Ben Haines

My chief impression is of the forgiving kindness of young Serbs, and of their interest in things British. Examples follow. <BR> <BR>Subotica was nice enough, but offers two hours' interest, namely the great Jugenstil Town Hall. Novi Sad was a delight, more central European in feel than Belgrade (which often feels a bit like Berlin with hills), and with an excellent Voijvoidina Museum, with notes in English and Serbian, and a fine souvenir illustrated coffee table guide book and catalogue at five pounds or so. The museum is in two buildings. In the second of these is a young curator ho took the chance to improve her English by showing me round. I asked about schools use of this good resource. She replied that schoolteachers of the city are underpaid and depressed, and make no use of the museum. Also, she thought there was no tradition of using museums within the national curriculum. But she was glad I had asked, as she had one of the teachers' guides of the Museum of London, and herself was qualified as a teacher, not in archaeology. So now we're in e-mail correspondence, and tomorrow I'll send her a packet of sample worksheets and teachers' books from the Museum of London and the Victoria and Albert. She already has the website for the Imperial War Museum, with many worksheets ready for printing. <BR> <BR>She did show me a chunk of railway line, that had been blown up with the bridge, and had landed smack in the middle of their glass-walled building: it was a disaster, but they're open again, and looking good. <BR> <BR>I was in the old, central, cheap, and friendly Voijvodina Hotel, and there happened to be a visiting party of bright schoolchildren from a school in southern Serbia. With little encouragement they showed off their (good) English, and one lad asked me what I thought of the NATO bombing. I said I was no politician, so could not judge, but I did notice that Milesovic was now in jail. They nodded, and changed the subject. They put me to no pressure, expressed no anger, and all in all put me to shame. <BR> <BR>At my last breakfast in the same hotel I heard London English, and there at the next table were two people from London whose profession it was to train actors. They explained that they were at the University of Novi Sad for a week teaching the acting of English plays, especially Shakespeare. They were having a whale of time, with lively and enquiring students, doing all they could with few books and fewer other resources, and will be back next year. I told them that the town has a good foreign books shop, with plenty of Shakespeare and a fair whack of Dickens, Graham Greene, and so on. The salespeople there said that the university professor of English owned the shop, and with colleagues chose books in English and French for the stock. I bought three paperbacks for my journey. <BR> <BR>(continued below)

Ben Haines

<BR>In Belgrade I stayed at the Astoria Hotel, very near the station, and caught a choral concert, with Verdi's Requiem and Byzantine hymns, over at the deadening huge modern Sava Centar in new Belgrade. But the Jewish History Museum was closed, and f course the museum of the history of the Party has been closed a couple of years now: I wish I'd caught it. I found the National Museum heavy, but enjoyed ballet, including a good piece from Shostakovitch, "Autumn day". I've since had recommendations from a citizen of Belgrade for two better hotels. He says try the Splendid Hotel, near he Federal Parliament, at 26 US dollars, or the Toplice Hotel, near the Kalemegdan fortress, at 13 to 17 dollars. I lunched, as I like to do, at the Question Mark, but didn't this time pay my usual courtesy call upon the nearby town house of the Serbian princess. My biggest pleasure was to hear from a librarian at the British Council Library, very conspicuous and central, that throughout the bombing they never closed down, nor had any trouble from demonstrations. That is to say, as they sat cold, unlit and hungry under British bombs, young Belgraders were reading Iris Murdoch and The Economist. <BR> <BR>Please write if I can comment further. <BR> <BR>Ben Haines <BR>

Ben Haines

<BR>In Belgrade I stayed at the Astoria Hotel, very near the station, and caught a choral concert, with Verdi's Requiem and Byzantine hymns, over at the deadening huge modern Sava Centar in new Belgrade. But the Jewish History Museum was closed, and f course the museum of the history of the Party has been closed a couple of years now: I wish I'd caught it. I found the National Museum heavy, but enjoyed ballet, including a good piece from Shostakovitch, "Autumn day". I've since had recommendations from a citizen of Belgrade for two better hotels. He says try the Splendid Hotel, near he Federal Parliament, at 26 US dollars, or the Toplice Hotel, near the Kalemegdan fortress, at 13 to 17 dollars. I lunched, as I like to do, at the Question Mark, but didn't this time pay my usual courtesy call upon the nearby town house of the Serbian princess. My biggest pleasure was to hear from a librarian at the British Council Library, very conspicuous and central, that throughout the bombing they never closed down, nor had any trouble from demonstrations. That is to say, as they sat cold, unlit and hungry under British bombs, young Belgraders were reading Iris Murdoch and The Economist. <BR> <BR>Please write if I can comment further. <BR> <BR>Ben Haines <BR>

Judy

Dear Mr.Haines: <BR>As always, your trip reports curved a clear and humane picture of the people and places you visited, <BR>Some points if you don't mind enlightening: <BR>Has every life back to normal? What kind of market situation? Food supply? <BR>On your previous report,you mentioned that there was hardly any one in the cinema,This time the same in museums, How about in concerts and ballets? Have people no longer had the means or joy to attend cultural activities? <BR>Looking forward to reading more trip reports from you.

Frank

Hi Mr. Haines, <BR> <BR>a couple of quick questions for you. <BR> <BR>(1) as far as you can tell, are there any visitors that would not be "appreciated" in Serbia at this point? I am from Canada. <BR>(2)in general,what are the state of affairs like there? are things operating in an orderly fashion (what level of anarchy if any do you sense?). <BR>(3)what level of English is spoked by the "younger generation"? (let's define that at under 30 for now).. <BR>thanks.

Ben Haines

Fodors, <BR> <BR>Thank you. <BR> <BR>Everyday life is back to norma for us travellers, the shops have plenty of food, and indeed of luxury goods, and the restaurants are good. The problem is that middle class Serbs don't earn enough to buy anything but basics. <BR> <BR>The empty-ish cinemna in Moldova had shows in English, undubbed and untitled. It served a specialist audience. I'm afraid I didn't attend a normal, big, subtitled cinema there. Museums seem to me to be undervisited throughout central Europe, unless they are great national centres, like capital city art galleries, and even then many visitors are foreign. Concerts and the ballet were well or very well attended. <BR> <BR>If I, a Briton, was made welcome all will be. We bombed relentlessly. <BR> <BR>Anarchy, what anarchy ? Serbia is orderly. <BR> <BR>Under thirties have all studied English, and speak at various levels. But they read and listen far better than they speak. This was the case behind the old Iron Curtain, and is true anywhere where there are few anglophones around to practice on. So getting by for an anglophone in Serbia is harder than in Hungary, say, or Poland, but a Serb with fair English always turns round and helps -- helps gladly, pleased to use his or her skill, and to see a tourist. <BR> <BR>Please take a six day visa. They want to see you. <BR> <BR>Ben Haines <BR> <BR> <BR>