Wednesday 8 March 2017

Timisoara March 2017








It doesn’t feel quite right putting together any kind of review for a city in which I spent less than 24 hours but I thought I would try and at least throw some words together about the Romanian city of Timisoara, and just let the pictures do the rest.

Our arrival into the city couldn’t have been any more stressful and we would have probably been kicked off a train into the bleak Romanian countryside for not purchasing our tickets correctly had it not been for the intervention of a kind young couple.

We eventually arrived nonetheless and eventually navigated our way from the city’s main train station into the city centre which more than 300,000 call home.

After a much-needed catch-up sleep we hit the streets and enjoyed a few hours browsing the student city dominated by the Timisoara Orthodox Cathedral and smaller St George’s Cathedral.

Timisoara is spotlessly clean and feels like a pretty relaxing place to call home with its slow pace of life.

Students sit around chatting and sipping coffee while locals casually go about their day to day lives.

The city is strikingly beautiful with lots of wide open spaces and is the historic capital of the region of Banat. Much like Belgrade, where we had come from, it was refreshingly cheap.

We enjoyed a few hours sitting and strolling in the sun and the time in Timisoara, a former European Capital of Culture, almost felt like a city detox after Belgrade’s high octane hustle and bustle.

Timisoara has also played an important part politically having in the late 1980s seen the birth of a country-wide demonstration which led to the overthrow of dictator Nicolae Ceausescue, and again recently been the scene of gatherings protesting about government corruption.

In an ideal world we would have had a little more time to look around, but I still think myself lucky to have had the chance to at least briefly sample life in Romania’s third city which I can only imagine is a world away from the capital of Bucharest and considerably more picturesque.  

Belgrade February/March 2017








A nation often dubbed as the bad guys in the Western media following the brutal conflicts in Bosnia and Kosovo, it (as usual) came as a surprise to many when my friends and I announced that the Serbian capital of Belgrade would be our choice of destination for early 2017.

Having visited Bosnia and heard first-hand about some of the atrocities committed by Serb forces as they strained to hold a rapidly disintegrating Yugoslavia together, I was a little apprehensive (though not judgemental as massacres were routinely carried out on both sides), about the reception we would be greeted with by the Serbs.

I need not have worried.

What awaited us was a city that truly never sleeps, where the locals go out drinking and having a good time until beyond the early hours with not even a second’s thought about what time their alarms will sound in the morning.

The party mentality is said to have derived from Nato’s questionable and highly destructive bombing campaign in the city in the late 1990s, where locals would seize any temporary breaks in the shelling to go out and let their hair down.

Although not the most beautiful of cities (Belgrade is quite grey and has plenty of stereotypical high-rise socialist housing as well as the odd building still lying in ruins) the city’s fortress is well worth a few hours and consists of the old citadel and Kalemegdan Park on the confluence of the River Sava and Danube.

The fortress offers some panoramic views of the city which stretches as far as the eye can see despite having a population of just over a million.

But for me, what really makes the city of Belgrade stand out is the people who live there.

We spent a lot of time around the Republic Square area where there are plentiful bars and restaurants 
to keep visitors and locals fed and watered.

The prices offer exceptional value with beer around a pound and a tasty main meal costing under £4, and that gets even cheaper if you head away from the centre of town.

With the exception of the odd miserable taxi driver, everyone greeted us with a friendly smile and quick chat and we enjoyed nights spent drinking at a Serbian folk club and in local bars and clubs with our newly-made friends.

Our hostel (Hostel Bongo) was both spotless and convenient, just a couple of minutes away from Republic Square and the team of staff were always on hand to guide us.

The train journey out of the city and towards the border town of Vrsac was also fascinating, seeing civilisation gradually slip away towards a more traditional and rural way of life.

I’m not sure whether or not it’s a reputation that stems from past conflicts that stops English people heading to the former administrative capital of Yugoslavia or a fear of the unknown, but with such exceptional value and a population of people who are genuinely happy to see you and show off their city, I’d be very surprised if Belgrade doesn’t begin to feature on the radar of more Brits.

