Spring Sprang in Serbia Sunday

When we arrived in November we got the impression that it was always gray, cold, and rather dismal here. Crumbling concrete just doesn't do it for me. While that may continue to be the case most of the time, I am delighted to report that spring does indeed make an appearance here. In the last couple of weeks we have seen temperatures in the 70s more than once and we're supposed to hit 80 later this week. Granted, this doesn't bode well for later this summer but, let's not go there yet.

This weekend I gathered up fresh herbs at the market (language barriers aside, it was an overall success) and put some window boxes together. Next week I might tackle some flowers. Little by little my green oasis in the middle of this paved city is coming together. I also managed to coax Bob out of the house on Sunday for some long over due sight seeing. We went to Kalemegdan, an old fortress turned park inside the city of Belgrade. 

Jealous of the fact that it was peak cherry blossom time in DC, I was very excited to find that it was peak plum blossom time here. The pink trees were all the spring I needed. Better yet, it wasn't nearly as crowded as the Tidal Basin. Of course, there aren't nearly as many trees either.

The park a very popular hangout for the locals who, apparently, do not like to spend any time inside their homes. People stroll around the grounds, sit on benches, and get some sun.  Kids climb on old tanks and torpedos.  There is a military museum on the grounds so this makes some sense even if the flowers and weapons make for an odd juxtaposition.

Tired and hungry we left Kalemegdan and walked a few blocks away to hunt for a good place to eat. Passing cafe after cafe we finally found a restaurant putting out thin, crispy pizzas. It had excellent sidewalk seating to boot. Duomo's maybe? Like most places here, it'll be easier to find again just by wandering to it rather than remembering the name or street. We plunked ourselves down and finished off the afternoon people watching. 

It's amazing what a different place Belgrade is now that the weather has warmed up a bit.