A new perspective on Serbia

With a stomach full of French toast, a traditional Slovak dish, and home-made brandy, I bid farewell to my friend’s family, and set out for Serbia uncertain of what I would find. All my life I had heard stories of two different Serbias. I had heard stories of a beautiful country that was worth seeing, as well as of a country full of embittered, amoral and dishonest people. Both versions were wrong. I arrived in Belgrade late at night and checked into the hotel. The next morning I set out to see the city. I was excited to see the city which is famous for its ambiance. In short, Belgrade is the least continental city I have been to in Europe thus far. At many points if it were not for the Cyrillic signage I would have felt as if I were somewhere in the Inland Empire east of Los Angeles. The nicest parts of the city reminded me of old town Pasadena. That said, while I was only there for a short time I found the city to be very liveable.
It was intresting to see how the decade-old Kosovo conflict affected Belgrade. There are still a few buildings that lie in ruins from the NATO bombings. However there does not seem to be much municipal remorse regarding the ethnic cleansing in that province. In fact the only mention of that time period which I came across was a memorial to the children killed during the NATO bombings.
The only sight worth going out of your way for is Tito’s grave and museum. While the grave itself is unremarkable, the museum itself is fascinating. One really gets a feel for how Tito kept the various ethnic groups of Yugoslavia together.
While I was somewhat underwhelmed by the sights, the unexpected bright spot of Serbia turned out to be the people. Everyone I met in Serbia was polite and helpful. When I was confused regarding the train reservation system, one lady stepped in, told me how much a reservation was, and helped explain my situation to the conductor. After speaking to him in Serbian, she told me to follow him, and that he would find me a private sleeping compartment.
Sometimes the things we hear are not always accurate. My experience in Serbia would appear to illustrate this point. It is best not to judge based only on what you hear. In order to truly understand a situation you must see for yourself.