Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with serbia

Travel tips for Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia, Slovenia.

acidic — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 04:50:33 -0800

What are some interesting (frugal) things to do and see in Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia, and Slovenia? I´m headed to these four countries in a few weeks and haven´t really prepared for the trip. I like walking and could happily walk 30 or 40 km or so each day, exploring. Tentatively I´ll be in Belgrade, Sarajevo, a whole bunch of cities in Croatia, Ljubljana and Bled, although that is totally open to change. Seeking recommendations for food, clubs, outdoor activities, neighborhoods to walk in, etc. As background, I´m 21 years old, particularly interested in the recent history of the area, and planning to hitchhike, bus, walk, and couchsurf for most of two months. Any other tips appreciated!!

Help me get from Santiago to Serbia.

acidic — Mon, 18 May 2009 23:03:06 -0800

What's the cheapest or best way to get from Santiago de Compostela, Spain, to Croatia/Serbia/Slovenia? Optional: a detour through the Netherlands. I'm backpacking through Spain this summer and ending up in Santiago de Compostela or thereabouts. From there I have the option to go to the Netherlands for a month and then Croatia/Serbia/Slovenia etc for a little less than a month, then flying out of Prague, or going straight to central/eastern Europe and spending a bit more time there. Wherever I go I'll be WWOOFing for part of the time but also camping and couchsurfing in larger cities. I'm interested in:
- The best way to get out of Santiago, and
- Thoughts on spending a month in the Netherlands-- how expensive is it? For a young female traveling solo how does it compare to central/eastern Europe? Would it be worth it to skip the Netherlands and spend almost 2 months in Croatia/Serbia/Slovenia and other surrounding countries? Eventually I need to end up in Prague, although I don't plan to spend much time there at all.

Any additional advice regarding any of my destinations would be appreciated as well, of course! Previous threads about Dubrovnik and Ljubljana are what convinced me to head to that part of the world in the first place.

A month in Serbia - what should two Americans know?

The World Famous — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 23:17:44 -0800

What should a couple of Americans know who are about to go to Serbia for about a month? My parents are going to Belgrade for about a month, and I'm asking for them. They have been to Belgrade before for extended periods of time, and they really love it, but it has been a few years since they were there last.

I understand there is no current State Department advisory against going to Belgrade or Serbia in general at the moment, but I'm wondering if anyone here might have more specific information about the current state of things and what a couple of Americans might need to know about going to Belgrade for several weeks. They are into walking everywhere, being immersed in the local culture as much as possible, and they have a few Serbian friends who they will be visiting there. They speak some Serbian (or they did when they were there before, and I'm sure it will come right back). They are also wondering what the best/easiest way is there currently to exchange U.S. Dollars to Euros. Thanks!

24 hours in Belgrade

MrMerlot — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 12:09:45 -0800

I've got 24 hours in Belgrade. What should i do and see? I am actually enroute to Istanbul by train. I like culture, contemporary art and music and good food if its not too expensive. And would you happen to know the the local tipple and where to drink it?

Help me find Serbian snacks in the UK

mooreeasyvibe — Sun, 13 Jan 2008 13:13:19 -0800

Does anyone know of any shops that sell Eastern European food (Serbian or Croatian) in England? Hopefully they deliver nationally.

A website would be even better.

I can't find anything on the internet.

Products I'm looking to find include Smoki, Bajadera, some Spinach soups and a few other treats.

Post war Dinar value

sock it to me monkey — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 17:23:11 -0800

DinarFilter: I want to know how much money, in US dollars, 50,000 Serbian Dinar was......in 1946.

Why is the US so desirous of independence for Kosovo?

Dee Xtrovert — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 14:09:15 -0800

Why is the US so desirous of independence for Kosovo? I'm not against Kosovan indepence (in fact, I rather like the idea), but in my rather cynical view of American motivations, I just don't see what's in it for the USA. Many of the Albanians from Albania don't like the Albanians from Kosovo (for complicated but heavy reasons) and pleasing Albania wouldn't seem worth much. "Punishment" for Serbian war crimes has some personal appeal for me (refusal to hand over war criminals, plus support from the Serbian government being largely responsible for the brutal death of most of my family), but that hardly seems it. Russia will be pissed off (they are already, just from the suggestion of it) and there wouldn't seem to be much in terms of exportable wealth from Kosovo. I've spent time in Kosovo and I just don't get it. But Condie Rice is out there, trying to make it happen, apparently. Why?

