Serburban Living

This Country Goes to 11

2009-08-29T14:22:00.005+02:00

In the past month I have attended what may be two of the loudest events I've witnessed in my entire life. The first was a brass festival held in a small town of the same name, Guca ("goo-cha"). Guca is about 2.5 hours away from Belgrade along long, twisty, narrow highways. Once a year, tens of thousands of Serbs descend upon this small town in the mountains to drink beer, eat lots of meat and cabbage and make incredible amounts of noise. While there is a schedule of events, the excitement comes from the noise generated by hundreds of 6-piece brass bands wandering the streets. If you aren't careful, they will perform just for you. The performance consists of playing as loudly as possible, directly in your face, until you cough up a few dinars.

The food is truly traditional Serbian cuisine. Piles of grilled meat and this special wedding cabbage, which has been cooking in that clay pot for much much longer than I want to know.

Guca is a truly Serbian celebration. National pride comes out in full force. Considering the amount of alcohol consumed and the means by which the Serbs express their joy and pride, it's a wonder most people make it home in anything like the condition they arrived. Apparently, the most intrepid celebrators clamber for a spot atop the great Guca statue in the center of town. While you can't actually see it below, it's a statue of a trumpet player. Now covered in man.

Every evening of the festival ends with a concert in the main stadium. The concert kicks off promptly at 11:30 pm. I'm not used to this European schedule now and I don't think I ever will be. I'm quite pleased to report that we scored seats in the VIP section. This kept us out of the crowd on the ground level. While, to me, almost every song sounded the same (over played and out of tune) the Serbs went wild as their favorite songs came up in the play list. Their absolute favorites prompted them to climb on top of one another and light road flares. Lighters are too subtle I guess.

Just when I thought the ringing in my ears had stopped, it was time to head to the next musical sensation. Of course, this one was a long time in the planning. Madonna came to Belgrade last Monday. A group of us got ourselves tickets for the "fan pit" right up against the stage. I mean, really, if you're going to go. Go large. Luckily, the crowd at the Madonna concert was much more restrained than the Guca crowd. Fearing a stampede when she made her entrance, I was pleasantly surprised at the civility of it all. It was, without a doubt, a fantastic show. At 51, she's still able to put out quite the performance.

And, I have to hand it to Madge. She managed to put out more sound than all of Guca combined. For a girl who can't even shop in Abercrombie and Fitch anymore thanks to the soundtrack volume, it was a bit of a shock to the system. Maybe I'm older than I thought. Either way, I'll probably tone it down for the next few months.

The Plot Thickens

2009-08-05T10:29:00.003+02:00

Remember my post about Bert and Ernie and their pigeons across the street? Well, summer is a very busy time for them. In early June they established a camp, of sorts, on the roof. Bert, Ernie and sometimes friends are in attendance almost every day. From loungers they use binoculars to stare at the sky for much of the day. Group meetings take place around a shaded table which looks perfect for cards and cool drinks. Their day starts early, usually before 8 and can go until dinner time. (Yes, I know I have too much time on my hands).

The other day, my housekeeper looked out the window and said, "Wow, they really do have a nice job." Thinking she was kidding, I replied with my theory about their unemployed status. "Oh no," she answered, "They are raising champion pigeons."

After closing my jaw, I jumped on the internet and began to do some research. It turns out that pigeon racing is a legitimate sport in this part of the world, and much of Europe. There is, in fact, even a Federation of Racing Pigeons branch in Serbia. The binoculars and bizarre staring into the sky seem to be an attempt to track and monitor the birds to find the best and fastest. I don't recognize any of the new members on the site or winners of recent competitions as my neighbors, but I'll keep my fingers crossed for them.

Not Just Another Church

2009-06-17T19:16:00.006+02:00

Monastery and church tours are all the rage in Serbia. At least that's how it seems. I can't say that touring these religious buildings makes much of an impression on me. Most of the time I listen to the tour guide and what he's saying goes in one ear and out the other. This weekend we went to see the Oplenac Royal Mausoleum about an hour and 20 minutes outside Belgrade. I can't say I retained more of the historical lesson but the visuals got my attention. It's a gorgeous building that sits on a hill. Very with and bright.

More impressive than the outside is the inside. It is completely covered in small mosaic tiles which are a sort of a museum of reproductions of the frescoes from the Serbian medieval arts. According to wikipedia (and possibly the guide we had), "The entire mosaic has 725 painted compositions (513 in the temple and 212 in the crypt), on which there are 1500 figures. The entire area of the mosaic is 3,500 square metres (38,000 sq ft); with 40 million various coloured pieces of glass which have 15 thousand different varieties of colour, making the most vivid artistic impression."

