18-VIII-1993.
Back from Sutomore. The most ridiculous and incredible vacation ever... but so it goes.
We packed our bags and dragged them to the railway station. Uphill this time, and despite of us having spent whatever supplies we brought (the "deksi" powder, from skrobara, for one, which cools down while it dissolves), and we having gained some stamina from going up and down those 125 steps a few times a day, they seemed heavier than ten days ago. Seems to be my suitcase was the heaviest, so I lagged behind, and a couple of local bullies took some interest in me, promising some beating up on the spot... which ended up with "don't want to see you here again". You sure won't, you morons. Montenegro won't see me, for as long as it allows such on the streets.
On the picture, Števa and his girls are in front; I'm behind him and she with Nina and Lena behind his wife, and the big suitcase behind her. So this must have been shot by Go.
The train was rather fast, until Belgrade, where we got around sunset. But instead of jumping off and taking a bus home, we stayed with the gang and went to Novi, where a bus will be waiting for us. On the other hand, we probably couldn't afford the bus tickets - all the cash we had was ten days old, probably near worthless, perhaps we'd have enough for almost two cigarettes.
The railroad of the touted "Fast tracks of Serbia" in the Vojvodina part were not only not welded together yet, they weren't maintained for quite a while. Some parts near Stara Pazova it wasn't going any faster than 15 km/h.
It took almost three hours for less than 100km. Plus then moving all our stuff to the bus, the heavy suitcase not helping at all, and I also carry the backpack. Then the last leg, about 1km walk from the bus station. When we were approaching the railroad crossing, bare 80m from the house gate, the suitcase handle snapped. I kind of dragged it the rest of the way, and the suitcase never travelled again.
Its two siblings, the trouser belt and the smaller suitcase, endured for a few more decades. Bought them in Romania in 1976.
Mentions: 28-III-1976., Gorana Sredljević (Go), Jelena Sredljević (Lena), Nevena Sredljević (Nina), Novi Sad, skrobara, Stevan Garaj (Števa), in serbian