My Travel Diaries of
Serbia
Currency: Dinar
Capital: Belgrade
Drink like a local: Rakija, pivo (beer), mala puna (espresso)
Special facts:
- There is excellent chocolate in Serbia.
- One should never mention “Kosovo“, otherwise tempers will flare up over the lost “cradle of Serbia.”
- A large part of Serbia was once part of Austria, and its architecture is very different from the rest of the country. The Serbian language also still contains many German words, and Austrian dishes are found in the cuisine.
- Serbia is known for its talented athletes, especially in tennis. Novak Djokovic, one of the world’s best tennis players, is from Serbia. The basketball team is also among the best in the world.
- The currency is so affected by constant inflation that no one outside Serbia exchanges dinars.
- Serbia’s national hero is Nikola Tesla. However, the famous engineer was not born in present-day Serbia, but in what is now Croatia, which was then part of Austria.
Lamguage
The languages of many countries of the former Yugoslavia are closely related. Whether Montenegro, Bosnia, Croatia, or Serbia, the languages differ only slightly.
- Good day – Добар дан (dober dan)
- Hello – Здраво (sdravo)
- Thank you – Хвала (hvala)
- How are you? – како си? (kako si)
- Sorry – Извините (Isvinite)
- Bye – ћао (ciao)
- Cheers – Живели (schivili)
- Yes, I take another rakija – Да, имаћу још једну ракију (da, imaću još jednu rakiju)
- You are beautiful – Лепа си (lepa si)
Food
The food is delicious and very plentiful, which helps you process the amount of alcohol you can hardly avoid.
My lesson:
Serbia is still a very divided country, and yet the people are very warm to me
Travel Diaries
I find the Balkans very fascinating, and I’ve already visited most of the other countries there. Through my work, I now have the opportunity to travel to Serbia every now and then, and through my friendship with my colleague Uroš, I have the pleasure of getting to know more about the country and its people.
Serbia is passionate in all directions and is searching for its identity today.
There are hardly any tourists in Serbia. To me, Serbia seems very divided. The conflicts with Kosovo and the western NATO countries, the Balkan Wars, even the two World Wars, and the occupation by the Ottoman Empire are still felt and visible everywhere. Today, people don’t know whether to turn to Russia or the West.
But I also find the people to be very friendly and welcoming. The tension in the country is eased by celebrating, eating, and drinking together. The people are very passionate about everything they do. This is what makes Serbia so special.