For a multi-leg transatlantic flight, what can I do to minimize the likelihood of connection problems, involuntary bumping, etc.?

allterrainbrain — Wed, 30 May 2007 06:07:19 -0800

For a multi-leg transatlantic flight, what can I do to minimize the likelihood of connection problems, involuntary bumping, etc.? First leg (on US Air) is LGA to PHL to LGW, and I'm hearing a lot of anecdotal reports that both USAir and PHL are worse-than-average for connection problems. On a Friday and Saturday in August (i.e., near the height of the U.S. summer travel season), here's what I'm doing:

FRIDAY:
• midday flight LGA to PHL, on USAir (then 6-hour layover in PHL)
• overnight flight PHL to LGW, on USAir (then 4.5 hrs between LGW arrival and LHR departure)

SATURDAY:
• afternoon flight LHR to Belgrade, on JAT / Yugoslav Airlines
• evening ground travel from Belgrade to Sombor, my destination city in Serbia.

I'm scheduled to start my responsibilities in Sombor (teaching) on Monday morning, about 36 hours after my arrival. So there's not much room for error here, especially since the LGW-to-LHR transfer time is fairly tight and there's only one London-to-Belgrade flight a day on JAT.

Beyond hearing that PHL is especially bad for delays and connection problems, today I saw the NY Times story titled "Overbooking, Bumped Fliers and No Plan B" (saying this summer is expected to have a high percentage of involuntarily bumped passengers with little recourse since all flights will be fuller than usual).

So, solutions:
• I'll be getting to LGA plenty early;
• I'll be bringing only carry-on luggage;
• I have no special travel or security issues and I'm an experienced flier & transatlantic traveler.

What else, if anything, should I be doing? Is there any way, other than being early, to make oneself less likely to get bumped from an overbooked flight?

This teaching is something I am co-organizing and basically volunteering for (i.e., there's no deep-pocketed org that could step in with any extraordinary measures if something went really wrong with the travel). My co-organizers can adapt if I'm delayed, but obviously I want to do everything I can to make this work as planned.

How to seek corporate material donations for free workshops in Serbia?

allterrainbrain — Tue, 06 Mar 2007 08:14:04 -0800

Ideas for seeking corporate donations of tech equipment and air travel? I'm one of the co-founders of a free arts/tech workshop happening for the first time this August in Serbia. We've already had some modest success getting funding for this through traditional channels, but I also want to approach hardware companies and airlines to see if they can help us. I'm experienced with grantwriting, but this is the first time I'll be seeking corporate donations. It seems like free arts and tech training in this region is something corporations would be interested in supporting. We can offer them exposure on our website and press materials, as we document this first workshop and continue it as an annual project.

The five organizers are NYC-based; one of us is a Serbia [Yugoslavia]-born U.S. resident and four of us are U.S.-born U.S. residents. We are not incorporated but we're about to start a 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsorship (an agreement with a major non-profit org that accepts grant money on our behalf). This is a standard arrangement that lets us apply for many foundation grants, but big corporations may not be interested in helping us until we have our own 501(c)(3) incorporation, which won't happen this year. So I may need to focus on smaller companies.

I'm looking to approach corporations for these three main needs:
1) either donated or discounted airfares, NYC-Belgrade-NYC or just London-Belgrade-London (since NYC-London-NYC can be relatively cheap even in summer);
2) donated Mac hardware (laptops or desktops of any vintage that can run OSX);
3) donated basic recording equipment (condenser microphones, usb or firewire audio interfaces).

The computer & recording hardware would be used in the workshops and would stay in Serbia year-round for the students' use.

If you've sought corporate help, or if you have any ideas, I'd love to hear either here or privately (email in profile). Thanks!

How to get power tools to work in Eastern Europe?

dyerfr — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 06:05:03 -0800

Do power tools need more than just a voltage converter to work in Eastern Europe (Belgrade, Serbia)? My father wants to purchase a power tool for my father in law (think a drill...). (more inside) We know all about the need for power converters and adapters, but my dad is worried about there being a difference in 'cycles' for the power. he mentioned 60 cycle and 50 cycle power... thinking that this difference was relevant and important due to the electric motor in the tool.

I asked some people in Belgrade, but they didn't know what I was talking about...

Wehre to get a cheap calling card for Bosnia & Herzegovina?

dy — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 12:06:07 -0800

Where can I find cheap calling cards to make calls from the US to Bosnia & Herzegovina and Serbia? A friend's mother recently moved here and needs to make calls to her friends at home on a regular basis. She is paying $0.40 per minute now. There must be some cheaper cards with decent quality. Any idea where I can find them? either online or from local stores. His mom is living in Orange County, CA if that helps. Thanks.