Alright, its that time again, I’m heading to a new destination! Today I woke up at 00:30, yes you read that right, because I have a flight leaving Varna at 4:30am. Dude. The things I do to save a few dollars. 😂 I will be flying Air Serbia VAR to TIV via BEG.
Leaving Varna (VAR)
I left my hotel at 1:30 in the pitch dark in a taxi bound for VAR airport. The streets were empty and so was the terminal. Cost of the ride from near the train station was 15 LEV ($11.30 CAD). Nothing was open, but me being moi, I needed to arrive earlier rather than later. I explored a little, there really is not much there with the departures area being right beside the arrivals.
Once through security, all the stores were open. There is a Costa Coffee, Duty Free, McDonald’s with super high prices (do better McDonald’s!), and various other shops, all of which were open for business at this early hour of 2:30am. See the McDonald’s prices below, the current exchange rate is 1 Bulgarian LEV equals .75 cents CAD). Dude.
Air Serbia
First time flying with Air Serbia and this specific aircraft, an ATR72-600. It is a twin-engine turboprop and reminded me of the Dash 8 series. The plane was comfortable. I was given a window seat in the exit row at the front of the plane. The flight was 1 hour and 25 minutes and the snack was a small bottle of water and 2 biscuits. Clean plane, pleasant staff and comfortable ride.
Belgrade (BEG)
Having never been to this airport or Serbia before, I was curious to see how it looked. It is a very standard airport for sure. Clean, functional and with plenty of shops to entertain myself for the 5-hour layover.
I noticed one eatery had an extremely long line, so feeling hungry, I joined. Turns out it was a bakery, and wowzers, did I hit the jackpot. I even found an empty seat in which to enjoy the best Nutella croissant I have ever tasted, a fresh orange juice and a cappuccino.
My take away was a ham and cheese sandy, turns out it also had egg salad inside too! Feeling a wave of dizziness from lack of sleep, I found a quiet area, plugged in my phone and laid on the dirty airport carpet for a stretch. I have no shame. 😂
Tivat (TIV)
Leaving Belgrade on Air Serbia in an Airbus A319-100 was so comfortable and nice. The seat beside mine was vacant, I had a window with which to see the gorgeous mountains, and the seats were wide and spacious. Same snack offerings as the previous flight.
This was a short and sweet flight and arriving into Tivat was so picturesque. With the beaches, cliffs, mountains and blue sky, really it was breathtaking. Once on the tarmac, it is a short walk to the terminal where you queue for passport control. The line moves fast and luggage had arrived by the time I hit the carousel.
Well, I’m officially on location in Montenegro folks! I am sooooo excited to be here and to explore this beautiful coastal area. I have an amazing Airbnb, my first ever with a scenic view! It is bright and spacious and the deck is enormous! How lucky am I??
