Novi Sad— A Visit to Serbia… The Great River Series: Danube #12

/ Curt Mekemson
A view of Croatian countryside from the Danube River.

Our journey down the Danube River from Kalocsa, Hungary on October 1st took us to Vukovar, Croatia and on to Novi Sad, Serbia. Since I felt like I was coming down with a cold, I skipped the trip into Vukovar and will be focusing on Novi Sad today. Peggy did make the trip, however, and told me the guide devoted much of his attention to the bloody conflict that had taken place during the 1990s Yugoslav Wars. The peaceful countryside above is my counterpoint to that conflict. The tragic war that tore up the region was yet one more example of what happens when people focus on what divides rather than what unites, and clever, unprincipled politicians exploit differences to gain power rather than focus on common interests to solve problems. Unfortunately, our ancient tribal instincts make fomenting disunity much easier than creating unity. But a guy can dream, can’t he…

Maybe if we all just ate more chocolate. Grin. It doesn’t care what your political, ethnic, religious, economic , or other tribe is. I almost lost Peggy at this store in Novi Sad.
Or maybe if we spent more time listening to music and going for quiet walks in the countryside. We stopped in Novi Sad to enjoy an old musician play Serbian folk songs on his gusle, a traditional Balkan instrument.
A mural in Novi Sad showed musicians (with one enormous rooster crowing along) performing in a rural village. The painting made me think of Grandma Moses.
The musician also entertained us with his frula, a traditional Serbian flute.
Just down the street, a young Japanese woman entertained us with popular Western songs utilizing the latest in technology. The old Serb man and the young Japanese woman represented two incredibly different worlds connected by music.
The huge Petrovaradin Fortress was our first view on coming into Novi Sad, a bit ironic given my comments on peace. I’m sure others would use the word ‘realistic.’ The Fort dates all the way back to the 1600s and has miles of tunnels running under it.
A pair of eyes were staring down at us at a restaurant near the fort.
This clock tower at the end of the fort had an interesting twist: The minute hand was short and the hour hand was long. Our guide explained that the switch was made because sailors and fisherman using the Danube were much more concerned about the hour and needed to see it from a distance. The clock is nicknamed the “drunk clock” by some because it’s slow when the weather is cold and fast when the temperature is hot. 
One of our first views on docking in Novi Sad was this old apartment building. Its hodgepodge of colors caught our attention but not nearly as much as the mural on the end of the building…
Nice kitty.
Our walking tour of Novi Sad took us through its attractive old town featuring modern shops. Most shops were advertised in English as well as Serbian.
My weakness, old style lamps.
Mercury, the Roman God of commerce, travel and trickery, can be see running on top of a commercial building from this back road that included a number of restaurants.
Also along the street (which I think I read was the oldest road in the city) was a kissy fishy mural where the fish were swimming around in a girl’s hair that she was blow drying.
I thought this lamp situated on the side of a building in obvious need of attention made an interesting photo.
Back on the Main Street, balloons were being sold. Choices ranged from cats and dogs, to a pink pig, to ponies, to chipmunks, a baby Yoda and more— topped off by marauding sharks.
As always on our tours, there were major city buildings to explore. This was the Bishop’s Palace of the Serbian Orthodox Eparchy of Backa. An eparchy is the equivalent of a Catholic diocese and the bishop is an eparch, in case you were curious.
The Cathedral Church of the Holy Great-Martyr George looms behind the Bishop’s Palace. The American Orthodox Church knows him as the Greatmartyr, Victory- Bearer, and Wonderworker George. Either way, George lost his head and gained sainthood.
We went inside the church. A whole wall was dedicated to 33 paintings of various saints and other religious icons important to the Serbian people. Such a wall, known as an iconostasis, is common in orthodox churches.
The Name of Mary Catholic Church is a couple of blocks away, dominating Liberty Square.
Looking up at the church.
A side view of the church with its red and green roof. We liked it.
Inside the church, looking toward the altar.
Novi Sad’s attractive City Hall stood just opposite the Name of Mary Catholic Church across Liberty Square. A surprisingly few people occupied the Square. That was about to change.

One month to the day after we visited Novi Sad, the new canopy of the city’s railway station collapsed killing 15 people and seriously injuring 3 others. Sloppy workmanship seemed to be the cause. A student led coalition demanded details and wanted the people who did it held responsible. Combined with a growing concern over the repressive tactics of the country’s populist president, Aleksandar Vucic, a series of nationwide protests involving 10s of thousands of people with support ranging from judges to farmers to medical workers to civil engineers to arts groups and more has been going on since. Several cars have been driven into the protesters, while masked men carrying baseball bats have attacked others.

