Belgrade to Novi Sad
Our hilarious hostel owner in Belgrade took us down to the pub and made me drink rakia. Totally unbeknownst to me, Serbia is like a party central, as in any excuse to party. The stories are kind of unbelievable. Apparently during the NATO bombing of Belgrade the people were afraid they'd bomb the bridge connecting the east and west end of the city leaving them isolated. So there were three reactions when the air sirens went off. 1) keep calm and you weren't next to a strategic point, 2) bunker down in a basement 3) Run to the bridge with all the other people and protect the bridge with your body. But then they figured, well, if we're all here, and we're all prepared to die, well, we might as well have a party. So they moved in trucks with speakers and platforms and they had a massive bridge party. Every time there was an air raid. And NATO never bombed that bridge. Serbians. Absolutely mad.
Guca (gucha) is a music festival that happens sometimes in August. Its like a Burning Man for me...like 20 something stages of crazy horn bands and gypsy music, there are many accordions. Apparently its held in a town that has a normal population of about 200, and people come from all over Europe for this. And that isn't the only music festival Serbia hosts. Seriously insane.
From the descriptions I get, basically (Belgrade at the very least) is just one seething mass of drunk parties in the summer. With every possible kind of music you could ever think of, then it spills out into the streets and onto the waterways. Yes they have discotheque barges, with foam cannons. Utter madness.
I think i'm glad to come in the winter, its much calmer, but then again, when you come to a place like this its maybe just a little disappointing to miss it all...
Guca (gucha) is a music festival that happens sometimes in August. Its like a Burning Man for me...like 20 something stages of crazy horn bands and gypsy music, there are many accordions. Apparently its held in a town that has a normal population of about 200, and people come from all over Europe for this. And that isn't the only music festival Serbia hosts. Seriously insane.
From the descriptions I get, basically (Belgrade at the very least) is just one seething mass of drunk parties in the summer. With every possible kind of music you could ever think of, then it spills out into the streets and onto the waterways. Yes they have discotheque barges, with foam cannons. Utter madness.
I think i'm glad to come in the winter, its much calmer, but then again, when you come to a place like this its maybe just a little disappointing to miss it all...