Belgrade

Belgrade, July 25 – Aug 2, 2007

As the morning sun penetrated the fog in my head, I stumbled into Belgrade after a long evening of pretending to sleep on the overnight train. No money, no map, and no guidebook. I was in this one alone. I was looking for TRG Republik, which is a statue of a guy on a horse at the centre of town. The only problem was figuring out how to get there. So, logically, I refused to asked directions and went the opposite way of the crowds. On my mildly scenic journey to the center, I accidentally discovered parks, bombed-out buildings, fountains, and streets labeled in the Cyrillic alphabet. I couldn’t even read these words, let alone attempt to pronounce them in order to ask directions. Later, the sounds of the Cyrillic alphabet would prove to be a healthy challenge, and someday I hope to be able to wrap my tongue around them. Eventually, the mysteries of the street names gave way, and the guy with the horse appeared before me, pointing the way to the main pedestrian street, lined with beautiful people and reasonably high fashion.

The physical beauty of Belgrade was not immediately apparent, but I met several amazing Serbians who showed me the beauty of Belgrade. The first evening, Ivana took myself and a couple of hilarious Americans out to the lake for the evening. This was my first introduction to the mad mad world of Jeremy and James, hitchhiking across eastern Europe. Ivana convinced Ozzy, (a local lifeguard, heavy metal DJ, and otherwise random character) to row us across the lake to one of the bars playing music. While he agreed to this, we ended up just going in a small circle right back to where we started. I believe this is simply the way Ozzy’s head works… small circles. Ivana later used some voodoo magic and chamomile tea to soothe a problematic contact lens of mine! Jeremy, James, and myself later set out to investigate the nightlife along the Sava river, where barges pumped out both music and beer. We were denied entry to two of the three closest barges, likely because of our current girl-to-guy ratio (0-3).

The next day, I randomly bumped into James and Jeremy on the street and they hastily whisked me into a streetcar to go visit the museum of Tito, a former leader of Yugoslavia, and who I cannot yet figure if people loved him or hated him. Next to Tito’s museum, there happened to be an architecture exhibit. Natalia is easily recognizable for her long dreadlocks and her passion for architecture and after a few random meetings on the street, Natalia had offered to show me some of the architectural beauties of Belgrade. Picking random fruits along the way, we visited churches, cathedrals, mosques, Japanese gardens, secret rooftops, local eateries, and the brilliant Tesla museum – a truly electrifying experience! I knew Tesla was a brilliant guy, but I had no idea of the endless quantum leaps of thinking that he was capable of. Natalia’s passions for the city and architecture certainly uncovered the hidden beauty of the city.

Bilyana introduced me to a few local delicacies, the Zemun district, a delicious food topping called urnebus, and also to Turkish coffee. Jesus could turn water into wine, and wine into water. The Turks accomplished a similar feat between coffee and asphalt, although I’m not sure I could tell much of a difference…


Another curiosity is that Belgrade happened to be showing the ‘Earth From Above Exhibit’. This was also showing the last time I was in London England, and also the previous time I was in Vienna Austria. The venue this time was the Kalamagden Fortress, overlooking the Sava river and much of Belgrade.

I had only intended to stay a few days in Belgrade, but it truly was the people that kept me entranced by this city.




The Cyrillic street names. I figured this was going to get difficult!


TRG Repubic. The Guy with the Horse!



James, Ivana, and crazy Ozzy in a rowboat.


The main trendy pedestrian street in Belgrade.



Jeremy, James, Bilyana, and myself.



Turkish coffee, or asphalt. If you can tell the difference...


Earth From Above exhibit... again!




A very cool building on the right, with Saint Sava behind.


Natalia, the absolute best tourguide in Belgrade! Always ask an architect to show you around!


Tesla and I. When I held his hand, the sparks just flew!


Beautiful Japanese gardens nearing dusk.


Walkway in Kalamagden Fortress.