On my only full day in Niš, I decided to rent a bike and travel to historical sites that were further out from the city. At the Day ‘n’ Night hostel where I was staying, I could rent a bike for 4 hours for 300дин ($3 USD) or all day for 590дин ($5.90 USD). I rented it for the whole day, and took off for the Bubanj WWII monument. Unfortunately, I also could not find the WWII monument. Google maps was failing me, and sent me down in the farmlands to the end of a tiny village where the road ended abruptly at a cornfield. A man who was hanging laundry and spoke no English told me in Serbian that this town was called “Bubanj,” but that there was no monument here. I started biking uphill in the direction of Niš once more.
At the top of the hill was a small café/bar, and four men around my age were drinking beer in the shade. I locked my bike and ordered a local beer myself (made in Niš), grateful to stop and celebrating my survival from endless biking the intense heat.
I asked the men about the monument, curious to see if I was even close to the correct place. They spoke varying levels of English, but gave me directions to the monument, fixed my SIM card so google maps would function properly, and invited me to sit with them.
The four men were all in their twenties and worked at a local factory - they had the day off and were visiting one friend who had a second job as bartender. Their day had gotten much more interesting now they they had run into an American, and they wanted to learn about my country and tell me about theirs. Dusan, who spoke the most English, engaged me in a discussion regarding Serbia’s role in WWI (Serbia started it) and the conflict in Kosovo. He explained how the Albanians had moved to claim Serbian land by relocating into the Kosovo area and raising families before pushing for independence. When Serbia engaged in the battle to retain Kosovo, his father was drafted into the war. Dusan also described to me the places in Niš where America and NATO had bombed his city, killing Serbian civilians - places I had been walking just the day before. Despite being the oppressor in this war less than 20 years ago, I did not know anything about the conflict in Kosovo. It was an incredibly enlightening conversation.
My new friends offered to drive me to the monument and suggested a local lunch place that served traditional Serbian dishes. They were excited to have met an American in such a small city, and already had posted photos about the chance encounter on Facebook.
Decision making time.
They seemed genuine, none of them made me feel uncomfortable, and one kept calling his wife. I went with my gut. I got in the car. (Sorry Dad) We drove to a resort area just outside of Niš where they made homemade Serbian dishes - cheese Burac, baked beans, roasted mushrooms. It was incredible. Further, the resort was situated on hot springs, and we hiked a short distance to feel the hot water flowing from the mountain.
Then we went to the WWII monument that I had been unable to find earlier - it was even more amazing than I had hoped.
Dusan explained that the area had been a killing field for Serbians held in a nearby concentration camp. As a memorial for those that were killed, a monument of three fists was erected, representing men, women, and children who had died. I have been continually impressed with the courage, resilience, and strength reflected in the monuments regarding Serbian history. This monument was not just recording that Serbians died here - it was declaring that dead or alive Serbians would continue fighting for what they believed in.
As it got darker, we drove to Čegar, a tower set back on a hill that once served as a lookout for Serbian soldiers to watch for Turkish approach. We also drove to a high mountain where we could see all of Niš lit up with city lights.
Finally, we went to downtown Niš, and sat on the river with the locals drinking beer, eating chicken flavored popcorn (?!), and enjoying the night. We climbed to the top of Niš fortress, and stopped by a discoteca that was hosted in the ancient Turkish bathhouse of the fortress. (SO COOL)
The boys helped my return my bike, dropped me off, and asked me to call when I returned to Niš one day. What a night.
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