Many people take better pictures than I do. You can see a good set of pics by a photographer I do not know on flickr : http://www.flickr.com/photos/jup3nep/tags/oplenac/ . The mosaic continues into the tombs beneath the church where many members of the Karadorde family are buried. It's the most sparkly and glittery catacomb I've ever seen.

After ogling the mosaics for a while we went for a great lunch and wine tasting at a local winery. If I must visit churches, I'd like all tours to end in such fashion.

Replace your horn every 12,000 miles

2009-05-11T15:52:00.002+02:00

I suspect you've never had to get your car horn replaced. You've probably never even considered the fact that the horn on your car may not outlast the car itself. I also suspect that you do not use your car horn as regularly as your turn signal or brake.

When driving in Serbia, it is not only acceptable, but expected that you should lay on your horn at least twice every few miles. Now, I don't mean giving out a little "meep meep" to the driver who didn't notice that the light changed. I mean, laaaaying on the horn when the driver in front of you hasn't taken a rolling start into the intersection when the light is about to turn green.

Let's examine this innovative use of the horn. First, it makes drivers incapable of considering alternative routes. For example, let's say you are about to pull onto a small, one way street and notice a tow truck up ahead is blocking the way as it prepares to tow an illegally parked vehicle. You may look ahead and decide not to turn onto the blocked street, thus avoiding the problem. But in Belgrade, you'd just pull up right behind the tow truck, wait 10 seconds, and then lay on your horn. This will not cause the tow truck to move. In fact, the work may slow down. In addition, it will degrade the quality of life of anyone who can hear your car horn. Even better, as you do this, other cars are drawn to the sound of your horn and line up behind you. They also begin to honk. It's amazingly ineffective.

Second, in general, honking will rarely have any effect on the other drivers around you. Honking is a tool for releasing frustration. Drivers don't inch up or move out of the way when others honk at them. Every driver has earned the right to put his or her car exactly where it is at that exact moment in time and no one can take that away from them. Now, at the next block, some jackass may very well be in his or her way and they will be come the honker instead of the honkee. Because, obviously, the situation is completely different.

Protesters have learned to harness drivers' inability to find alternate routes and their ease of horn use with the already bad traffic situation in Belgrade. It doesn't take a very large group to bring traffic in Belgrade to a complete stop. A couple weeks ago, a large protest was staged outside the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This building sits on one of the main arteries into and out of the city (sort of like Constitution Ave in DC). The protesters managed to block the entire road in both directions on a Friday afternoon. At first, as I walked past I thought, "This doesn't look so bad, you turn right, head up the side street a few blocks, then cut back down." But, the further I got from the protest, the more I could see the effects of the traffic snarl. The blocked road leads directly to a major traffic circle where 7 roads come together. Each of these 7 roads suffered major blockage because no one could feed into or out of the circle. The radiation of the backup penetrated every block I covered as I headed northeast in a textbook definition of gridlock. And, like clockwork, every time the light turned green in one direction, that entire line of cars would lay on their horn. Unfortunately, there was nowhere anyone could go.

As the car horns rang out in unison, I'd occasionally hear one give out. A sputter, a gasp, and then it sounded like an old goat. But did this stop the driver from pressing on? Oh no, each driver seemed convinced that his honk was crucial to the resolution of this traffic nightmare.

Viminacium

2009-05-08T09:10:00.004+02:00

As an American, I still find it very novel to visit historical sites that are over 250 years old. The fact that there are Roman ruins in Serbia seems pretty cool to me. Last weekend we went to Viminacium which, it turns out, was a pretty significant Roman city. The site is only a little over an hour outside of Belgrade. This is the first time I left town to the east and it was amazing how quickly we left any sort of suburbs and entered into farmland.

The trip to Viminacium provides a nice overview of Serbian life, you see Belgrade, then some enormous suburban housing areas, pass through some mountainous hillsides, then quickly get into fields and farms. Finally, you hit small, rural towns where the residents use their tractors for daily transportation. Avoiding the horse drawn carts and strawberry sellers, you continue down the crumbling streets through the tiny town. Depending on the route you take you can drive between the power company's near-bursting steam pipes and the trash dump or you can drive through the abandoned part of town now taken over by gypsy squatters. Then you drive right up to the entrance of the power company and pass it on by. It definitely feels like you're doing something wrong. In the end, your destination is out in the middle of a farmer's field.

