Day 10 We really like Novi Sad

Before today, Donna and I didn’t even know Novi Sad existed. By late afternoon… we were already talking about how much we’d like to come back.

This little city on the Danube surprised us — not in a loud, showy way — but in that quiet, steady way a place reveals itself when you walk its streets with curiosity.

Novi Sad is clean, warm, lived-in, and clearly loved by the people who call it home. And on a Saturday, the families were out — kids bundled up, parents strolling slowly, vendors grilling chestnuts, the whole city breathing in a soft, easy rhythm.

We wandered the market first — crates overflowing with bright red radishes, crisp greens, plump tomatoes, squash sliced open like orange lanterns. Everything felt fresh, vibrant, alive. My color lens was thrilled. Then my black-and-white lens stepped in and picked up the human side: textures, hands, faces, stories.

The alleys here… some are worn, a bit rough around the edges, peeling paint, graffiti, old doors patched and repatched. But I’ve learned those are the places where the best photographs live. An elderly woman with a cane walked through one of those narrow passages — the kind of moment you don’t stage, the kind you’re grateful to witness.

Then the charm:

A cat sunning itself outside a flower shop.

A man roasting chestnuts on a portable grill, completely in his element. A toddler in a stroller wide-eyed at the world around him.

A woman leaning out her window, watching all of us pass by as if guarding her corner of the square.

We stood on the banks of the Danube, looking at the Rinda resting quietly against the shore, the white bridge arching perfectly across the water. The reflection was glass-smooth — a full mirror image. One of those moments where the universe aligns just right.

A little history for context: Novi Sad is Serbia’s second-largest city, often called the “Serbian Athens” because of its long tradition of art, literature, and culture. It has been shaped — and reshaped — by empires, wars, and reinvention. And yet what you feel walking its streets is simple kindness, openness, and the gentle heartbeat of everyday life.

Donna and I came here with no expectations. We left with full hearts and beautiful memories.

Novi Sad — we really like you. And we won’t forget you.

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