After a great lunch prepared by Khristina’s mother with Goulash soup, meat and boiled fruit we went to Palic for a walk 🙂

Palic it’s a park created next to a very nice lake very close to Podrum Palic, the company where I’ve worked during that time… The walk started this way and it was a great moment to review the place and to take great pictures that I will upload as soon as possible 🙂

During this day we just took some time to review all the great places that I had in my memories…but of course there was a special moment… The return to the dormitory, the return to our bedroom…

“Four years ago when I was going to leave Subotica heading towards Belgrad to catch the plane back to Portugal we discovered that my train departure time was a bit earlier than what I was expecting… This way we didn’t have any time left to open the last home made Port Wine bottle my father had just sent a few days before…”

That time, Keba and Steven followed my train when I was leaving and shouted – “We’ll wait for you to open this bottle…” Since that time I always tell this story when someone asks me how a Serbian is and how he acts, how it feels and keeps a friendship… Even if they weren’t be able to keep the wine…the intention was there and they were going to do an effort for sure.

In fact they really kept the bottle unopened for 4 years, still in the same Portuguese CTT post package, just waiting for my return… I was speechless and touched at the same time staring at the bottle… We opened it in the dormitory… we toasted like we did in the old days, we tasted it in the same way, and it was an amazing moment…. David was there, recently married the day before….Dejan sent messages with cumpliments….Mariana did the same… these people are really incredible.

The night finished with a “Pleaskiavica” (kind of a huge good hamburger with everything) and with a chat in the train station where we waited for an hour and a half for the delayed train…

They ran with the train just like they did before and it was a great “Déja Vu” moment…but without the bottle 🙂

Like they said to me…. I am Serbian in my soul!  

  LM

When I return to a place that touched me so much I normally have high expectations regarding everything…I think it’s a normal thing but of course a risk since you can frustrate this expectations…This didn’t happen in Subotica… It was amazing:)

After presenting Raquel to my friends we went for lunch, a strool and a coffee around the city… I verified the first change in the city imediately…4 years ago the first ATM machine was installed here…nowadays…there are ATM machines in every corner!! The rest…completely the same, but with the usual commercial interests ahead. New stores, new bars, but everything keeping an old but stylish style! “Yanko”, an old friend took some time just to drop by and say hello:)

We went to Kristina’s house to get installed since we were going to sleep there and imagine what was the first thing Khristina’s mum told me when she saw me: – Luís, guitar!!! It’s incredible how small things are kept in memory:)

The night was starting to get colder but we wanted to return to our bar “Sax”, to eat Burek, and to feel Subotica like we did before! There are things that doesn’t change…When we were drinking the old “Vinhaq” on the street before “SAX” we were surprised by an old man selling old money bills. When Keba and Steve told him about my “story”, the man simply offered me an old bill of 100 dinars from the year 1944 while shouting “Figo” and “Ronaldo” and “Portugal”! Only in Serbia:)

The rest of the night was incredible!!! We talked, danced, laughed, and in the middle of the night a girl approached me and just said:

– Luís, I can’t believe it’s you!!! Do you remember me?

– I just said…please help me!! I can’t remember:)

– It’s me, Lidija!!

– No wayyyyyyyyy!:) I can’t belive it’s you!!!!!!!

Lidija is a big friend and I just couldn’t recognize her since she lost 26 Kg…what a change 😉

After we “closed” the bar we went to LIPA and the “burek” luckily didn’t change:) Raquel tasted it after all my descriptions and she liked it!

Reviewing all my friends, doing the same things I did before, and having a lot of fun!! This was one of the most intense days ever…

LM

After an amazing sunny morning in Széged, a city that looks even better in daylight, we caught the train around noon heading towards Subotica. I was very excited and anxious at this moment…I couldn’t believe I would return 4 years later…

We waited half an hour for the most amazing train we’ve ever took…I mean ever and ever!!! In Serbia this kind of train is called “Chino Bus”:) In fact it looks like a bus, but with the difference that it slides along the train track…so, after all, it is really a train…I guess..got it?? With manual shifts, the driver sits right next to us controlling the amazing diesel motor engine…but who cares…It moves:) Besides this the non smoking sign on top of the driver’s chair doesn’t dissuade him of smoking a cigarrete after another like if there was no tomorrow!!

First border control just outside of Hungary..ROSZKE..Passport check…check!

Second border control, Subotica, Serbian entrance…Passport check…check!

I was in Serbia..in 10 km, 15 minutes and I was going to be back but…nop…no no no…the amazing Chino Bus just couldn’t do it…It broke down on this final effort…The driver insisted, and we did the final 10 km at an amazing TGV speed of between 2 and 4 km/h !!!! We could see the kids runing around and crossing the train rail in front of us…It was hard..but the Chino made it 😉

I have a lot of friends over ther in Subotica, but Steve, Keba and Christina are the closest ones…and…there they were…waiting for me…just outside the station, just next to the rail…always on my heart…4 years later…waiting for my return!

The moment was amazing…we were happy, very happy:)

LM

Foi no dia 7 de Dezembro que cheguei a Budapeste para retornar à Sérvia, mas desta vez acompanhado pela minha moça!

Corria o ano de 2002 quando fiz em Subotica um estágio da AIESEC. Ficaram muitos amigos para trás e a promessa que um dia voltaria… Esse dia ia chegar:)

Antes de rumar a sul começámos na sexta-feira por passear em Budapeste pelo centro da cidade onde o mercado de Natal estava ao rubro! O cheiro a vinho quente, a pão, a doces, a música e a animação, enfim…o Natal estava por todo o lado… Foi uma passeio óptimo e ainda para mais eu e a Raquel fazíamos precisamente nesse dia o primeiro ano de namoro:)

Por volta das 16h fomos apanhar o comboio em direcção a Szeged, uma cidade Húngara perto da fronteira com a Sérvia, bem no Sul, cidade onde iríamos pernoitar… A estacao de Nyugati em Budapeste impressionou-nos um pouco… A beleza e imponência é fantástica, mas infelizmente a entrada pelo metro é um antro de felpudos cheios de stress onde tudo se vende e tudo se compra num espaço exíguo, cinzento e sem luz natural. Uma estacao tão linda merecia melhor…

Prosseguimos rumo ao Sul numa carruagem super cheirosinha…os balcâs no seu melhor, e cada vez me sentia mais perto…

Já foi no centro de Széged que provámos o vinho branco quente para nos aquecer dado que a brisa de Inverno da Hungria já se sentia!ehehe

Tudo quanto era hotel custava para cima de 60 € e tudo o que era hostel e albergue estava fechado… Estavamos os 2 sentados num banquinho a pensar que raio iríamos fazer… Liga para este aqui diz a Raquel..é longe mas é a última esperança:

Eu: Hello ?

Sra: Héidele?

Eu: English, French, Espanhol?!??! Anything?

Sra: German!

Eu: #$%&v $%%”&/%&###$%& Svei $”$%”&%$&/”( Zimmer ?

Sra: yes

Eu: We’re coming!!!!

Sra: yes

(Consegui dizer as duas únicas palavras em Alemão que sabia…!)

E foi assim que conseguimos descobrir uma pequena, barata e fantástica residencial onde nos indicaram um restaurante que nos encheu literalmente as medidas… Podem ver pelas fotos!

Amanhã ao meio-dia seguimos viagem…

LM