Serbia: January 13

Belgrade by day is a much more welcoming sight, especially since we’ve seen the sun so rarely during this trip.  It was always cloudy in Berlin, and only partly sunny in Budapest.  Unfamiliar things are best approached in the light of day, they seem to hold few surprises in for the unwary.

We had a native guide with us, Vlado, who took us on a walking tour of the most beautiful parts of the city.  That served as a good second impression; Belgrade was trying to make up for the rather unflattering show we saw last night.  The new, more welcoming aspect, was perhaps best symbolized by the dog that kept following us through one of the historic parks.  Some of us nicknamed him “Patriot” for that reason, he seemed to make the park his territory, and be our escort along with Vlado.

I’m always very interested in the historical sites of any new city I visit, and this park was rich with them.  In fact, I think every section of Serbian history was reflected in one structure or another.  One thing Belgrade had there which set it apart from Berlin and Budapest, but in common with Paris and London, was the old Roman fortification that the city was later built around.  We could see the old foundations there.

There were Orthodox Churches just outside the park, which told of the Byzantine history.  A collection of shields below an extension to the fortifications represented the medieval kingdom, and through the gate we could see a tomb of a Turkish Pasha, remnant of the old Ottoman Rule.  A monument and embassy to the French was also there, showing the friendship between the two countries following Serbian independence and WWII.  Also, there were communist busts, showing various leaders of the anti-fascist partisans.  All in all, a very fascinating tour.

Interestingly enough, I also got an answer from our local guide about yesterday’s question regarding the lack of street signs.  They’re supposed to be on every cross-road, both in Cyrillic and Latin, but many aren’t, and those that are tend to be posted in Cyrillic only, on the sides of buildings.  There were two reasons that were given; one is that Serbia is not a very mobile society, like America.  People tend to live their lives in the same place, so they know the place well, and there’s not a lot of incentive to put up signs telling them what they already know, however much of a hassle it is for visitors.  Secondly, they’re rather apathetic, politically, and have no civic habit of petitioning local government to overcome its shortfalls. 

Our guide told us that he was part of a new political party [called the “New Party”], which was going to try and change this, by injecting new ideas into the political discourse, and engaging the citizens more.  Only time will tell, I suppose, how successful he is going to be.

After that, we met two students at the University of Belgrade, who answered questions about going to school in Serbia, what the education system was like, what were the best places to go for the nightlife in Belgrade, etc.  It was neat being able to meet them, and hear firsthand their experiences.  Their prospects of finding a good job in Serbia are unfortunately slim; change has come slowly to the old socialist economy, and few jobs are available.  Serbia’s best minds are leaving elsewhere for better opportunities, which doesn’t help the country much.  Still, they assured us, things are getting better, and if at all possible, they will stay to see.

Later this evening, me and four others went to a very highly recommended restaurant for dinner. We were out there in old Belgrade, having a good time and watching the locals have a good time as well.  It was the New Year, according to the Orthodox Julian calendar, and everyone was coming out to celebrate.  After a large amount of good food, wine, music, and conversation, I was feeling at peace and loving towards all the world, especially the little corner of it that I was now in.

As we left, a random guy just seemed to come out of nowhere, spouting off to us in English, “See, see?  This is why people kill each other off in Belgrade!  I’m going back there to blow that ******’s head right the **** off!” 

At that point, we decided to return to the hotel.

Happy New Year, Serbia.  Here’s to a better one than before.