Some final thoughts from Belgrade

  

Stopping to rest by the Salon of Contemporary Art

I've spent three weeks in Belgrade, and there's been a lot to take in. In my earlier posts, I've looked at walkability, cycling, the transit system, the fantastic pedestrian-only zone, and coffee. There's more to see, and much more to learn, but it seems it's time to return to our regular programming.

If this post isn't long enough for you, check out the delightful miscellany in Belgrade Bites by Netherlander Yvo Kuhling (cited below). I discovered this book while writing this piece, when it was lent to me by my colleague Dennis Barnett. Kuhling provides sympathetic commentary from a non-Serbian (Dutch) perspective informed by long-term residence.

1. Small businesses. 

Small shops along Maksima Gorkog

The number of small establishments on any given street is staggering. How do they all stay in business? There are so many places to buy pre-made sandwiches, coffee, pop, slices of pizza, or pharmaceuticals, or place a bet on a sporting event, all within easy walking distance. To paraphrase a local saying, "If we have that many apoteke, it's because we need that many apoteke." I guess.

2. Radno vreme ("open hours"). 

Along with that is the number of places that are open late--not just bars. The other night walking back from the theater we passed a barbershop where a guy was getting a haircut. In my town I can't get a haircut or buy flowers or get a cup of coffee at 9:45 pm. Here I can.

3. The porous language barrier. 

My brain is picking up some Serbian phrases, but it is not as spongey as once it was, and the Cyrillic alphabet gives me the fantods. I am humbled that so many Serbs I meet in this international city not only speak English but are fluent.

Ljuobomir Davidovic plaque on Njegoseva

I do try to use my phrases (hvala lepo=thank you very much, pivo tamno=dark beer) but my knowledge of Serbian is not functional. Very quickly the Serbs and I resort to English, or if that fails I'm pointing at what I want. I'm not proud of that, but it seems to be okay.

4. Smoking.

Cigarettes are common here, more like the U.S. 40 years ago than now. Restaurants routinely provide ashtrays on each table. It's not permitted on the transit vehicles, though I've seen vaping there. "Do not come between a Serb and his cigarette," warns Kuhling. "On the street, in the hospital, at work, at the gas pump, in the clothing store, anywhere really" (2014: 49).

5. Dining al fresco. 

Adventure Caffe 2 in the pedestrian zone

In a city of 1.3 million, it can seem that as many as 800,000 are dining or drinking outside at any one time. As people take advantage of the lovely weather and plenteous outdoor seating, they amplify the vibe of the city.

6. Building to the street, but... 

Voivode Dragomina, Belgrade

As you can see from this picture of our block, central city residences typically are built to the sidewalk, but for privacy's sake pedestrians are confronted with a series of screens or outright walls. I was particularly struck by the difference in Novi Sad when we did a field trip there...

Strosmajerova, Novi Sad

No porches, but a lot of windows--Eyes on the street everywhere, at least in the parts we visited. Same goes for Zemun. Those towns are on the historic Austro-Hungarian side of the Danube, while we're staying on the Ottoman side, so maybe it relates to that?

7. Produce! 

Strawberries at Kalenic Green Market

Speaking as someone from a northern land, the Mediterranean climate is miraculous. The biggest miracle of all is the produce, available daily in green markets (pijace). We landed at the peak of strawberry season, and they are everywhere in abundance. Price range 200-300 per kilo ($1-1.50 per pound), and each one is perfect. 

8. Free Wi-Fi Zona.

Throughout the city we can intermittently find the helpful municipal WiFi, which we've come to think of as a friend. It can be cranky--signing on four times in three minutes is not unheard-of--but it's free, and its coverage area is wider than I'm used to. 

9. The three trgs.

Trg Republike, with the "the horse" and the National Museum to the right

Our movements through the central city, though bookended by Kalemegdan and Cuburski Parks, are usually defined by three well-known squares (trgs) that serve as the basis for all navigation.

Trg Republike is centrally-located and functions as a starting point. Matt Willis (Eyewitness Travel: Serbia [Dorling Kindersley, 2016: 51]) calls the Trg Republike "the city's main focal point" It is spare, open, punctuated by the 1882 statue of Prince Mihailo Obrenovic II called by Kuhling (2014: 203) "the meeting point par excellence ('Where?' 'At the horse.' 'Okay.')". It has the National Museum on one side, the National Theater on another, and a third abuts the pedestrian zone.

Studenski Trg (Google Street View screen capture from Nov. 2014)

Less than half a kilometer away, Studenski Trg is tree-lined and relaxing. Located near some of the University of Belgrade facilities (biology, chemistry, mathematics, philology, physics) it is ideal for hanging out between classes, on a work break, or while waiting for your next travel adventure. The Ethnographic Museum and Yugoslav Film Archive are nearby.

To the south, Trg Slavija boasts a musical fountain that I have never heard because I have no desire to hang around this hellscape, even if you offered to pay for a subscription to this blog. Eight streets come together in a large roundabout, all of them deeply resentful of the others. A lot of bus and tram lines come through, too, but with transfer points several minutes' walk apart. Dennis's favorite burek place is here, though, so all is not completely lost.

Thanks for reading! Signed, 

БРУДЕ НЕСМИТХ

SOURCES

Yvo Kuhling, Belgrade Bites: Reflections on the White City (Uitgeverij Ubique BV, 2014)

Matt Willis, Eyewitness Travel: Serbia (Dorling Kindersley, 2016: 51) 

SEE ALSO: "Letter from Washington (VIII): End of Semester," 15 May 2018