Friday

Last night we ate dinner with Barbara and two Serbian consultants at the restaurant where we ate on Monday with UNDP staff and consultants. Apparently there are only three good restaurants in town so we will be recycling our dining experiences here. It was the first night where everyone at the table was a non-smoker. Unfortunately we were the only non-smokers in the restaurant. The Serbs gave us some ideas of places we should see this weekend. I was glad we had the discussion because one of the places we wanted to see was Nis, a town that the NATO (US) had bombed in 1999 and I was worried about strong anti-American sentiment and had decided to forgo going there. They said there wouldn’t be any problems and we should go there.

Today was a great day, as I got a bit more adventurous. I was walking towards the bus stop when a taxi flashed his lights, a signal to determine if I wanted a ride. I hailed him over and discovered there were two other passengers in the cab. We proceeded towards Vranje and added yet another passenger, making a total of four, the maximum without sitting in someone’s lap. As we neared town, the driver asked each of us where we wanted to go. I said ‘taxi stand’, which is in the center of town. When I asked how much it was 40 dinar, considerably less than the 300 I pay when riding alone. Good tip to know for the future. I often see taxis with several passengers. I just didn’t realize they were separate individuals riding together. The driver’s name was Igor and spoke great English. I took his number in case Ron can’t find a driver for this weekend.

My first stop was the bakery. If I don’t get there before noon, the roll we like to eat for breakfast is sold out. They now know me and know what I want when I walk in., sort of like walking into your neighborhood bar where the bar keeper asks “your regular?” Next I went to the store I discovered yesterday with electrical supplies and found the adaptor Ron wanted. Then I stopped at another bakery to get a treat for Ivan, the computer shop owner who has been so kind to me. I went to Ivan’s and checked email and paid some bills online. He asked what I was doing here, my name and where was I from. We had a pleasant chat and I was on my way. By the way, Ivan’s brother’s name is Igor. Another common name here is Dragan.

Today was ‘eat in town’ day so I went to the restaurant where we had dinner last night. Since I have had difficulty finding anything but a hamburger stand in town, I had asked last night if they were open for lunch. I had a delicious soup with tiny bits of meat, potatoes, peas and carrots, a large roll and bottled water for $2.00. The restaurant has seven tables that seat three to six people. Very small by our standards. It has wide wood plank floors with a few hand woven rugs, resembling kilim rugs with cotton print tablecloths and paper napkins. The walls are decorated with old photos, an ox yoke, wooden wagon wheel, native dresses, a handloom, weavings, antique guns, and hammered metal cooking pots. The taped music is folk music with violins, accordions or concertinas. It is very rustic and attractive. It has a small village feel to it. The waiter wears what I assume is traditional dress, a woven cummerbund, shirt with woven braids on the cuffs and button tab and pants that end mid calf with a buttoned cuff.

Then I decided to go exploring and walked through an area of town where I hadn’t been before. There were old homes and brand new looking homes that were huge and complete with a satellite dish. I have been noticing sidewalks and cars here. Sidewalks are asphalt, concrete, stone or dirt. Most are in need of repair that requires you to look where you are stepping to avoid a stumble or fall. Cars are almost always parked on the sidewalk causing pedestrians to wind their way around them, frequently stepping into the road. Cars here are very small, frequently battered with missing parts or with paint that has turned dull, flat. There are some new cars but very few fancy cars. I haven’t seen an SUV. The taxis seem very tired and worn. On my walk I climbed up some hills and got a lovely view of part of Vranje, with its terra cotta roofs. I will start taking some photos and have Ron post them. That may take awhile since Internet access is so limited here. So if he can’t post photos here, perhaps in Croatia or for sure when we get to Sri Lanka.

Vranje is very small. I think I mentioned that there are no English newspapers, books or TV stations. Fortunately I haven’t run out of reading yet but I am trying to pace myself because I will go nuts if I do run out. The other day I walked over to the taxi stand to catch a cab home. No one understands me when I try to say ‘Bresnica’, where we are staying. But a cab driver that I had used the day before recognized me and told the driver I was engaging where to take me. Like I said it is a small town. So today I saw my helpful cab driver and used him again to bring me home.

Ron is very relaxed here. In Sri Lanka (SL) he was often under the gun with the schedule and wasn’t relaxed. I told him he seemed real relaxed here and asked him what made the difference. He said, “I’m not in charge and I’m not responsible for this program.” I must say I like him being so relaxed.

We ended the day with dinner at the other hotel in town, which sits on top of a high hill above Vranje. It is a lovely setting with the city lights down below. We ate with Barbara and one of the Serbian consultants.

Saturday
Today Ron and I started the day by visiting the local market, where the locals shop. This is an outdoor market with stalls selling everything from underwear, farm implements, and veggies. And yes, there was a ginzu knife demonstration. We saw women bent over with age, dressed in black complete with matching headscarves and looking like characters from the movie “Zorba the Greek”. Next we headed to Nis, a town about 60 miles north of Vranje. We hired a cab driver that we have used several times. Gorem speaks a little English. The drive was beautiful, passing through a river canyon some of the way. There were high hills on each side of the road and in other places agriculture land and small villages. All the houses here have terra cotta roofs.

Today was bitter cold and very gray. The wind increased the chill factor. I would have guessed it was around 16 degrees Fahrenheit. But it was dry. First we visited an old fort (18th century) that included some old Turkish baths from the 15th century. They are now shops and cafes. We ducked in out of the cold and had a rich dark cup of Serbia espresso.

Because of the cold, we went shopping for a wool sweater and cap for Ron. Because we had to pack for 82 days of travel in two distinct climates (Europe and Sri Lanka), we tried to minimize what we brought but today required some real warmth so shopping we went. Fortunately Gorem took us to a great shopping area and we were able to find what we needed in the third shop we tried. Ron got a great 100% lambs wool sweater for $20. Such a deal. It took another four shops to find a stocking cap. We did see a Nike cap that cost more than the sweater. As you can guess we didn’t get it!

Next we went to lunch in a neighborhood restaurant that had been recommended by one of the consultants from Belgrade. When you dine here, the waiter gives you one menu for the table. Well this one had no English so we relied on Gorem to help us out. We had hot, rich meat soup, salad and very spicy hot sausages. YUM!

Next came Skull Tower. Turks erected this grotesques memorial as an example to others of the folly of opposition to their rule. Following the Battle of Cegar in 1809, it was constructed at the time of the First Serbian Uprising when Serbian General Stevan Sindelic-The Falcon of Cegar-fearing ignominious defeat, blew up himself and his outnumbered troops, along with a large number of Turks, by igniting a gunpowder store. It is estimated that about 3,000 Serbs were killed in the explosion as well as about twice that many Turks.

The tower was the Turkish response to this defiant yet suicidal act. Serbian skulls were gathered from the battlefield, skinned before being mounted in rows of a specially built tower 3 meters high. Originally there were over 900 skulls in the tower. Now only 58 remain. In 1892 a chapel was built around the tower to protect it and it now is a monument to the spirit of Serbian courage.

After this experience we headed to a high speed Internet café, as Ron has been unable to access his SL email account in Vranje and needed to catch up. From here we headed home, stopping at Gorem’s request at a brand new Metro store, a Serbian version of Costco or Price Club. We headed back to Vranje into town and had dinner for the third time at Kykyra, one of the three decent restaurants in town. It was the first meal other than breakfast that we had alone.