Belgrade (SERBIA): What we took for granted...

Belgrade (SERBIA)

28 JUNE - 06 JULY 2022

What the hell just happened to us?

There we all were, sailing along calmly, serenely, in our own little pockets of a vast and expansive of ocean of tranquility, with endless blue skies, sunny days and forecasts for much more of the same. Then, in the same breath, a rogue wave took our collective ease and tossed it into a churning cauldron of uncertainty. 

Many of us were unprepared, no safety vests, no items of buoyancy within arm's reach. We flapped and flailed, we swallowed inordinate amounts of salt water, and some of us went under. COVID, I hope, has been a once in a lifetime event that will be banished to the lines written in many an online entry, and accounted for individually in many a faded memory.

For my small family the impact was merely a nuisance rather than anything extraordinarily devastating. I was easily able to transition to working from home. For Inga however, whose area of work is based in hospitality, being located in one of the most locked down cities on earth (Melbourne) meant all reasonable chances for employment were lost. So like many economically displaced residents, we took part in the great northern migration of 2020-21 and found ourselves hiding out in our investment property on the Gold Coast.

....but wait, this is a TRAVEL blog, so lets get back to it.

The incantations of travel, those dreams of tranquility, of exploration, of discovery, all were removed within a 7-day period sometime back in April of 2020. One of those dependable constants in our lives was entirely erased and replaced with curfews, a 5km travel radius and infections rates. Long endless days bled into months of isolated tedium We all hoped for some visible endpoint, a psychological marker that we would be able to work to and know that through our own personal resilience we could achieve.

It was in these times that I thought back to the experiences we had in the preceding years. The small annoyances and grievances of travel such as the inordinately slow queues at check-in or whilst going through security. The steely, unfriendly, almost accusatory eyes of customs officers. The ridiculous price tags for any food or beverages acquired within a terminal. The fight for armrests, the post-service rush to the lavatory, the impatience of certain passengers and their need to furiously disembark through the single accessible cabin door even before the plan docks at the terminal jet bridge...all of this, each vexation, every irritant we had taken for granted within the entirety of the travel process. So small, and insignificant, they had all manifested into larger items of aggravation that was almost akin to denouncing the whole travel process, but now, now much bigger things had been taken away from us.

Our families and friends scattered across the world. The plans for reunions, catch-ups, special events. The conduit for this was encapsulated in the small aggravations that was longer available to us. Somehow the horrible process of minor inconveniences didn't seem nearly as problematic as we once imagined. Somehow what we had taken for granted was now what we desired most in order to get back to doing and seeing the people and things that we loved the most.

Almost 3 years had passed since Inga and I had been to Europe to see how families. This wait in many ways was quite unpleasant but looking back, it was also something that brought to us the realisation that you need to always appreciate what you have because one day it can easily turn into what you had.

Inga & Aiden - Melbourne, Tullamarine Airport - Victoria - Australia

Aiden - Melbourne, Tullamarine Airport - Victoria - Australia

That's not too bad of a set-up - Etihad Airways

There was something about arriving in Belgrade that felt comforting. As a kid landing at Belgrade's Nikola Tesla airport was always an event filled with excitement and anticipation. Waiting to see my mum's family, doing that familiar driver from the airport to Topcider. It was something that I have, and probably always will associated with good times, warm feelings and family. Certainly this time was no different. Even more so that having lived in Belgrade for three years between 2015-2018, and now, through COVID restrictions, having been removed for three years, it was something that I had certainly been missing.

Aiden & Inga - Trg Republike - Belgrade - Serbia

This old man, he's still 'the man' - BC - Topcider - Belgrade - Serbia

Knez Mihailova - Belgrade - Serbia

Knez Mihailova - Belgrade - Serbia

Hotel Moskva - Belgrade - Serbia

Hotel Moskva - Belgrade - Serbia

There was something familiar and also something a bit odd about taking Aiden around Belgrade, almost like a bit of 'history repeating'. A child this was the role of my mother and father, but of course this was also their city and both of them had family here. Somehow from my point of view the act of Inga and I doing the same thing feels random, or more serendipitous. Perhaps if you looked at the situation at arm's length you'd identify it as perfectly expected and orderly. I don't know, it often seems to me that life iterates itself in quite familiar ways although not repeating exactly.

I have to say that our time in Belgrade itself was really very nice, calming and refreshing. We all enjoyed our experience, especially being back in a place we were familiar with and being with the people that we had missed.

We were also fortunate enough to spend some time in Sopot, a town located about 45kms south of Belgrade, located on the slopes of Kosmaj Mountain. My family has a beautiful house/cottage located on a great piece of land in the area. Once again, as a kid we would often make our way here once or twice during our stay, only for a day at a time, but on this occasion, we stayed for (3) days. I have to say, I probably never truly appreciated the scenery in the area but there is certainly something very soothing and inviting about the hilly areas on Kosmaj covered with forests of oak, beech and common hornbeam. What's more, it appears that this area is also starting to get noticed from outside of Serbia with a bit of a boutique, artisanal vibe starting to permeate through some of the settlements in the municipality. Obviously the distance from Belgrade these days means absolutely nothing in terms of travel time and the environment and the setting is an attraction for anyone able to work remotely but also wanting to be within striking distance of a major city.

Kosmaj - Sopot - Serbia

Of course, when you turn 47 fireworks are obligatory

Happy birthday to me

I will have to say a big thank you to my cousin Vladimir for showing us all the new things that have popped up here in the last few years, for example;

Kabinet Brewery - which identifies as the first greenfield brewery project in Eastern Europe, and was also one of the first craft brewery projects in Serbia. An absolutely fabulous place to try beers of high quality and unique flavour. What's more, the location and more than pleasant outlook, based on one of the slopes of Kosmaj, made this place an absolute highlight for all of us

Vinarija Eden - Eden winery, an absolutely picture-perfect winery located near the village of   Ranilović, near Arandjelovac, only an hour's drive from Belgrade. It is positioned between the mountains of Kosmaj and Bukulja, at an altitude between 240-260 m, perfect for growing grapes and more than fantastic for having a couple of glasses of white on a breezy Summer day.

Kabinet Brewery - Kosmaj - Sopot - Serbia

Kabinet Brewery - Kosmaj - Sopot - Serbia

Vinjaria Eden - Ranilovic - Municipality of Arandelovac - Serbia

Vinjaria Eden - Ranilovic - Municipality of Arandelovac - Serbia

Vinjaria Eden - Ranilovic - Municipality of Arandelovac - Serbia

Vinjaria Eden - Ranilovic - Municipality of Arandelovac - Serbia

Whilst I'm at it, I also want to give a shout-out to another great find, this time in Belgrade, Dogma Brewing & Tap Room, a fantastic location, very close to where we live in Topcider. It has a great industrial, warehouse feel but such a cool atmosphere, great food and another brilliant place to spend an afternoon! Trust me, it's well worth the visit.

Dogma Brewery & Tap Room - Radnička 3 Čukarica - Belgrade - Serbia

A big thank you to my mother, my aunt, my cousin and BC! You made this occasion such a pleasure and it was so good to finally see you after so many years apart! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!