4.11.2007

Jay's Belgrade report.

While Lisa was conducting interviews during our Belgrade trip, I took the liberty to explore the city on my own. I visited the Ethnographic Museum, because that's how I roll, then just wandered around and people-watched. To be honest, four days isn't really enough time to write a decent summary of city, but I can jot down my first impressions:

Busy city: pedestrians and cars and stray cats moving and pushing and talking at all hours. Large Roma population. People were genuinely friendly and helpful. Huge outdoor market, a labyrinth of stalls with even elderly women selling vegetables from their gardens near the entrance or between "official" stalls, and one guy selling what appeared to be passports. Cars everywhere. Garbage burning in dumpsters on the sidewalk. Gorgeous parks. Pancakes filled with Snickers, Nutella and vanilla pudding. Cheap beer. Excellent coffee. The best burik. Women in slim designer jeans. Tito's grave: practically a solarium; a think white marble tomb in a glass house, surrounded by lush plants, built in a park decorated with statues of him. Hills. Police in combat boots. Football. Amazing bakeries. Cigarettes with warning labels in Cyrillic. Tesla exhibit. A pedestrian walkway free of cars, hosting hundreds if not thousands of people. Watching 300 at the theatre. Meeting a Texan. Petting a stray cat for ten minutes and she totally loved the attention.

Some photos. Enjoy.






3 comments:

Unknown said...

Jeez... To think that it's been more than twenty years since I've been to my former capital... Love the photos, BTW :)

Anonymous said...

Did you go to Ada Ciganlija? That's an adventure as well. ;) I love Belgrade and I go there at the end of August every year for the last 4 years. But the best burek I had was from Subotica though. :D

Lisa said...

No, didn't make it to Ada Ciganlija or Subotica, that'll have to wait for next time. I'd love to go back for Exit and Guča festivals, but that won't be possible this year.

And thanks Pengovsky, I really enjoyed taking photos, once I was done my interviews and had a bit of time to relax and enjoy the city.