May Day in Sokobanja

Single party communism was abandoned almost 25 years ago, but people in Serbia are still madly in love with the biggest workers day off – May 1st, or May Day. It’s a nation-wide holiday, and everybody takes to the great (or not so much) outdoors to barbecue and seriously relax.

This year, Sokobanja, one of the leading spas in the country is making a wide ranging picnic festivity. Sokobanja is located in central part of eastern Serbia, some 230 km from Belgrade, and 90 km from Nis. The event is called ‘’Prvomajski uranak’’, or loosely translated ‘’Mayday Morning’’, and it’s going to take place on several meadows and picnic sites, ideal for BBQ. For everyone that doesn't feel like cooking, a mini fair will be dedicated to local cuisine. A part from this, galleries will be presenting an ethnic themed series, and in the center of the city, forth annual flower festival will be held.

This event sound like fun for families or bigger visitors groups. I like the ethnic touch, because usually, Mayday is all about eating meat, drinking beer and doing nothing else. This is a good sign of diversifying a big national holiday.

Novi Sad & Souvenirs

News like this gives me some hope in development of Serbian tourism – Novi Sad harbor is getting a souvenir shop!
This doesn’t sound like a big deal, but in many ways it is. Novi Sad lies on Danube, and weekly, big river cruise liners from Germany, Romania, Hungary and Austria pass through. A lot of tourist go out and spend few hours strolling around city center. There are souvenir shops around town, but it was more than logical to put one right in the harbor, where these types of tourists are sure to pass.

I’m not big on collecting stuff, but I love nicknack's that I picked up during my travels, especially those that where cheap, small and useless – the exact things this new shop should store. For example, my friend has a collection of fridge magnets he bought during his time in the USA, and it looks great.
I hope that ‘’river’’ visitor will be able to get “Greetings from Novi Sad’’ or ‘’Novi Sad ain’t half Bad’’ magnets soon.