Viminacium itself is an amazingly preserved and, to my untrained eye, a very well maintained and excavated site. We were taken on a private tour (being the only English speakers around) by an archeologist who explained the work that is going on. Most impressive to me is the way the archeologists have left things in place for visitors to see - like skeletons lying in open tombs.

One of the best features of the site are the frescos inside some of the tombs. Rather than removing the frescoed walls of the tombs to museums, they have built tunnels up into the tombs and put dim lights inside. You can walk up under the tiny coffins and see the inside as the original inhabitant would have. Creepy? Yes, but the context was very cool.

Three major areas have currently been uncovered but there are hundreds of acres (at least) of city beneath the fields still to be excavated. The work could continue for decades more. A nearby power plant is interested in the coal below ground but there seems to be some sort of arrangement worked out due to the prior knowledge the plant had about the site's historical value. Somehow, the plant seems to be obligated to continue buying land from the local farmers as more sites are found to excavate and avoid strip mining the area. An oddly civil arrangement.

Combining the easy, educational drive with the knowledge dropped by the tour guide, I place Viminacium high on the list of places to take visitors when they visit Belgrade.

Ljubljana Restaurant Reviews

2009-04-22T09:55:00.002+02:00

A girl's gotta eat. And when a girl is outside Belgrade, she heads for the ethnic restaurants. It should come as no surprise that our first priority was the Mexican restaurant. Joe Penas was recommended by several friends. Close to the city center, Joe's gets off to a very good start. The decor is right on with tacky signs, colorful walls, and rickety chairs and tables. The delicate scent of greasy tortillas wafts through the air and greets you at the door.

When we opened our menus, the befuddlement began. No quesadillas? Burritos with potatoes? No cheese? Something was wrong. The European interpretation of Mexican food was worrisome. Undaunted, we ordered a pitcher of margaritas and some guacamole. Then stared at the menu some more. The margaritas showed up frozen (too bad) but were quite strong and tasty. The guacamole was made table side and very well done. All in all, we were quite pleased with the start to the meal. When Bob's fajitas arrived the waiter kindly offered to demonstrate the proper construction technique. Clearly Mexican food is a rarity in the area. I had decided to investigate the chicken/potato burrito. The description had not mentioned the 18,000 spices also included. The potatoes absorbed so much heat during cooking that I couldn't taste a thing after the first two bites. For me, it was all downhill from there. In the end, we both decided that there wasn't anything else on the menu we were interested in. We wouldn't return for anything other than margaritas.

For our second dinner excursion we decided to try out a recommendation from the Rick Steve's guidebook. DaBuDa is an Asian restaurant near Kongresni Trg. Thai and Japanese are the main features. The restaurant itself has a very cool vibe with a nice bar and good music. We were surprised at how empty it was on a Saturday night. Until we realized that 8:00 was probably much too early to eat. When we left at 9:30 things were quieter still. It was only when we were out getting coffee at 11:00 that we saw the street life pick up.

As soon as we opened the menus at DaBuDa we were overwhelmed (in a good way) with choices. There were plenty of fun drinks to choose from. The house-made cranberry and ginger iced tea made my day after so much walking around. For dinner, I went with the sesame beef with coconut milk and basil sauce. It came with the most perfectly steamed vegetables I've eaten in months. The penang curry was really hard to pass up. I guarantee I won't be able to find that in Belgrade. I'd very highly recommend this place to anyone visiting Ljubljana. Especially if you're visiting as a "local" and maybe not so interested in delving into the Slovenian cuisine.

We also had a great lunch at the As Lounge -- not the expensive Gostlina As next door but the attached cafe. They share a kitchen so why bother with the real restaurant? The glassed in patio made for a great Sunday afternoon. The waiter's wine suggestion wasn't so hot but the slab of roast beef on my sandwich was far beyond my expectations. This was no deli sandwich.

It was a weekend of good eats and, now that our appetites are stoked, we are more determined than ever to locate the best Belgrade has to offer.

Ljovely Ljubljana

2009-04-21T08:56:00.006+02:00

Serbians are serious about their Easter holiday so we took advantage of the four day weekend and went to Slovenia to check out Ljubljana. The six hour drive stretched into seven since the border crossing into Croatia took a bit longer than we anticipated on Friday morning. The drive was incredibly pleasant, if a little expensive. Aside from the expected gas-price shock, we were amazed that it costs 15 euros to drive across Croatia (each way). And I thought Delaware was a rip-off.

