We joined 40, 000 young people at the largest European music festival at Petrovaradin fortress this evening. We arrived at Novi Sad after a leisurely day, and made our way immediately to the centre of the city, to meet with Milka and her friend for tickets, and a ride to the castle. I was surprised at how well organized the event was. The fortress is so extensive, that the many stages and styles of music were spread out enough in almost natural amphitheaters, so they did not interfere with each other. There was tight security and many policemen, but the atmosphere was friendly and carefree and that was unexpected. The music was of variable quality; I am not too appreciative of repetitive droning dance music, which is so popular today. But I LOVED the 2CELLOS, two young men, one from Slovenia and the other from Croatia, who play both classical and also pop and rock music adapted to their two cellos. Maya has showed me videos of them playing, and they were AMAZING on stage.
The music was very loud, however, and after a while I could feel my heart resonating to the vibrations and I worried that my heart would go into an arrhythmia. I suppose I was the oldest person at the festival! I enjoyed it anyway. We paused to watch a fashion show with very unhappy models, watched dancers at a silent rave and at the Latin stage, saw Netherlands beat Brazil at the soccer stage, wandered all over he very extensive grounds of the castle, until it was time for us to escape. The concert goes all night, from 9 PM until 6 in the morning for five days, and then continues with further activity. So many young people!!!!!
Novisad at night is beautiful, and we will return in the daytime to see the sights, but we may also trace back our route to see some of the monasteries in Fruska Gora which we missed today, because we slowed down considerably and enjoyed Belgrade and Zemun at a far more relaxed pace than we have kept thus far. We woke up with sunshine and warmth, and returned to Terasie Square, once again to retrace our father's footsteps. We returned to the fortress in the sunshine and looked over the Danube and Sava rivers, and checked out the statues and monuments in the sunlight.
We had a coffee date with the mother of a friend of Tara's. She had lived in Belgrade with her Serb husband since 2001, and had a very gentle way of telling us how difficult it has been for the Serbs over the years, how poor and disadvantaged the country is after its wars, and how challenging it is to be perceived so negatively. She described how she gave up explaining anything to her French friends long ago, that her friends have preconceived ideas of the reality of the Balkan conflict and are not open to any new interpretations. She chooses to live in Belgrade and visit France for three or four months a year. She was a lovely woman, measured in her speech, warm and caring, and did not seem particularly French. She suggested that the Serbs were more Mediterranean than anything else. Certainly another perspective for us to consider.
Tara and I noticed today at the festival how impressively large the Serbs are, particularly the men. Her 6 foot 6 boyfriend would feel at home here, and walking amongst all the festival goers, I noticed that I was not the tallest at all, in fact, most of the women are taller than I am.
Francoise, our French friend, suggested a restaurant in Zemun to try. We were planning to visit Zemun anyway, to look for the military academy where my father attended the cavalry from 1939-1941 for about 12 to 16 months. He had been at the University of Subotiza in 1938, but had to fulfill his military service, and chose the cavalry, which was still a part of the army at that time. It was only after his military service that he attended the University of Belgrade Faculty of Law in 1941, before it was closed after being bombed by the Germans.
It was suggested that a building bombed in 1999 by NATO was likely the military academy my father attending, but upon discovering it, we decided that it looked more like the air force. Behind it however, another older, more baroque looking structure looked more likely, but we will ask my father if he remembers where in fact he lived and kept his horses.
We drove down the tiny little streets and found parking along the Danube, and ate freshwater fish at the restaurant recommended by Francoise, called SARAN, and full of Saturday customers. The town was packed with cars and people, and many weddings were taking place in the churches and the receptions in the restaurants on the water. We had perch with prunes and onions, and catfish with a tomato/pepper sauce. Both were delicious, and we tried a tomato/pepper 'ayver' spread, which was great on bread. We enjoyed our meal looking out at the Danube, and later walked along the water and then into the town, wondering what it looked like when my father lived there. We climbed up to the tower at the highest point for a view of the town and the river, and further to the Sava and Belgrade int eh distance. The fortress Kalemegdan was visible!
Before we left Zemun, we sat near the Danube, admiring the view and eating our Turkish desserts, knowing that dinner would be unnecessary after our very plentiful lunch.
It as good to have a quiet, non stressful day.
The music was very loud, however, and after a while I could feel my heart resonating to the vibrations and I worried that my heart would go into an arrhythmia. I suppose I was the oldest person at the festival! I enjoyed it anyway. We paused to watch a fashion show with very unhappy models, watched dancers at a silent rave and at the Latin stage, saw Netherlands beat Brazil at the soccer stage, wandered all over he very extensive grounds of the castle, until it was time for us to escape. The concert goes all night, from 9 PM until 6 in the morning for five days, and then continues with further activity. So many young people!!!!!
Novisad at night is beautiful, and we will return in the daytime to see the sights, but we may also trace back our route to see some of the monasteries in Fruska Gora which we missed today, because we slowed down considerably and enjoyed Belgrade and Zemun at a far more relaxed pace than we have kept thus far. We woke up with sunshine and warmth, and returned to Terasie Square, once again to retrace our father's footsteps. We returned to the fortress in the sunshine and looked over the Danube and Sava rivers, and checked out the statues and monuments in the sunlight.
We had a coffee date with the mother of a friend of Tara's. She had lived in Belgrade with her Serb husband since 2001, and had a very gentle way of telling us how difficult it has been for the Serbs over the years, how poor and disadvantaged the country is after its wars, and how challenging it is to be perceived so negatively. She described how she gave up explaining anything to her French friends long ago, that her friends have preconceived ideas of the reality of the Balkan conflict and are not open to any new interpretations. She chooses to live in Belgrade and visit France for three or four months a year. She was a lovely woman, measured in her speech, warm and caring, and did not seem particularly French. She suggested that the Serbs were more Mediterranean than anything else. Certainly another perspective for us to consider.
Tara and I noticed today at the festival how impressively large the Serbs are, particularly the men. Her 6 foot 6 boyfriend would feel at home here, and walking amongst all the festival goers, I noticed that I was not the tallest at all, in fact, most of the women are taller than I am.
Francoise, our French friend, suggested a restaurant in Zemun to try. We were planning to visit Zemun anyway, to look for the military academy where my father attended the cavalry from 1939-1941 for about 12 to 16 months. He had been at the University of Subotiza in 1938, but had to fulfill his military service, and chose the cavalry, which was still a part of the army at that time. It was only after his military service that he attended the University of Belgrade Faculty of Law in 1941, before it was closed after being bombed by the Germans.
It was suggested that a building bombed in 1999 by NATO was likely the military academy my father attending, but upon discovering it, we decided that it looked more like the air force. Behind it however, another older, more baroque looking structure looked more likely, but we will ask my father if he remembers where in fact he lived and kept his horses.
We drove down the tiny little streets and found parking along the Danube, and ate freshwater fish at the restaurant recommended by Francoise, called SARAN, and full of Saturday customers. The town was packed with cars and people, and many weddings were taking place in the churches and the receptions in the restaurants on the water. We had perch with prunes and onions, and catfish with a tomato/pepper sauce. Both were delicious, and we tried a tomato/pepper 'ayver' spread, which was great on bread. We enjoyed our meal looking out at the Danube, and later walked along the water and then into the town, wondering what it looked like when my father lived there. We climbed up to the tower at the highest point for a view of the town and the river, and further to the Sava and Belgrade int eh distance. The fortress Kalemegdan was visible!
Before we left Zemun, we sat near the Danube, admiring the view and eating our Turkish desserts, knowing that dinner would be unnecessary after our very plentiful lunch.
It as good to have a quiet, non stressful day.
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