Sept 13 - Sleep a lot, though it doesn’t help me feel any better. Our room is cramped and the only usable wifi is outside on the patio. Head to the bus station for our early afternoon ride to Niš. The bus station restaurant is the typical scene we’ve seen across the southern Balkans, most patrons are just drinking beer and chain smoking. Some local Serbian music is playing, it has a vaguely Middle Eastern sound to it.
There is a large number of students at the bus station, probably both some high school and college aged. Many buses moving through the station are exclusively for handling these kids. Our bus appears to be the only one going long distance.
Off at the busy bus station. Niš is the third largest city in Serbia and has a long history. It was the birthplace of several Roman emperors, including Constantine the Great (it was named Naissus at the time). It suffered a long bloody history after the Ottoman invasions, going back and forth between armies several times. We walk the bags to our apartment, skirting around the old city walls and across the Nišava River.
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Much of the area inside the old city walls has been converted to a large park, dotted with half-excavated archaeological sites. The old hammam building has been unceremoniously converted to a jazz museum.
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Besides my disappointment in the poor attention given to the old city walls, in general we note that the downtown area, plaza, and riverside parks are well maintained and free of trash.
Serbia