NIS
SERBIA
TWO DAYS IN THE LOVELY SOUTHERN SERBIAN CITY OF NIS.
Nis, Serbia - What a lovely surprise.
The first leg of our trip south was from Novi Sad to Belgrade, where we were to change buses to Nis, a town in the very south of Serbia. Our ultimate destination was Skopje in North Macedonia; however, it was too far to go in one stretch. So, we booked an Airbnb for a couple of nights in Nis to break the journey. The scenery was once again vast fields of corn, sunflowers, and a little wheat. People flock to Italy and France to see sunflower fields when they really should be visiting Serbia, as there are far more beautiful fields of sunflowers here than in either of those countries.
We arrived in Belgrade around lunchtime to the usual bus station chaos one comes to expect. A nice man showed us where the buses departed from, and possibly the rudest girl I’ve ever met sold us a ticket to access the departure section of the bus station (in Serbia, you have to pay to access bus stations). Before long, we were on our bus heading to Nis.
We arrived in Nis late in the afternoon and walked the 2 km to our Airbnb. The apartment was in a fantastic location, right off the main square and a short walk to the pedestrianized walking street and Tinkers Alley, yet down a quiet street away from the noise. The main square and walking streets were crammed with all sorts of restaurants, cafes, and bars. It reminded me a little of Sofia in Bulgaria. The area was full of people out enjoying the warm spring evening.
Our host had recommended a restaurant in Tinkers Alley that served traditional Serbian food, so we ate there, and it was delicious. We dined on chicken livers and homemade sausage accompanied by a cabbage salad the same as AP’s grandmother made for him when he was growing up.
The next day, we wandered around the town having a look. There is an impressive old fort, which was interesting. However, our time in Nis seemed to coincide with some kind of festival, and the park and fort were jammed with people, bouncy castles, and everything else that goes along with a festival. So, we retired to an Irish pub with a lovely shady outdoor area on the banks of the river and enjoyed a gin and tonic and a Guinness. The weather is now starting to get hot, so it was very pleasant sitting under the trees with a cool drink watching the good people of Nis go by.
That evening, we dined at the same restaurant as the previous night—we enjoyed it so much, why not? When you’re on to a good thing and all that… Again, it was delicious, and we wandered home well satisfied.
Our time in Nis was short and sweet. We saw a few sights, ate some good food, and generally enjoyed a city that we had little expectation of.
The next morning, we were off again back to the bus station and on the bus continuing south to Skopje in Macedonia. See you there!
