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Red Corner: Serbian Train Ride

by Neil Woodburn (RSS feed) on Sep 22nd 2006 at 1:51PM

The train is my favorite mode of transport.

Put me on board with the countryside blowing past my window and I'm one happy camper. Of course, it helps when the aforementioned countryside is amazingly picturesque.

On my most recent trip to the Balkans I had heard about a particularly scenic train route from Belgrade to Bar on the Montenegrin Coast. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to make the journey and have been wondering if I had missed out on something spectacular ever since.

Thankfully, Susan Spano of The Los Angeles Times recently embarked on this very journey and has written a short article about it.

After all the accolades I had read about the train trip, however, I was saddened to read that it really wasn't all that spectacular after all--at least according to Spano. Sure, the train rolls though the Serbian countryside and past the Biogradska Gora National Park and the Tara River gorge, but Spano dedicates few words to the beauty one might see rolling past their windows.

I normally enjoy Spano's articles in the LA Times but feel a bit cheated with this one. I finished reading and had to ask myself whether she actually enjoyed the trip or not. I simply wasn't sure.

So, instead of removing this train journey from my to-do list, I think I'll consult a second opinion and see what they have to say.

Filed under: Serbia/Montenegro, Red Corner