As we passed into each new country the scenery improved, as did the roads. It's quite surprising how the character of the land distinctly changes at the border. This was especially the case when we crossed into Slovenia. It was like driving onto the set of The Sound of Music. Little towns with red roofs dot the hillsides. Each one surrounds a church with a tall steeple. We passed through patches of rain but it was still a sunny day so the grass and trees were bright green and the trees all had their spring flowers on them. Ljubljana is not a large place. Only 265,000 people live there so we didn't even see the city until we got off the highway and drove into it. From our hotel window we had a nice view of Ljubljana Castle which sits above the city.

After dropping our bags at the hotel we headed right out into the city center which was only a few blocks away. We were thrilled to see people actually drinking beer at the bars and not just coffee. We weren't in the Balkans anymore. The next morning we would discover just how deep the Austrian influence ran when the beer drinkers were out again at 10 am. Not loud and rowdy beer drinkers. Just brunch beer drinkers. Very civilized. So, we started our evening in a smoke-free pub with a pint of Guinness. Then, well, of course, we located the Mexican restaurant!

Saturday was probably the most perfect day for sightseeing I have ever been a part of. It was in the mid 60's and sunny in the morning. We headed back to the center of the old part of town, Preseren Square and briefly considered joining a formal tour.

In the end, we trusted ourselves to Rick Steve's guidance and, after quickly reading the book, began our day by walking through the open market. This market is sort of like Eastern Market in DC except 1,000 times cuter. People cruise through on their bicycles, complete with baskets, to load up on flowers, bread, vegetables and cheese. We hit the hot spots and popped into a few stores as we made our way towards the Dragon bridge, which seems to be in all the pictures of Ljubljana.

Then it was time to head upwards, Ljubljana Castle sat high above us. There is a funicular you can take, and a little "train" that drives on the road. But there are also a couple walking paths you can take up to the top. Since the weather was so cooperative, we decided to hoof it. The walk along the wooded trail made us feel a million miles from Belgrade. The sunshine, fresh air, space, and lack of honking horns was just what we needed. In the end, the Castle was cute but not much to look at. We got a few good views from the top but the main tower was under repair so we couldn't get to the very top.

In the afternoon the sun died down and it started to sprinkle on and off. We took shelter in stores when necessary and continued our walking tour through some of the city squares. We ventured outside the old city center to check out some lesser sites. For example, the fairly unattractive office building with the "world's largest digital watch" and the first Slovenian skyscraper which is a towering 12 stories. Ljubljana, once known as Emona, was connected with Jason and the Argonauts. As a result, there are a few fairly interesting small collections of Roman ruins with good signage. There is also one large Orthodox church, and the very adorable U.S. Embassy that looks like a chateau.

All of this was followed by a 2.5 hour nap before we could get up and walk some more. This time for a little stroll along the river on our way to dinner. Which, by the way, was lovely. I'll tell you all about the restaurants tomorrow.

Spring Sprang in Serbia Sunday

2009-04-07T09:44:00.004+02:00

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.

Doin' the Pigeon

2009-04-03T10:53:00.003+02:00

As a child, it didn't really strike me as odd that Bert kept a pigeon coop on the top of his apartment building on Sesame Street. In some ways, it seemed like a neat way to keep lots of pets all at once. Now that I am an adult, I find the Serbian fascination with pigeons to be disturbing. Little more than rats with wings, I see no need to feed them on street corners or in parks. Especially when they travel in sizable packs that could easily take over the city if only they could organize themselves. After getting pooped on the other day, I fear that their work has already begun.

Yet, these winged creatures appear to be an integral part of the older population's social life. Common thought patterns include, "It's a sunny/rainy/cold/gray day, I'll go to the park and throw bread at the birds!" Or, "I'm on my way home from the store and have this nice loaf of bread. There's no way I can eat it all. I'll throw half of it on the sidewalk for my friends." But it's not just the older folks. Most disturbing of all is that we have a real-life Bert and Ernie situation across the street.

Bert visits his pigeons almost every day. One day Ernie came with him. The birds come and go as they please. Some days there are just a few. Other days the coop is overflowing. I have so many questions for Bert. Why does he keep the pigeons? Does he live there? What is he going to do with all those birds? Is it smelly? Does he have to clean up after them? Are there health-risks associated with keeping all those birds there? What is he giving them that makes them come back all the time?

Perhaps you are thinking that I need to get a hobby. And stop staring out my window. Maybe I will. But it won't be feeding the birds.

