence the Julian year is on average 365.25 days long.
Basically, the only difference is that the Gregorian calendar is 13 days behind the Julian calendar. 

During this festive time, you greet another person with "Christ is Born," which should be responded to with "Truly He is Born." The Serbian name for Christmas is Božić , which is the diminutive form of the word bog, meaning 'God'.

Most Serbian families celebrate the Christmas/New Year season with a Christmas tree in the house. The decoration of the tree is a very good opportunity to gather family members around, and the main tradition is for the head of the household to go into a forest on Christmas Eve (6th January) preferably before sunrise, or at least before noon, to select a young and straight oak tree and a log cut from it is in the evening ceremoniously put on the domestic fire. A bundle of straw is taken into the house and spread over the floor.

On Christmas Day, (7th January) the celebration is announced at dawn by church bells and by shooting. Huge importance is given to the first visit a family receives that day. People expect that it will bring prosperity and well-being for their household in the ensuing year; this visit is often pre-arranged. Christmas dinner is the most celebratory meal a family has during a year. A special, festive loaf of bread is baked for this occasion, and the main course is roast pork . It is not traditional in Serbia to exchange gifts at Christmas. Gift giving is, nevertheless, connected with the holiday, being traditionally done on the three Sundays that immediately precede it. Children, women, and men, respectively, are the set gift-givers on these three days. Closely related to Christmas is New Year's Day by the Julian calendar (January 14 on the Gregorian calendar), whose traditional folk name is Little Christmas.

I wont be in Belgrade for little Christmas but I am sure I will celebrate it in London with my friends Rachel, Elke, Fran….

Its Christmas Eve in Serbia!

Tonight is Christmas Eve in Serbia and the last day of 40 fasting days before Christmas. According to tradition, today's lunch is a lenten lunch which usually consists of soup, fish, stuffed wine leaves, beans and salads and during the day we also eat dried fruit, walnuts, red wine and honey. Before lunch the tradition is to bring into the house a branch of an oak tree which symbolises the tree brought by a shepherd and given to Joseph and Mary to make a fire in the stable where Jesus was born. In the villages around Serbia the branch of oak is cut in the forest but in the big cities it's usually bought at the market or in church, and it is burned tonight to represent light and warmth bringing a new beginning. There are lots of traditions which symbolise Jesus's birth, for example, it's good to bring straw into the house to symbolise the crib in which Jesus was born, and to have coins scattered around the house similar to the gold coins given to Jesus by one of the Kings.

Tomorrow is Christmas Day and according to tradition, we go to the midnight liturgy, then in the morning a guest (ideally a young healthy male!) is allowed into the house on this day, bringing the new year. The greeting on the Christmas Day is Hristos se rodi which means Jesus is born - the reply is Vaistinu se rodi which means Verily is born. After returning from the morning liturgy the custom is to serve a Christmas lunch which means the end of the 40-day long fast. The feast starts with prayer, lighting a candle and incense. Lunch is different rotiserie meats, lots of cakes, salads and drinks, and a loaf of home-baked bread in which is hidden a coin - whoever finds it can expect lots more money during the coming year! The custom is to exchange presents and spend the whole day at home, visiting friends and family the next day.

Churches that follow the Julian Calendar celebrate Christmas Day on 7th January – Serbian Orthodox Church, Russian Orthodox Church, Jerusalem Church, Egyptian Kopti, some Etiophians, Ukrainians, Belorussians, Macedonias and Montenegrians.

Merry Christmas!

For more information about Serbia please check www.ReadyClickAndGo.com or email Tara@ReadyClickAndGo.com

Meet the Romans in Serbia

I was sat right at the top, in the Royal Opera House it would have been seat Y51 – very high up with a restricted view. Looking down and behind the half naked archaeologist who was unmoved by the burning sun I could almost see Russell Crowe fighting ferociously for his freedom. Behind me was a flat green field with occasional glimpses of the Danube river, on whose bed was preserved this rich archaeological site.

“We are standing at the top of the amphitheatre with a capacity of 12,000 seats” the voice of the enthusiastic guide woke me up.

Our Day Trip from Belgrade brought us to  Viminacium, one of many Roman towns and fortress in Serbia, not far from the capital city Belgrade. It covers a huge area and some of it is still undiscovered due to the presence of the nearby power plant which produces 20% of Serbia's energy. The government is trying to buy land still owned by the local people to stop the theft of artefacts that are uncovered after heavy rain.

Large numbers of lamps, bricks, paving tiles, rings and coins have been uncovered and exhibited either at the Museum in Pozarevac or the Museum in Belgrade. The Viminacium complex is building their own museum too at the moment.

The site has beautiful tombs decorated with frescoes whose colour was still bright and with mixed pagan and Christian symbolism. Tomb G5517 has a Christogram in a double floral garland and this is known as a Constantine Cross, after the first Roman Emperor to convert to Christianity. Tomb G2624 has animals and flowers and is clearly pagan, thus proving that Christians and Pagans were sometimes buried in the same cemetery.

Serbia has the largest number of Roman emperors born outside of Italy – 17 altogether, among them Constantine I and Justinian I. The tourist board has put together a project to combine visits to all the major Roman excavations on Serbian soil, called Itinerarium Romanum Serbiae. It will incorporate Sirmium, today known as Sremska Mitrovica, Singindunum which is Belgrade, Viminacium or Stari Kostolac, combined with visits to the forts of Nis, Kostol and Karats. The itinerary also includes visits to the imperial residences at Gamzigrad and the UNESCO site, Šarkamen, Mediana and Iustiniana.

2013 will see the 1,700 anniversary of the Edict of Milan by which Emperor Constantine legalised Christianity throughout the Roman Empire, and celebrations will take place in the city of his birth, Nis. A historic moment is planned when the Pope and the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church meet formally for the very first time.

For more information about travelling in Serbia please check our website or Email Us.