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Showing posts with label Beograde. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Beograde. Show all posts

Saturday, September 7, 2019

Belgrade (Serbia) - All that you can't leave behind

Belgrade (Serbia)

06 September - 11 September 2019

It’s not such a long time ago that I was flying into Belgrade with my parents, an almost a yearly occurrence as a child, to catch-up with relatives, predominantly from my mother’s side of the family, but also from my father’s side as well. Flying into Belgrade from Barcelona on this occasion, brought back some of those same feelings, some of year ago and of course, of more recent times, having lived there for nearly 3 years.

Grandmother and grandson - Belgrade - Serbia

First grandson


                                Grandmother and grandson - Belgrade - Serbia

Of course introducing a new member of the family was somewhat of a big event, if for no one else, then for me specifically. Strange how the cycle of life can reinvent an old situation but give it a modern day twist. There I was, now the parent, going to visit my mother in Belgrade, and introducing her new grandson. That was both me, and her, some 45 years ago, the same actors, just playing different roles.

Belgrade in many ways has always felt like a second home to me. I’ve said that many times within this blog over the last 12-13 years of writing. That feeling has obviously been heightened by having been based there for an extended period of time. Whereas a child I was still really a visitor, returning now I felt more like an expat, and hey, now that I hold a Serbian passport that view is technically correct.

Bigz Cultural Centre - Belgrade - Serbia

Restoran Frans - Belgrade - Serbia

Restoran Frans - Belgrade - Serbia

Restoran Frans - Belgrade - Serbia

Annija, Henry, Inga, Aiden & Davis - Knez Mihajlova - Belgrade - Serbia

There’s a lot I like about Belgrade. Of course it has its issues, proportionally more than many other European cities, but, it’s desperately underrated. Classically European in part, it also has a gritty, urban edge that’s becoming particularly trendy for travellers casting their eye further afield in order to look for something new. Not only that but value for money, for most travellers, is something that’s certain to be a draw card. For its night time culture, restaurants and hospitality, there’s a lot to savour. Whilst not aesthetically appealing as a whole there’s certainly some places where if you capture it in the right light or in the right mood you might just be surprised.

Bigz Cultural Centre - Belgrade - Serbia

Annija & Davis - Ima Dana - Skadarlija - Belgrade - Serbia

Restoran Frans - Belgrade - Serbia

Ima Dana - Skadarlija - Belgrade - Serbia

 We spent a total of 5 days there. A few days a bit too short for me but a time frame that will likely become the norm into the future. As a child I always lamented our family’s lost opportunity of having access to the world, via my father’s employment with Qantas, but not taking advantage of that opportunity and utilising it only for bilateral purposes of bridging the time and space divide with annual family visits. There was so much more of the world that was available to us and yet our experiences never really extended further than the boundaries of Belgrade. Of course, personally, I’ve more than made up for that with my travels in the last 10 years, the inspiration of which I’m certain was rooted in both my travels as a child and my desires to see much more of what the world had to offer.

The usual suspects presented themselves during our stay. We saw the sights in Belgrade, spent an afternoon in Kosmaj, had ourselves an exceptional lunch in Frans, spent an evening in Skadarlija and introduced the little guy to his grandmothers side of the family. In addition, we also has a drop in visit from Davis and Annija who were kind enough to fly in from Riga for two nights just to catch up with me – which was a very cool thing of them to do.

Outbound flights to Dubai from Belgrade usually happen at 6:30am, it usually means leaving the apartment at latest 4:30am - so not a bad photo considering this is us at 4:00am


Our ride to Dubai - Air Serbia from Aerodrome Nikola Tesla - Belgrade - Serbia

A nice little 'flight bite' to commence proceedings

A great few days altogether and amazingly no arguments with my mother on this occasion. A rarity these days but I was more than thankful for the reprieve.