If all flights could be more like the one I had from Amsterdam to Belgrade, I would be a very happy person!I arrived early at Schiphol airport after saying my goodbyes. There was no queue at the JAT Airways check in, so I was quickly acknowledged and helped. All the hours spent worrying about the excess weight I was carrying in my luggage were for nothing...While my suitcase was 8 kilos 'overweight', the guy at the check in did not say a thing. Good for me :) Else it would have been a costly affair! Because I was (probably) the first one to check in, I could pick my seat at the very front of the plane. At 4.45 PM we started boarding and I was pleased to see there were not many people flying to Belgrade - so I had the whole 3 seats to myself. During the short and comfortable flight they served beverages and food for free (after having flown with budget airlines mostly, I expected to have to pay for water and food). So that was a nice surprise, even though the sandwiches tasted like s***. Then we arrived at Belgrade Nikola Tesla airport 10 minutes EARLY! That's a first. How great would it be if ALL flights could actually leave and arrive on time or even early :)
Went through the passport control, got my baggage and headed for the exit. Not sure who to look for, I walked fairly slowly hoping that the person waiting for me would recognize me from the vague picture I sent them...and he did :) Dragan, one of the volunteers' mentors, greeted me and we took a taxi to the apartment downtown. It was only a short half hour drive. At the apartment I finally met my roomie for the year, Sonia from Austria. First impressions of her as well as our mentor are good :) Our other flatmates/volunteers are due to arrive later this week and the last one will be here mid January. The rest of the evening was spent unpacking, chatting with my roomie and Dragan (who will be staying at the apartment for our first few days to assist us - talk about service ;)) and drinking some tea. Turns out we're all kinda tea-lovers :)
It's Sunday morning now, and I woke up WAY too early for a Sunday morning. I don't know what time I got up, but it was still dark outside (but could have been because the shades were down :)) Simply couldn't sleep - whether it had to do with a new bed and environment or the fact that it's too damn hot in the apartment - I don't know. So got up too 'explore' the flat a bit better, since everything is so new and exciting. Had to do it quietly though, since the others were still sleeping. First impressions of the flat - GOOD :) Our bedroom is much bigger and 'warmer' than expected. And we've got a lot of storage space - which is not a bad thing for us girls :) The pictures slideshow of the apartment sent to us, made me kinda not want to see the flat, but I guess it was a good thing to come here with low expectations - it could only get better! And it definitely is better in real :) So there are three bedrooms - two big ones and a smaller one - kitchen with little breakfast bar, separate bathroom and toilet, and the living room has a 'dining' area in the corner. I have to say this is the best flatshare I have lived in so far. The only drawback though is that we are on the groundfloor. While it came in handy last night rolling my suitcases in, I'd prefer a place on one of the higher floors. If not for the view, definitely just so that passers by cannot sneak a peak in our bedroom while we're getting naked/dressed :) Well, that's the way it is.
The rest of my first full day in Belgrade will probably be to finish unpacking etc. The only thing on the agenda is to go see my workplace and meet the 'boss' at 5 PM. I am excited :) Till next time, greetings from Belgrade!
No comments:
Post a Comment