Word for the Travel Wise (11/18/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

When asking for directions around the Serbian capital city of Belgrade, let people know you understand them by using this word…

Today’s word is a Serbian word used in Serbia:

razumem – I understand

Head to the BBC for a crash course or quick fix on basic Serbian words and phrases. For the most part Serbian is spoken by Serbs everywhere and is apart of the Stokavian dialect (former standard of the Serbo-Croatian language). Serbian School online is completely free and a great place to start for those interested in learning. While their services are free they do ask for PayPal donations which I suggest giving whatever you can if you planning on using their guides. Bookmark the site and check back daily for their word of the day or refresh to learn a few in one day. Join the Serbia Language and Culture Workshop during summer for intensive sessions with other like-minded foreigners. As usual Lonely Planet has the nifty pocket-sized phrasebooks to help you along the way in Eastern Europe. This particular guide has small sections devoted to a number of languages in the region.

Past Serbian words:

Red Corner: Serbian Slopes

by Neil Woodburn on

It’s getting to be that time of year again and we here at Red Corner want to be sure to point you to the very best behind-the-former-iron-curtain ski locations.

This week, we look at Serbia.

One of the country’s more famous resorts, Kopaonik, was actually visited often during communism by Western Europeans because of the very nice conditions there. The civil war put an end to that, however, and tourism languished until just recently when foreign skiers began to slowly trickle back.

The resort, tucked into the snowy folds of the Balkans, has 21 lifts and fewer crowds than one might find elsewhere. And, in case you want to rub elbows with Serbia’s elite, the resort hosts the popular Suri Restaurant. The food, like the skiing, is affordable and very worthwhile.

Red Corner: Serbian Train Ride

by Neil Woodburn on

The train is my favorite mode of transport.

Put me on board with the countryside blowing past my window and I’m one happy camper. Of course, it helps when the aforementioned countryside is amazingly picturesque.

On my most recent trip to the Balkans I had heard about a particularly scenic train route from Belgrade to Bar on the Montenegrin Coast. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to make the journey and have been wondering if I had missed out on something spectacular ever since.

Thankfully, Susan Spano of The Los Angeles Times recently embarked on this very journey and has written a short article about it.

After all the accolades I had read about the train trip, however, I was saddened to read that it really wasn’t all that spectacular after all–at least according to Spano. Sure, the train rolls though the Serbian countryside and past the Biogradska Gora National Park and the Tara River gorge, but Spano dedicates few words to the beauty one might see rolling past their windows.

I normally enjoy Spano’s articles in the LA Times but feel a bit cheated with this one. I finished reading and had to ask myself whether she actually enjoyed the trip or not. I simply wasn’t sure.

So, instead of removing this train journey from my to-do list, I think I’ll consult a second opinion and see what they have to say.

Red Corner: Balkan Odyssey Tour

by Neil Woodburn on

We’re usually not in the habit of plugging group tours here at Gadling, however, I recently came across one highlighted in the LA Times which covers many of the same places I recently traveled during my Balkan Odyssey this last summer.

Kutrubes Travel is offering an 18-day trip through Albania, Macedonia, Kosovo, Serbia/Montenegro, Croatia, Slovenia, and Bosnia & Herzegovina. While such a trip can certainly be done on your own, it isn’t Western Europe and travel through this part of the world still presents challenges.

The ease of group travel, however, is going to cost you. The trip runs $3,802 to $4,783 per person, and does not include airfare. I probably spent half this amount on my trip–although some of it unfortunately included hitchhiking, which is probably not on the itinerary.

Red Corner: Belgrade Looking Up

by Neil Woodburn on

Although I never made it to Belgrade on my recent trip to the Balkans, I knew I would be missing out on one of the region’s great capitals.

Fortunately, LA Times staff writer Susan Spano journeyed there at about the same time and has painted a rather appealing image of this oft-neglected capital rarely blessed with superlatives from travel writers.

Spano delves deeply into history, politics, bars and cafes, and even attends a wedding in the Serbian capital. “Belgrade,” she claims, “is now as hot as Prague once was, only cheaper and less touristy.”

Sounds pretty good to me!