My first Couchsurfing Experience (Balkan Trip Part 2)

We eventually met and I was excited! We started talking about different stuff and everything went as expected, even though it was my first time couchsurfing, but also his first time hosting! At his place, I didn't even have to sleep on a couch, I had my own room with a very comfortable bed. He even gave me the keys to the apartment, which is also not something you can take for granted. Other hosts might want you to leave and come back at specific times, so I was also surprised how much he trusted in me, a stranger from the internet. We ordered a Cevapi with onions and lettuce, (Cevapi is like "meat-fingers", a local food in the Balkans.) and it tasted as great as the one I tried when I went to Slovenia once. It's soft and tastes so natural, way better than the ones you can get in Vienna. He told me that Cevapi in Serbia is great, but the best Cevapi you can find in Bosnia. I got curious, but at this point, I already had an idea where I want to travel to after Belgrade.

After finishing all the boring stuff, it was time to have fun in Belgrade. All I wanted to visit was the Tesla Museum and the Sava Church, so I wanted to make sure I visit them first.

On the couchsurfing website, people can host events to do something together. It can be a meetup or even sharing a rental car to cut prices. In the evening, I went to one of the events to meet some other courchsurfers in Belgrade. There were travelers from all around the world like Russia or Australia and it was fun to listen to their stories. Some of them are traveling endlessly and just do some remote work for a living, which is easily doable in a cheap country and especially if you don't have to pay anything for accommodation. I'm not sure if I really want to couchsurf all the time, because I don't think I have the best social skills and I just don't want my hosts to get the impression that I'm exploiting them, but it is honestly something I'd also like to do in my future.

After the event, my host invited me to a concert. I'm usually not a concert type of guy but he convinced me to experience some nightlife in Belgrade. I really enjoyed the concert, I liked the band and it was really fun! This is something I wouldn't have done on my own, and that's one benefit of couchsurfing.

Overall, Belgrade is I think a pretty cool Eastern European city, but I get that some say it's not so attractive. I don't think it's the most beautiful city, but it still has its unique vibe that makes the city worth a visit. Would I recommend Belgrade to anyone? I guess it depends what you're looking for. If you want some attractions and some beauty and a relaxed holiday with sun, probably not. If you want to enjoy nightlife or if you're adventurous and interested in the culture and their lifestyle or history, absolutely.

I already had to say goodbye to my couchsurfing host, he was so nice but the time was too short. If I would couchsurf next time, I would definitely take more time to get to know each other better.

The day has arrived. I got on the bus, but there was one catch. The bus actually doesn't go to Pristina... Stay tuned for the next blog to find out why!