The Ham Nomads

27 Apr 2015. <RS> Niš —

We continued on to Niš, through more beautiful spring countryside. There's a lot of roadwork going on all over the place, but not all of it very efficient or effective. We had a lot of young hitchhikers on the road — apparently there's an 'Auto-Stop Race' going on, and they're trying the be the first to their destinations — most of the ones we saw were wanting lifts to Sofia or Thessaloniki. They were a cheerful group, and the police were seen to be keeping a watchful eye on their safety. We finally got to град Ниш (Niš), the birthplace of Constantine the Great! In Niš we got to see more exotic forms of transport!

We parked off in a shady suburban street and did a little shopping in a supermarket there, then moved the van closer in to town to a park we had noticed as we drove through — if you get far enough off the road surface, they don't seem to mind much where you park! It was basically in shade, and only about a kilometre from the main town square! Good parking!

We got into town and found the Memorial to Liberators of Niš in the main square, and the entrance to the Fortress opposite it, across the river. The river was running fast, and from reports isn't the cleanest, but there were still men sitting there fishing!

The Fortress (Нишка Тврђаба, Niška tvrđava) is basically an Ottoman structure, and much of the archaeology (going back to Roman and Byzantine periods) is just sitting there for people to enjoy. The old Thermal baths have been turned into a children's playground, a Turkish mosque has been preserved and is now a gallery (although it wasn't open when we were there), and there has been an open-air concert area built to fit within the walls. Children are catered for well, with a little train that carries them round the complex. There is a 'Lapidarium', which is simply many of the roman and later stones (statues, memorials, even sarcophagi) are simply placed in an array together for anyone to come and look at.

The Turkish storerooms just inside the walls have been converted into busy little restaurants.

Just outside the complex is a memorial to Constantine, set up in 2012 on his 17th centenary of the year when, on the way to attack Rome, he had a vision of the 'Chi-Rho', the symbol of Christ, shining above the sun. He had his soldiers paint the symbol on their shields and then they defeated the numerically stronger army of Maxentius at the Battle at the Milvian Bridge (Oct AD 312), paving the way for Constantine to become the senior member of the three co-emperors (himself, Licinius and Maximinus II Daia), and over time to become the sole emperor of the Roman empire.

There was more to do in Niš, but the day was getting late, so we went out towards the start of the tollway, where we camped last night, at Petrol Station Fontana. We have found a way of leaving this place via back roads, so we never get onto the tollway itself — a cheeky cheap night's parking!

Distance driven — today, 70 miles ( 113 km ); to date, 18,974 miles ( 30,536 km )