Exceeding my Expectations

2009-03-27T10:21:00.006+01:00

While I wouldn't want to end up in the emergency room here, there is at least one aspect of healthcare here that impresses me. Lab services. A boring topic to you perhaps. But, as some of you know, I currently require fairly regular monitoring of my blood. And when people get the little things right, it's incredible how much easier the big things become.

In the States I was making weekly trips to my doctor's office where I had to wait anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes to have blood drawn. I would leave the office, wait 3 days, play phone tag with a nurse, and get my results. If I had any questions, the nurse would relay them to the doctor and maybe, eventually, I'd get an answer.

Now I can go a month between tests but even if I still had to get this done every week, it wouldn't be so bad. Here's the deal -- you tell your doctor's office staff when you want the blood work done. I usually give them a whopping 48 hours notice. They call the lab and have the lab come to their office at the time you specify. I can even ask for my favorite phlebotomist. Oh yes, I have a favorite. I show up at the specified time. He's usually there before me. The needle work is done in seconds and I'm out of there in 10 minutes or so. 6 hours later, my doctor has the results. 6 hours! My doctor calls me and we talk about the outcome. It's all done in one day (or maybe the next morning).

And, you may ask, how much does all this personal service cost? Well, there was a major price hike in January. It now costs 750 dinar. Or $11. That's without insurance and includes the transportation fee for the lab guy to come to the office. Pretty steep.

It's not like everything in Serbia is super cheap. Restaurant meals are roughly (roughly I say) comparable to a night out in the States. And clothes are certainly no deal. So it's nice to feel like you're getting a deal somewhere -- even if it is on healthcare. Little do they know what my willingness to pay is for this level of service.

Chocolate Cake with Convection

2009-03-09T11:03:00.004+01:00

When our plans included living at an elevation of 12,000 feet, I prepared myself by studying up on baking at high altitude. I was looking forward to the baking soda-filled chemistry projects. But maybe not the brick-like results. With the sudden change in location to Belgrade I figured I was home free. Everything would be back to normal. Alas, I did not plan on the teeny, tiny, euro-sized convection oven that came with our very euro apartment. Our oven, like all of our appliances, has many many settings. Including:

Defrosting
Fan Assisted Cooking
Door closed fan grill
Fan plus lower element
Natural Convection
Door closed Grilling
Pizza function

The descriptions for most of these settings make little sense to me. The "lower element" most of all because I fail to see a lower element in my oven. But hey, what do I know? Bear in mind, this oven is hardly half the size of a standard US oven. I keep one rack in there and a single cookie sheet touches all four sides when I slide it in. The concept of roasting, grilling, etc. is rather comical. Adding to the fun is the Celsius degree knob that only has markings every 50 degrees with a little dot to represent the 25's. There are a host of other buttons that would let you set the oven to shut off automatically and probably turn your food, cut it up, plate it and serve it for you but those functions are beyond me at this point.

Despite the fact that all we've cooked to date are 27 frozen pizzas and one chicken (which turned out remarkably well), I really wanted to try Nigella's Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake. It's from her Feast book and kicks off the "Chocolate Cake Hall of Fame." How could this be bad?

Most of the ingredients came with us in our kitchen gear, including flour and sugar. The only thing that I had to buy was the chocolate and the corn syrup. Without the commissary, I can't imagine I would have come across corn syrup in Belgrade. The chocolate would have been easy if I had read Nigella's helpful side note more carefully. As it was, I sent myself to a few extra stores which required a rainy Sunday morning walk. In the end, this was well worth it.

Making the cake was simple and I watched it bake the entire time since I had no idea how long it would take. It's just as well since it was done very early -- as to be expected in a convection oven. Even so, I probably let it go too long.

In the end, I didn't hear any complaints from anyone who got a taste. Except for Bob, who said the frosting was too sweet (shocking). And, they were kind enough to leave half of it for me to finish. I think I'll start working on that right now.

Officially an Expat

2009-02-27T08:37:00.004+01:00

You know you are no longer a tourist when the highlight of a trip to a neighboring country is a night of margaritas at the Mexican restaurant. Yes, it's true. Bob and I spent a very romantic Valentine's Day tossing back pitchers of Hungarian margaritas with 4 of our closest friends and I have to say, it might be one of my favorite V-days yet (sorry, honey). Iguana is a well-known destination for expats looking for food and drink resembling tex-mex. We've heard rumor that some will make the four hour drive from Belgrade just for a meal and head back down. I remain skeptical that this feat would be possible given the temptation to accompany the meal with several margaritas which, I believe, are required to make the food taste more tex-mexican.

