Ada Međica - a holiday in Paradise

Near the aprtment blocks of New Belgrade, in the neigbourhood of Ada Ciganlija is the Sava island Ada Međica. In the hot days, during the weekends, about 2.000 people find their rescue from the heat there. They stay on the rafts or in weekend houses; they are bathing, sunbathing or just relaxing. When sunday evening comes, they sadly say goodbuy to the beutifull island, and look forward to next friaday when they are comming again to see this green jewl.

Their trip home by boats lasts unusually long; it almost feels like the river doen't want them to go. When they come to the Sava quay,they find the heat, the hot asphalt and the problems they left 3 days ago, again.

Nikola Rončević (75) who spent 35 years there, is one of the oldest residents of this place. He says that his wife and he were going to have a divorece, when his wife and daughter decided to build a weekend house there. For years he couldn't understand what he did to deserve that and why his family want's to get rid of him, but today he is greatfull. Spending time with Sava and Ada međica gave him such treasures which he can't compare to anything else.

He says that a lot of people came there in the last three decades trying to change it, but Ada Međica won every time. Rončević proudly explains that during the 70s, while Tito was still the president, his functioners promissed him thah they will tear down the weekend houses because "they are ruening the nature" , just to please him, but he didn't want that. He even took a walk along the river in Ada Međica admiering the nature there.

The flouds two months ago,wich have endangered half Europe,have left a deep mark on the island. All the weekend houses on the land were soken, while the rafts endured it. That's the reason why the picture of furniture drying in front of a house on the sun isn't a rear sight on Ada Međica.

The spirit and the life on the island are young people. In front of the restaurant, where a lot of people from New Belgrade used to get married and which is closed now, is a clean beach where young people are sunbathing. They say that there is no better place to spend time in the Capital for 40 dinars, what the price of a boat ride is.