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Belgrade: an undiscovered gem

Sent by Michael S. (United Kingdom) on 24 September 2007

"Belgrade, you get robbed!" the taxi driver enthused as we drove to Budapest station, where I
was to catch the overnight train to the capital of Serbia. A couple of horror stories thrown in
for good measure, and the offer of a €1,000 taxi ride to Belgrade followed.

Well, what would you expect going into a country that was being bombed 5 years ago?

I had no idea, but by the time we reached Novi Sad, where we had to leave the train and take
a smokey bus the rest of the way to Belgrade, some anxiety was setting in. The bridge had
apparently been out since it was bombed by NATO, and noting that I might well have gone to
school with the guy who blew it up is never the best way to introduce yourself.

As it was there was precious little evidence of the bloodshed that swept Yugoslavia in the
1990s through the pleasant if mundane countryside north of Belgrade. Nor was there much
evidence that for most of the 20th century this country had been a communist dictatorship,
amongst the sleepy towns and comfortable suburban houses.

A stark reminder came as we drew into Belgrade proper, and I saw on the skyline the most
immense block of flats I have ever seen. The council estate from hell. In what way the poor
souls here were equal with the residents of the comfortable houses up the road I have no
idea.

There are few remnants of the troubles visible to the casual eye. Two large derelict buildings
near the station, displaying their bent iron structures and charred brickwork were about the
only physical reminder. In the inhabitants though, the memories are still there in a sort of
detatched way.

Of the times it came up, once was with a taxi driver who laughingly told us that they need
another Milosovic to sort out the traffic lights. The youth hostel manager, in his early 20s with
ambitions to own a Porsche, and close down Yugo once and for all, could not have cared
less. The other time, with an old man in a cafe, excitedly telling me how he had the time of his
life. Everyone was brought together, barbeques in the street, and the surreal, and strangely
beautiful sight of a cruise missile hitting the government building less than a kilometer from
his house. He resented it of course, but this is not a defining issue for Serbians these days. It
happened, it's finished, and there are many more immediate concerns, such as Porsches,
which are more directly beneficial to them and more interesting.

Mihailova street, the main shopping area in Belgrade is as colourful and packed as any in the
west, and is packed with some of the most glamorous women in Europe, indulging their
shopping habits late into the evening. Familiar brand names and local specialties are
abundant, and the street side cafes offer all the people watching anyone could want.

The nightlife in Belgrade is spread out, with lively bars across the town offering something for
all tastes. The club scene is vibrant with several high quality clubs underneath the
Kalemegdan Citadel, but to really experience Belgrade at its best look out for the frequent
special events advertised on posters or simply ask around in bars. Belgradians are on the
whole extremely friendly and striking up conversation is easy.

Geographically, Belgrade sits at the meeting point of the Sava and the mighty Danube. It's
just about due east of Milan, and a sort of natural centre of the Balkans. It also variously
served as the frontier or the battleground of the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian empires.

This east-meets-west theme defines a lot about Belgrade. Although the look of the city is very
much European, and the inhabitants for the most part Slavic, there's a buzz and bustle about
Belgrade that gives one a feeling of being decidedly east. There's none of the commodified,
tourist orientated history of most European cities, nor could you accuse it of being over
sanitised. There's bazars, cooking smells, smoke and noise, 24 hours a day.

On the other hand nor does Belgrade have the hard selling pushiness of the east. It has a laid
back, friendly approach to visitors with easy hospitality and no fuss. Unjaded by hoardes of
tourists and unspoilt by conservationists Belgrade has a buzz all it's own.

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