Speaking of the drive, the trip between Belgrade and Budapest is a surprisingly easy 4-hour drive up a 2 lane highway (passing skills are required). It's a much nicer road once you cross the border into Hungary but, considering the locale, it's really quite an uneventful trip. The landscape and road reminded me of driving through Pennsylvania. Lots of fields dotted with trees. You even get a nice crossing over the Danube that reminds me of driving over the Susquehanna.

Being entirely unprepared for this trip, we did not have a plan for what to see or where to go in Budapest. Luckily, our companions had a book -- and we can easily return. Compared to Belgrade, Budapest is a nice respite with lots of pretty things to look at and cleaner air to breathe. We did manage to take in a few churches and a museum or two. More importantly, we made it to "Our Personal Labyrinth" under the Buda Castle district. Surely, one of the more bizarre sights I've seen. Having heard that it was a series of caves used for various things over the years from shelters for prehistorical hunters to Cold War military installations, we were in museum mode. Once you adjust your expectations, it's sort of fun.

It's a nice feeling to have gotten our feet under us. Even better, our car was delivered yesterday. Once the snow finishes melting we can begin to explore the Serbian countryside and see what treasures it holds. I'm not expecting margaritas.

Home Sweet Home

2009-02-22T10:24:00.003+01:00

At the end of June all of our belongings were wrapped up, boxed up, and crated. It was hot. It was muggy. And it took a very long time. Everything was bound for Bolivia. Little did we know how long it would be until we saw it all again.

Last week we finally got the green light for moving into our new place in Belgrade. Our stuff had completed its trek from La Paz, to the Pacific, through the Panama canal, across the Atlantic, and over Europe to the warehouse here and was ready to be delivered Thursday morning.

We spent our first night in the new, mostly-furnished-yet-empty-of-belongings apartment, on Wednesday. Without curtains we needed to close the "blast shields" (technically, I believe these are external shutters) in the bedroom which created a cave-like effect. The movers weren't due to arrive until 10 so when the alarm went off in the morning we hit the snooze button a few times and didn't rush to get up. After a while I hit the shower and eventually wandered into the hallway where I could see out a window and noticed that it was a little brighter than normal. It turns out we had had a little snow.

A moment of panic ensued. I had a feeling this would not bode well for our moving schedule. Sure enough, we got a phone call 30 minutes later from the warehouse asking if it was alright if they didn't drive the car over today. Yep. That was fine. Surprisingly though, everything else was going to go as planned. The movers were due to arrive between 10 and 10:30.

We live on the 6th floor. Ideally, one would take the elevator to our apartment. Especially if one were moving boxes and boxes of stuff to that apartment. Around 10:30 we heard a knock at the door leading to the stairwell. A breathless mover informed us that our elevator was broken. They wanted us to "call someone". Errr. Ok. I began to wonder what else the day had in store for us.

After about 30 minutes of confusion our doorman surfaced. As did an elevator repairman. By about 11 or 11:30 we had the elevator back in service and all was right with the world.

It's been a long week and a half now of unpacking, sorting, and organizing but we're getting there. It's amazing what a difference it makes seeing your own things in your apartment. Suddenly, everything feels much more familiar. It may have taken almost 8 months to get here but we're so happy to be home now.

Say What?

2009-01-27T13:05:00.008+01:00

The first of these billboards featured what I took to be a mildly bad translation of a familiar idiom, "Better sparrow in hand than pidgeon on branch." I figured this was some sort of ad for cell phones. I have no idea why. Maybe the bright colors? Maybe the idea of having something in your hand? But when I saw the latest billboard, I was stumped.

Brain rules force timber push.

Huh? I can't even begin to think of an American equivalent. Suggestions are welcome.

In my thrill to share this with you I noticed the URL in the upper right-hand corner of the billboard and went to check it out. As far as I can tell, O3one is an advertising company. However, these particular billboards don't advertise anything at all. In fact, they have been awarded, by the Serbian Association of Propagandists, "Golden Recognition for an unprofitable outdoor campaign." Yes, unprofitable.

According to O3one:

"O3one billboards have the mission to make our town prettier, to cherish humor, to make you smile, but most of all to motivate the observers to think back on our national wisdoms and to find an easier solution to many riddles by looking at them from a different prospective." (http://www.o3.co.yu/eng/?p=406)

So, if I understand correctly, these aren't necessarily simple sayings. These are more like Zen koans. Local citizenry are encouraged to stretch their minds and mentally explore the possibilities. Think outside the box, if you will. Then again, maybe not. Here are a few more examples I got from their web site (http://www.o3.co.yu/srp/?page_id=518)

In lie are short legs
Who digs hole to another falls in it alone
Hard to force a frog in water
What on mind that on road

Riddles you say? I'm sticking with my original thought: "Say what?"