Liberty Square has been one of the centers of protest. I doubt that we would have been touring the city had we arrived on November 1 or any day since.
High school students hold a protest filling Liberty Square. In opposing student participation in the protests, a high ranking member of Aleksandar Vucic’s political party stated that students were a property of the state until they reached their age of majority (18). You can imagine how that went over.
(Balkan news photo)

And now on to our next post: It’s back to Hawaii and volcanoes.
KC of Seaview, Hawaii (shown here with her Chihuahua Pomeranian (Reni Roo) and me), watched as lava shot 300 feet into the air in 2018 from nearby Fissure 8 and wondered if the house she was building would soon be buried under lava. Our next post will focus on the 2018 volcanic eruption on the Big Island of Hawaii plus other worries that Hawaiians occasionally face: Earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes, fires and floods. Hey, let’s party. Life’s short. I’ll drink to that (especially a week from today when I turn 82).

36 thoughts on “Novi Sad— A Visit to Serbia… The Great River Series: Danube #12”

  1. Thanks for this tour of Novi Sad and your commentary on the politics and history (and current events) of the region. I also enjoyed seeing the traditional instruments.

    Reply

    • Thanks Diana. I normally keep my thoughts on politics to myself since this is a travel blog. But every once in a while the situation demands it. All of our guides along the Danube included it in their talks.

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      • Populism is an interesting concept. It is defined as speaking on behalf of ordinary people who are opposed to an elite government establishment. It can be left or right wing on the political spectrum.

        I think the word is used to further the divide between people. What if the word was a call to all ordinary people who think it is time to audit the governments actions?

  3. I really love the picture of the three of you! How wonderful that you will be 82! You and Peggy are so fortunate to be able to do what you do! BTW…I will be 78 in June. I’m told I don’t look my age and my response is the fat in my face from so much cheese…truth. The buildings in this city are, of course, wonderful and the churches are so magnificent! I am a Catholic and my parish is so modern but lovely. I am what is known as a “cafeteria Catholic” because I certainly am not in agreement with much of it. I went through confirmation in 2005 for the spiritual side not the blinder side. I can’t remember if I asked you if you have been to the Weiss church in Germany? I will never forget that gem sitting out in a field do plain but so glorious inside.

    Happy travels my friends! I love you little doggy!

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    • Laughing. We eat our share of cheese as well Wendy. Haven’t been to the Weiss Church but I looked it up on the net. Indeed impressive. KC and her little dog made Peggy and me feel right at home, literally pulling us off the street while we out for an evening walk around Seaview.

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  6. I remember the war there and how terribly brutal it was, Kirt. I’m come to the conclusion that peace is much harder than war. It requires courage: listening, trust, compromise, and the putting aside of historical grudges and present day wounds. Victimhood is so much easier, just shout and whip out a gun and blame it on the other guy. It’s hard to see the unrest happening there. Enough of that. Thanks for the tour of Novi-Sad, the beautiful mural and church and music. 🙂

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    • First D. I finally managed to download your new book after returning from Hawaii. Wow, what a start! It’s jumped to the top of my reading list as soon as I get through everything we have to do to prepare for our five month Southwest trip.
      Somehow, we have to get beyond our immediate personal and tribal interests (which are driven by millions of years of evolution) to understand our long term interests will be much better served by working together. It may even involve our very survival.

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      • Thanks for the note about the book, Curt! I’m so glad you enjoyed the start and hope you enjoy the middle and end too! Lol. Your support is so appreciated.
        Welcome home!
        And your trip to the Southwest sounds great. I look forward to you adventures as always.
        Yes, it seems a few people are wising up and realizing that their tribalism didn’t turn out quite like they thought it would. Kindness and compassion would have worked a lot better. 😀 Say hi to Peggy for me. 🙂

  9. Thanks for the tour, Curt, amazing photography! And Happy 82 to you! My hubby just turned 65 yesterday! And my special day is next month too. Love the photo of you two at the end. Cheers! Enjoy because you’re right, life is too short! 🥂😁

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  10. Happy birthday, Curt. You’re celebrating in style! I especially enjoyed the photos of the Catholic church; both the upward view and the red and green roof are quite appealing. I’m not sure I ever could accustom myself to that clock with the crazy hands, though. I also spent a brief minute wondering why fishermen would need to look to an onshore clock instead of judging time by the light.

    I figured ‘Novi’ meant new. After a quick look, I learned that ‘Sad’ means plantation, and that it was the second name of the city; it was the Empress Maria Theresa who gave it that name.

    Reply

    • Thanks, Linda. Peggy and I are heading out today to celebrate, finally. I want Indian food!
      I have another very interesting church coming up on my Belgrade post.
      I often feel I would like to leave my watch behind and just let time happen.
      Maria Theresa’s presence was felt thoughtout the whole area in so many ways.

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  11. What a wonderful post and birthday gift to all of us from you on another trip around the sun, so well deserved. You shine with true light, the travel bug and amazing photos. The history is truly appreciated while we delve through the pains of war and continue our plight to press forward in this down trodden time. Great photo of you as well! 💓

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  12. You mentioned having problems replying to my comment, so I came over here to see if it ever got worked out…and my comment is missing! Wow. So strange. Anyway, it’s a great post and I hope WP glitches get worked out one of these days, ha ha.

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  13. electrifying! 24There She Blows! Hawaii’s Volcanoes National Park… Plus Peggy’s New Book on Southwest Petroglyphs

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