Midnight Train to Serbia
July 12, 2008
The seats always look comfortable for sleeping... at first
We took the midnight train to Belgrade to save on a hotel, scheduled to arrive mid morning. This was a clean, comfortable train- the last modern train of the trip. We staked out a compartment, successfully scaring away enough passengers to sleep across adjacent seats... The seats of ex-Yugoslav trains usually face each other and recline and slide forward so the seats nearly touch each other, making a nice bed. In this case the train was empty enough that we could sleep across seats.
Sleep is always interrupted by endless ticket takers and passport control officers at borders, but the slow clack-clack of the long-welded rails is soothing while you sleep.
A long night on the train...
Rolling into Belgrade in the morning brought views of a sprawling big city compared to the almost small town feel of Zagreb. Cornfields and horse-drawn carts began to give way to small towns, then apartments in the pre-dawn light as we approached the city. On the outskirts were several miles of industrial zones and ghettos with shacks and neighborhoods made of scrap materials. Crossing the Danube River, the capital city was revealed, with high-rise housing, domes of Orthodox churches, and federal buildings.
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The seats always look comfortabl…
A long night on the train...
Maybe across the seats is more c…
Shid - the border crossing into …
This is what most of western Ser…
More flat farmland
Farms and farms fly by the windo…
Corn, there's a lot of corn in S…
Here's some more corn, maybe an …
Some of the poorer areas on the …
There was about a kilometer of h…
Huge high-rise housing as we app…
Finally the train station at Bel…
A long hike up the hill with hea…
Catching just a little more slee…
The view out the hostel window
Hostel New Morning
Hostel New Morning is kind of an average hostel in downtown Belgrade. It's basically a large flat on the third floor (actually the 4th) of a building with a common area dominated by a pool table and some couches, two dorm rooms, and a kitchen.
On the up side, the hostel is relatively new and decorated with all sorts of colors and patterns. They're trying to create a fun environment. It wasn't too expensive, and it was about a 5 or 6 minute walk from the main train station. It's somewhat of a climb though, up a steep hill and then 3 floors of steep, dark stairs. The air conditioning is really good, which is unusual for a hostel. It's about a 10 minute walk up the hill to the main part of town, but it's relatively central.
We actually enjoyed staying there, but there were a few annoyances.
The staff is nice enough, but not particularly helpful. We paid on arrival, as usual, but were asked if we'd paid each time we came in or out, for example. If you ask the nice girl at the desk which way to walk to see some sites, in Serbian, she answers "Hmm, I don't really know...." The staircase is unlit so you inch your way up in the dark, feeling for the tiny sign above the doorway that distinguishes it from the other apartments and businesses in the building. The shower was clogged with hair and flooded, which didn't seem to get fixed during the morning cleaning. Even though we were the only guests that night and went to bed early at 10pm, the desk guy played loud music until 1am. I think the problems are related to it being new, the staff doesn't seem to have any training.
The only thing that sort of got to us were the deviations from their advertising. Even though we reserved with a set price and paid a deposit, the price seemed to change and deposit disapeared. When we didn't have exact change, (local currency only) they just kept the difference. Only a couple dollars, but it's the principal. The "6-person mixed dorm" really has more like 9 beds, the free luggage storage means that you can talk them into letting you lean your pack on the wall in the common room, things like that.
I think it'll get better though once they get going and get a few mixed reviews...
On the up side, the hostel is relatively new and decorated with all sorts of colors and patterns. They're trying to create a fun environment. It wasn't too expensive, and it was about a 5 or 6 minute walk from the main train station. It's somewhat of a climb though, up a steep hill and then 3 floors of steep, dark stairs. The air conditioning is really good, which is unusual for a hostel. It's about a 10 minute walk up the hill to the main part of town, but it's relatively central.
We actually enjoyed staying there, but there were a few annoyances.
The staff is nice enough, but not particularly helpful. We paid on arrival, as usual, but were asked if we'd paid each time we came in or out, for example. If you ask the nice girl at the desk which way to walk to see some sites, in Serbian, she answers "Hmm, I don't really know...." The staircase is unlit so you inch your way up in the dark, feeling for the tiny sign above the doorway that distinguishes it from the other apartments and businesses in the building. The shower was clogged with hair and flooded, which didn't seem to get fixed during the morning cleaning. Even though we were the only guests that night and went to bed early at 10pm, the desk guy played loud music until 1am. I think the problems are related to it being new, the staff doesn't seem to have any training.
The only thing that sort of got to us were the deviations from their advertising. Even though we reserved with a set price and paid a deposit, the price seemed to change and deposit disapeared. When we didn't have exact change, (local currency only) they just kept the difference. Only a couple dollars, but it's the principal. The "6-person mixed dorm" really has more like 9 beds, the free luggage storage means that you can talk them into letting you lean your pack on the wall in the common room, things like that.
I think it'll get better though once they get going and get a few mixed reviews...
Hostel New Morning
Waiting in the common room for t…
View out the common room window
More like 11 beds in the "6 bed …
View out the dorm window of the …