Keeping Busy

2009-01-25T19:20:00.004+01:00

When it isn't cold and icy outside, it's rainy. Winter here seems to be a lot more similar to DC than I originally anticipated. Spring will be a welcome change indeed. We got a little tease earlier this week when it went up to 57 one day. We're still waiting for our permanent housing to get sorted out (though I understand we're really close now). We're also getting closer and closer to the arrival of our household goods.

In the meantime, I've had a chance to get busy with the knitting needles. After two scarves for a warm up, I'm on to the baby blanket stage. I think that's the standard progression, isn't it?

Still a fairly basic piece of software, this one gave me a chance to practice a few new stitches. Mainly, the increase and decrease along the scalloped edge. These are critical skills if I'm ever going to make any truly wearable items. At the very least, this was one fluffy piece that was pretty fun to kit up. Giving credit where credit is due, the pattern is from Purl: http://www.purlbee.com/cuddly-cotton-baby-blanket/. I hope the recipient enjoys it!

Happy 2009

2009-01-06T16:01:00.002+01:00

2008 certainly had its challenges (see summer '08). I'm sure that this year will toss a few in my way as well but I Bob and I are very excited to begin a new year. We're looking at 2009 as a chance for a fresh start. Every year I make a few resolutions. They tend to be extremely girly: lose 5 (10) pounds, eat better, be more positive. All unmeasurable (well, except for the pounds) and sort of sissy/stupid goals. Those are things I should be doing anyway. This year is different. I have 2 very achievable and measurable goals.

Goal 1: Learn Serbian.

It goes without saying that this will do a lot to improve my effectiveness at living in Belgrade. Now, I'm not saying I have to be able to give professional lectures but, ordering a taxi on the phone and talking to vendors at the open air markets would be considered an extreme achievement in my book. I've already cranked through chapter 1 of "teach yourself Serbian". (Let's hope I can get into a class soon.)

Goal 2: Don't get hospitalized.

I realize that, to some extent, I do not have any control over this. But, I will be doing my best to stay healthy and, perhaps, pay more attention to, for example, ridiculously chronic headaches that drive me mad. In cases such as this, I will take action before symptoms force me to notice them in other extreme ways.

I also have one other goal that is perhaps less well defined but also something I really need to focus on this year.

Goal 3: Figure out this 'working from home' thing

Out of necessity, I have become a freelancer. To some, this may sound awesome. And, on some days, I quite enjoy it myself. But I don't think that I've worked out all the kinks yet or figured out exactly how to structure my days and there isn't much of a long term vision for where this is headed.

In the end, if all else fails, there are still the girly goals of working on my knitting, cooking with local ingredients, and practicing pilates! Here's hoping for a happy 2009 for everyone.

Finding Christmas

2008-12-25T13:47:00.002+01:00

It's been difficult to get into the holiday spirit this year. Part of it is being a bit unsettled. But an even larger part of it is the fact that the Orthodox don't celebrate the holiday for another two weeks. As I strolled around town yesterday afternoon, searching for a little Christmas Eve magic, it was quite clear that I was the only person looking forward to a holiday the next day. Everyone else was facing a normal work week and all its drudgery. Don't get me wrong, decorations are up all over town. Many more than I had expected. But the ambient and never ending barrage of Christmas music, it turns out, is actually a fairly critical element for evoking the spirit. And, I suppose it really needs to be a collective event. It's an environmental thing.

I kept walking, looking for some last minute gifts to add to the Amazon boxes under the tree. A protest downtown had brought traffic in the city to a complete halt. Rather than Christmas bells, the sounds on the street were honking horns. And a lot of them. It was gridlock akin only to Tysons Corner or the Mall of America on....the 23rd or 24th of December. Perhaps I could find something to relate to after all.

When I got to the large green market down town I found trees, wreaths, holly baskets and all the trimmings needed to Christmas-up your home. I hadn't seen any of this just a few days prior. Usually stall after stall of carrots and parsnips, the new sights got me feeling like it might really be Christmas Eve.

Bolstered from the market, I stopped in a few stores and bought supplies to make a little Christmas breakfast, and some walnut covered cookies. Somehow those seemed like a necessity. Then, before Bob came home I wrapped the "exposed" presents under the tree in moving paper (some of the Amazon boxes had been busted open in transit and we just left the items out). We don't have tape so the gifts ended up looking like a pile of hoagies. But at least it would give us something to do and feel Christmas-y about the next morning.