Just make sure you check out the Balkan special cevapi (grilled mincemeat) and watch out for the local Rakija, a fruit brandy style drink which will knock you for six if you’re not careful.



Crvena Zvezda v Partizan March 2017












Now I have to admit that I'm not usually one to get scared *beats chest* but as we made the considerable walk from our hostel nestled in the centre of Belgrade, into the suburbs towards Crvena Zvezda (Red Star Belgrade's) Rajko Mitić Stadium, my heart was beating like a drum.

Even in the city centre (a full two or three miles away) stern faced riot police and soldiers lined every corner ahead of what is known worldwide as The Eternal Derby.

Our journey to the match started two days earlier when we traveled to the stadium otherwise known as the Marakana in the hope of scoring tickets.

The 55,538 arena is certainly showing its age having been first opened in 1963, and if you walk around the perimeter of the bowl you will find graffiti daubed by Red Star's most fanatic supporters The Delije (Heroes), piles of rubble and even the odd dead rat.

A short five minute walk away is Partizan Belgrade's 32,710 ground and between the two bitter rivals, they boast 53 national championships (Red Star's 27 to Partizan's 26), 37 national cups (13 for Partizan and 24 for Red Star) and a European Cup won by Red Star in 1991.

As a result of the unrivaled riches of the EFL and La Liga, Eastern European football is somewhat in the doldrums with neither Red Star or Partizan having qualified for the Champions League group stages since 2010.

Teams are made up of journeyman from all corners of the globe, local players who couldn't quite cut it abroad and exciting youngsters who use Red Star and Partizan as a stepping stone west.

The fixture is famed for the intense hatred between the two sets of supporters which regularly spills over into violent scenes and spectacular pyrotechnic displays.

The tension as we walked to the game was palpable and we briskly strode in a deafening silence surrounded by the eagle-eyed authorities.

We tried not to draw any attention to ourselves and ensured we dressed for the occasion, not  evidently wearing the colours of either team.

As we entered the vast bowl of the Marakana we found our seats and sat watching the Delije and Grobari (Partizan's firm The Grave Diggers) assemble, but nothing could prepare us for what to follow.

At kick off the ground was near enough full, barring rows of seats left unattended in an effort to deter any potential troublemakers from attacking rival fans.

Both sets off supporters took it in turns to produce breath-taking displays and hurl deafeningly loud abuse at each other.

Particular highlights were Red Star's sparkler and choreography display and Partizan fans setting off of some sort of giant smoke cloud which held the game up for several minutes whilst the smoke cleared.

Flares were set off at regular intervals and the displays produced an incredible sight, all this despite police seizing more than 1,000 before kick off.

I can't even begin to think how many flares would have been held aloft had police not discovered them hidden in the stadium beforehand and it's also worth considering that I struggle to even get a bottle top into grounds in the UK.

The game itself was ok, sporadic moments of quality coupled with slap-stick play acting and both teams had a number of bright youngsters on show, many of whom I fully expect to one day see in the EPL or Serie A.

Red Star looked to be heading towards a victory which would have taken them nine points clear of their rivals but Partizan's late equaliser prompted incredible scenes behind the goal and meant that the title race goes on for the time being at least.

Both sets of fans chanted non-stop for 90 minutes and the noise was like a tidal wave reverberating around the stadium.

I found myself spending more time watching the action off the pitch than on it and have never experienced such an intense and simply loud atmosphere in all my years.

After the game we joined the thousands and made our way back to the city centre on foot and despite being borderline petrified on the way to the game, we made our way home safely without a nasty word said in our direction.

So, if there's anybody out there (like me), who is bored of the sanitised atmosphere of the EPL and is willing to sacrifice quality on the pitch for unrivaled passion off it, then look no further than the Belgrade Derby.