Belgrade, Serbia

I have questions I ask and answer whenever I get to new place:

• Is water safe to drink from tap?

• Where is the closest grocery store

• How do you catch and pay for train/bus/etc?

• Where to get cash and how much is appropriate?

These are all questions I wished I had compiled in a checklist to be used before I arrived in each new location or country during these last seven months instead of doing the mental gymnastics every time I arrive in a new place. But it is the last country now and I finally have my list.

My flight is early in the morning from Vienna to Belgrade, Serbia. I need to get out of the Euro zone since my visa is close to expiring (90 day Schengen). It seems the next stop nearby is Serbia since I visited many other Balkan countries but not this one yet.

After arriving by plane I go to the city shuttle that is 20 minutes late and the crowd is starting to gather around. I’ve already been waiting about 30 minutes prior so I am proactive and push myself towards the front of the group when the shuttle arrives since I’ve been waiting much longer than most of these people and there is no formal line. The shuttle is a smaller bus and not everybody is getting on. My last stop during my travels and I finally learn to be pushy to my advantage. Most of the time I am overly considerate even when it hurts me. After the shuttle I have to switch to another bus and the heat is starting to kick in; my entire backside is drenched in sweat. I am on a crowded bus standing and trying to balance with my large backpack containing my life for several months and the guy next to me is real annoyed with my backpack. I am too sir. I am too. My hotel is right next to the bus stop and my room is ready. I’ve been so lucky with my room being available as soon as I arrive lately. I relax in the AC for a couple hours before I go back out to sweat again with a walking tour of town.

I meet with the tour and a tour guide takes us many sites in town and explaining their meaning. I learn places to hang out and restaurants to try. He of course tells us to try rakia but I’ve been to the Balkans before and I’m a pro at rakia now. The tour is great but he says nothing about anything related to conflicts in the last fifty years; the commentary stops at World War II. From what I’ve read the most museums around here do not address it either. I am really curious to get their perspective on recent conflicts since I’ve already heard some commentary from other Balkan countries. Maybe another day or so I’ll hit a museum or have a guide that will talk about that period of time. I do learn Serbia goes way back and has a long history. I definitely need to learn more.

After the tour, some of the more outgoing people of the tour arrange a meet up at a beer place around the corner. The six of us go and have a beer. We have two Aussies, two Americans, an Italian and a Colombian. We have a delightful conversation getting to know each other. We take the conversation to dinner afterwards. I try another one of those Balkan meat patty things that seem to be so popular in the region. This particular one is a combination of ground beef, chicken, and cheese. It comes with a side of fries, so yeah, very healthy.

Google takes me through these buildings on my walk back to the hotel. I feel like I’m trespassing but I think others travel the same way.

The next morning I head out to visit the Nikola Tesla museum. Tesla was born in technically Austrian Empire in a region that is now Croatia but was born to Serbian parents. He spent the much of his life outside of Serbia but his inventions were brought to the country after he died, even though he spent most of his professional life outside the country. The museum can only be visited by tour once an hour. The two early tours the morning I visited were already reserved by large groups – although individuals cannot reserve in advance and have to pay in cash. I check in and notice I can’t buy my ticket yet. I am told to come back in about 30 minutes so I go around the block to try the pizza the tour guide yesterday raved about called Bucko. I rarely pass up a good pizza so it is an easy sell for me. The pizza is known for the sauce that is spread on top (called a salad). So basically it is a normal pizza slice with a spread of your choice. I got the beef salad which seemed to be the most popular. It is good but messy and something I am not sure I’d order again. Maybe I’ll go back and try another salad but there are a few more foods in Belgrade I still need to try.

I return back to the Tesla museum for the tour and demonstration of some of his inventions.

I walk around town a bit afterwards.

I head down to the funky Skadarlija district to have dinner at one of the two restaurants I have on my radar in that neighborhood. It’s a very short walk from my hotel so that’s nice since its still hot out. There is a Serbian band playing for dining guests. The music is traditional and sounds like something you’d hear in in many European tourist restaurants.

Karađorđeva šnicla is a Serbian dish consisting of a breaded and rolled veal or pork cutlet stuffed with kajmak. It was named after Karađorđe, a Serbian revolutionary who led the First Serbian Uprising against the Ottoman Empire from 1804-1813.

I had it with chicken since eating lots of beef and pork lately. It is good but very rich. Probably would never order it again but glad I got to try it. Also tried the Krempita again, this time with berries inside. I have had the dessert before and but I missed enjoying it from my Balkan days a couple months ago. I also discover that I am in love with the cheese topped Sopska Salata (Serbian salad). The salad is fresh chopped vegetables and cheese, so good.

After dinner I explore Skadarlija and end up down a funky alley with bars and more restaurants. I hope to come back here another night.