The two-day walk from Belgrade to Novi Sad is, without a doubt, the most ambitious feat of students in blockade so far. Logistics, coordination, but also the obvious physical effort and endurance that this project required, tested the commitment of the students to their noble cause. The row, which numbered about a thousand participants, started from the Faculty of Dramatic Arts, with a slight delay due to the huge number of people that gathered, who came either to join the walkers or to see them off on their feat. The row of people was followed by dozens of cars and vans filled with tents, sleeping bags, water, food, medical equipment, as well as the walkers’ personal belongings. Belgrade streets rarely see parades followed by such interest as shown by the gathered groups on the sidewalks and windows of modern skyscrapers, welcoming this green row, which at that moment could not have imagined all the obstacles and complications they would encounter during their journey.

The first stop was the University of Criminal Investigation and Police Studies, in front of which the walkers held a fifteen-minute silence in honor of and in memory of the victims they are fighting for. Soon after that, they arrived in Batajnica, where for the first time they felt the enthusiasm and hospitality of the local population, while the number of the population waiting for them will increase as they get closer to their goal. The group scattered around, receiving home-made food, student chocolate bars (Studentski blokovi) and other necessities that the people of Batajnica had prepared for them. After a short break, the walk continued to Nova Pazova. The setting sun was melting over the cultivated fields of suburban Srem. The landscape was occasionally interrupted by a newly built high-speed railway line, next to which the walkers carefully watched the passing trains, which would cross the same route many times during their journey, but certainly not with the same goal as theirs.

Just before night fell, the group arrived in Nova Pazova. Just like in Batajnica, the walkers were greeted by the applause of the gathered citizens, while the group responded by chanting the name of the city. The shouts of “No-va Pa-zo-va!” announced to all the residents the arrival of already somewhat exhausted walkers. A short break followed in front of the “Sveti Sava” Elementary School, where tables with groceries awaited the walkers and where they could refresh themselves. Soon, the walk continued through the cold darkness of the windswept plains. At the exit from the city, they were joined by a fleet of tractors belonging to the student allies – farmers, who would stay with them until the very end of the road. The rotations of police cars and tractors, combined with the tireless singing of the walkers, proved once again what the students are best at – finding the light at the end of the tunnel.

“Stara Pazova welcomes students as liberators” – this is the description that many have used to describe the atmosphere with which the walkers were welcomed, and it is really difficult to find a better expression for this event. The row of people was squeezed between large groups of people who applauded and flashed their cellphone lights at them – everyone wanted to capture this moment. The walkers were escorted to a nearby park, where tables were set up in a line tens of meters long, filled with a variety of food, but also what made the students happy the most – freshly roasted meat. In addition to roasted meat, there were also crepes, pastries, as well as a variety of home-made and store-bought delicacies on the tables. Among other things, the locals donated blankets to the students for the upcoming night.

After a hearty dinner and rekindled energy, they continued on probably the most difficult part of the journey on the first day – the road to Inđija. The tired students, who were already looking forward to the end of their twelve-hour walk, did not remain indifferent to the enthusiasm of the Inđija citizens who, despite the cold, came out in huge numbers to welcome them. Together with them, they went down to the place where wedding tents with heaters were prepared, as well as layers of styrofoam boards that provided the students with a more comfortable rest. Our responsible monitors, however, could not afford a break – they tirelessly unloaded beds and food for the night, taking into account which of the students would be accommodated in the homes of the locals, who generously offered to keep some of them from spending the night in the cold. Anyone who went camping knows how uncomfortable sleeping outdoors can be. Still, any rest is better than none, and it was necessary considering that the coming day promised to be even more strenuous than the first. The walkers awoke to a misty morning, surrounded by cold dew. However, campfires were lit to lift their spirits up and dry things out. As mentioned, the somewhat hillier areas at the foot of Fruška Gora may not seem like a big obstacle for a car, but even the gentlest climb puts enormous pressure on the legs that have been walking tirelessly all day. However, the beauty of this part of Serbia inspired them to continue as well as the constant support in every place they passed through. A local aviator gave them a free spectacle in the air, in which a military helicopter pilot greeted them in low flight. They made a shorter, but long-awaited break at the intersection of the Maradik-Beška road, after which they did not stop until the outskirts of Čortanovci, in the shadow of a magnificent church, where a similar scene awaited them as in Stara Pazova. Although this was supposed to be a short break, the walkers were so overwhelmed by the amount of food and supplies that they decided to stay a little longer.

Although they weren’t supposed to arrive in Novi Sad for the next five hours, the walkers could already see the Liberty Bridge from the top of the hill they had laboriously climbed. Entering Sremski Karlovci, the walkers encountered a magnificent row of cyclists who had set off from Belgrade that morning, all the while being supported by the sirens of the trains that raced along the track along the road. After a short break in Sremski Karlovci, the last stage of the journey was before them. In pitch darkness, the walkers entered Petrovaradin, where they re-arranged for the last time, placing flags at the head of the row, and thus began their triumphal entry into the city of Freedom. Nothing could compare to the amount of people and emotions that greeted them. Entering the city via the Petrovaradin Bridge, on which a red carpet was spread, the walkers were sprinkled with flowers, greeted with hugs and tears of joy – scenes that they will surely remember for the rest of their lives. A particularly significant scene was the awarding with various medals by the locals, whose gesture blew away even the most serious ones. Someone said: “The people of Novi Sad haven’t been this happy to see the people from Belgrade since 1918.”

After the ceremony of exchanging flags and honoring the victims at the Railway Station, a contrasting silence reigned for fifteen minutes. Taxi drivers, friends and spontaneous volunteers drove the exhausted students to the campus of the University of Novi Sad, where the walkers were hosted by sister faculties. Greeted by thunderous applause, placed in already prepared beds and with the medical assistance provided to them, the walkers fell into a well-deserved sleep.

The next day, the largest protest in the history of Novi Sad was held. Side by side, citizens and students of both cities blocked the bridges, exchanged their impressions and ended their journey with a clear conclusion – as long as we are united, nothing can stop us on our way to Freedom.