In the evening we got together with friends, ate good food, wished each other a Merry Christmas, got updates from the kids on Santa's location (thank you NORAD), and finally went home ready for Christmas to arrive. Not a moment too soon.

Santa Claus Came to Town

2008-12-23T16:44:00.003+01:00

Several weeks ago Bob was asked to help bring some Santa magic to our little community here in Belgrade. We were both several martinis into the night at the time of the request (yes, we were blowing off some steam, ok?). I started giggling and Bob failed to say no fast enough. Deep down, I think he was looking forward to the opportunity to dress up as a large, happy man in a giant sweat suit who hadn't shaved in years.

Initially, I did not realize that this event involved Santa's arrival at a party for 30 children via a horse-drawn carriage and the distribution of presents for these children. Not only that, but a professional photographer would be capturing the magical moment when each child sat on Santa's knee and received his or her gift. This was not just a smile and wave kind of gig. This was a full-on performance.

Luckily, Santa had the perfect words prepared for each little one who gazed into his eyes, "Thanks for being good this year. Keep up the good work, kid."

According to the parents, Santa caused far fewer tears and many more children were willing to sit in his lap. All in all, it was a successful visit. Hopefully, Santa will be visiting you soon too.

"I Don't Speak Serbian"

2008-12-05T13:46:00.005+01:00

To date, that one phrase of Serbian has been sufficient to complete every necessary transaction in my new home town. I don't say it well. "Ne govorim srpski." I usually say "no" instead of "ne" and for all I know, the verb isn't even in the right tense. I'm probably saying it like man would say it, not a woman but it gets the point across and elicits one of two responses:

A large, toothy grin that, to me, seems the equivalent of a pat on the head. This is usually followed by a lot of Serbian that I don't understand and enough hand gestures to get us through the rest of the conversation. Or
"That's ok" and English that is as good as mine.

Today, however, I have decided that it is time to add a second phrase. "I don't know". Apparently I have spent enough time wandering the streets now that either I look like I know what I'm doing or I'm starting to blend in. Or, maybe I just look like a nice person. But, twice today I was stopped and asked for directions. My go-to line did seem to do the trick. But I think I could do even better with a good, solid "Sorry, I don't know."

There's always room for improvement.

Anyway, during today's long walk I was quite please with myself - even in a town that is covered in soot and smells like coal, I was able to sniff out the most beautiful bakery I've seen in quite some time. I spent a while looking in the windows. They had gorgeous looking breads and desserts. If it wasn't 10:30 am and I wasn't going to be walking for another hour and a half I would have gotten something. Luckily, it isn't far from our eventual permanent place. I will be back.

And, even though I don't speak Serbian, I think I understood the woman sweeping the sidewalk outside the place when she said something along the lines of, "It's nice looking chocolate, isn't it?" "Da."

Baby, It's Cold Outside

2008-11-26T11:10:00.005+01:00

Belgrade received its first light dusting of snow last night, following 18 hours of rain. It's wet, gray, and darn close to freezing. Reminds me of grad school in Ann Arbor. The only difference is that instead of being too far west in the time zone and getting to enjoy light later into the evening, we're too far east in the time zone. It gets dark around 4:00 here. We're not far enough north to justify such a short day so it gets light pretty darn early around here. Too early for me to comment on exactly when that may be. Especially considering my "stay-at-home-wife" status.

I've been out on a few exploratory tours during the day, while Bob is toiling away at work, trying to get a feel for the layout of the city. So far I still rely fairly heavily on two major landmarks:

A large cathedral on a hill that has been under construction for hundreds of years and is yet to be completed on the inside, St. Sava, and
The bombed out ruins left by NATO activity which still stand downtown as an eerie political statement.

What amazes me most is how crowded the sidewalks are, regardless of the time of day. I am told, and it feels, perfectly safe to walk around downtown at night. 11 am or 11 pm, I am never alone on the streets.

One of the best parts about shopping are the store names. Tucked between Diesel and Max Mara you just might find "Juliette has a Gun Parfums." Sadly, I'm sure I'm missing some of the best ones due to my slow cyrillic reading.

Back in the Balkans

2008-11-17T17:18:00.003+01:00

Four days ago we made a smooth landing at the airport in Belgrade. And, quite happily, so did all of our bags. As we stepped off the plane and entered the smoke-filled airport, I knew I was back in the Balkans. The air may be dirtier but, per cubic foot, I dare say there is more oxygen here than in La Paz.

I do believe we can make a good go of this town.