Diary of a British woman in Belgrade - DAY 25 & 26

My Serbian husband, our 10 year old son and I are spending 8 months in Belgrade. Our home is in England and this is the next instalment of our trip.

DAY 25

Domača kafa (Serbian coffee)

Life has picked up a pace and so we all had a much needed lie in today. We visited Baka Dana (Grandma Dana) for a coffee and popped some food in her fridge. I tried to practise my possessive pronouns again and said to her in Serbian, ‘is that your glass?’ and she jokingly replied ‘well of course it’s my glass, it’s in my house isn’t it?’ Lol, she quite understandably didn’t feel like practising Serbian with me.

Years ago, when Grandpa Aca* (Dragan’s Dad) was alive I thought I would try and ask Grandpa Aca if he would like a drink. My question was ‘hoćeš li da piš?’ Aca’s jaw dropped and Dragan looked as though he was going to explode with laughter. A slight mispronunciation meant that this batty 'Engleskinja' (English woman) had asked her elderly father-in-law if he would like a pee, not a drink! (I should have said ‘piješ’ not ‘piš’.)

* Aca is a nickname for Aleksandar and is pronounced 'Artsa'

At home later on, Dragan made ‘pita sa pečurkama’ (mushroom pie) with filo pastry. Fry onions & mushrooms in oil and roll the filling in layers of filo. Bake for about 25 mins. Very good. To help our Kum with his 'Slava' (Saint day celebration) next week, Dragan is in charge of the mushroom and cabbage filo pastry pies!

'Pita sa pečurkama', mushroom pie

DAY 26

It was a chilly but bright Sunday morning and we all attended the liturgy at ‘Crkva Svetog Nikole’ (St Nicholas’ Church) [1] in ‘Novo groblje’ (New Cemetery). The interior of the church is covered in beautiful frescoes of saints and biblical scenes. The icons are Serbian in style and some parts of the church are being repainted by artists, I spied the paint brushes and scaffolding behind the iconostasis. A crown of lights hang from the central dome and to my amusement have rather ugly eco light bulbs. The congregation stand throughout the whole service, but there are a few chairs at the back. The liturgy is sung by the priests at times alone and sometimes with the choir and congregation. To my amazement it is sung in 4 part harmony and as far as I can tell the congregation choose a part to sing as they go along? A group of school children arrived with their teachers, they must have chosen religious studies, not civil studies at school. (School on Sunday - imagine this in England!) The acoustics are great and our Kum and Kuma were in good voice singing the liturgy in old Slavonic, whilst the priest swung the ‘kadionica’ (censer) with burning incense. All three of us had a good dose of incense and we smelt sweet all day!

Beautiful interior of 'Crvka Svetog Nikole' (St Nicholas' Church)

After coffee with our Kuma, we set off for ‘Kafana kod Neša’ (Neša’s Restaurant), to celebrate our sister-in-law’s birthday. We met with Dragan’s brother & family for ‘ručak’ (lunch). It was typically Serbian, with lots of polished wooden items decorating the walls, a bit like a hunting lodge. Copious amounts of food as always.

Kafana Kod Neša (Nesha's Restaurant)

A quick visit to Grandma followed, who was on form. When we got home Dragan and our Kum, Ljuba (pronounced Lyoo-bah) made some little chocolates for Ljuba’s 'Slava', called ‘suve šljive u čokoladi’ (dried plums stuffed with walnuts & dipped in chocolate) [2]. Nice work if you can get it!

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgrade_New_Cemetery

[2] https://translate.google.rs/translate?hl=en&sl=sr&u=http://www.kuvamo.com/recept/suve-sljive-u-cokoladi-1003&prev=search

Diary of a British woman in Belgrade - DAY 23 & 24

DAY 23

'Crkva Svetog Marka' (St Mark's Church) & the Russian Church (right)

I knew this would happen, things are getting busy now and time is flying by. School finished at 12.25, then Aleks had a violin lesson via Skype. He’s nearly cracked the Vivaldi piece he is practising. Dragan went to the 'fakultet' (university), so Aleks needed some company whilst I went to my Serbian language lesson. Luckily my Kuma (godmother) could babysit.

I decided to walk, having had a few practises with the boys to find my way. My route took me past 'Crkva Svetog Marka' (St Mark's Church) and the Russian Church. I was the only person who wasn't wearing a coat, because I was roasting; I tend to walk quite fast. Serbian people always wrap up warm, as there is danger in the wind, known as 'promaja' (draught). It’s a killer you know! With this knowledge, I felt almost guilty and didn’t last long without my coat. Maybe the cold air is as dangerous as they say.

The lessons are entertaining, with several people from all around the world. We’re learning possessive pronouns and did you know there are about 42 in Serbian and I think only 8 in English! Phew no wonder I am confused, but Dragan and I practise as we jog around the park.

Dragan: 'Da li je ovo tvoja kapa?' (Is that your hat?)

Ali: 'Da, to je moja kapa.' (Yes, this is my hat) and so on….

‘J’ is pronounced ‘Y’ in Serbian (as in the English word 'yellow'). All the other letters in the above Serbian sentences are pronounced more or less the same as English, except all vowels are short. Have a go yourself!

The boys met me after the lesson and we booked tickets for a concert, Vivaldi's Four Seasons at the Kolarac Cultural Centre [1].

Aleks has an instinct for the latest gimmick. He led his befuddled parents to an ice cream parlour called ‘Icebox’ [2], where you add your own toppings, sauce, sweets, fruit and nuts to a little takeaway box of icecream. I had the obligatory pizza slice to go and we headed back home on foot.

Adding toppings to IceBox icecream.

DAY 24

It’s tradition that Dragan goes to the ‘pekara’ (bakery) most mornings to buy ‘doručak’ (breakfast), but to break with tradition I decided to go and I ordered everything in Serbian. I am determined to crack this pesky language!

A run round the park for 4 miles, whilst we practised more personal pronouns in Serbian. A puzzled passer-by turned his head as Dragan waved his arms and asked me (in Serbian), ‘are these your arms?’ I replied ‘no, those are not my arms, those are your arms!’

After the school pick-up, we set off to pick up Baka Dana (Grandma Dana). All four of us went to our relatives’ place in ‘Arandjelovac’[3] to their ‘Slava’ (saint day celebration) [4]. ‘Slava’, which is listed by UNESCO as, ‘a representative of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity’, is celebrated all over Serbia on Saint days. On the menu this evening was ‘Ruska Salata’ (Russian Salad, much nicer than Heinz) [5], ‘kiseli kupus’ (sauerkraut) [6] and roast meat. Our hostess cooked the cabbage on a lovely old stove in a huge pot. She stoked the stove with wood in between making salads and coffee for the guests. Our niece and nephew’s wife served the steady stream of friends and relatives food and drinks.

Roast meat and 'kiseli kupus' (sour cabbage) cooking on the stove

Aleks played with his cousin and had a lovely time. We chatted with our relatives, but my Serbian just couldn’t hack it and I gave up after an hour or so. The banter was just too quick for me! We arrived back in Belgrade at midnight.

[1] http://www.kolarac.rs/?lang=en 

[2] http://www.icebox.rs/en/ 

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aran%C4%91elovac

[4] https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/slava-celebration-of-family-saint-patrons-day-01010

[5] http://www.serbiancookbook.com/food-recipes/salads/russian-salad-ruska-salata-recipe/

[6] https://www.google.rs/search?q=kisela+kupus&oq=kisela+kupus&aqs=chrome..69i57j0l5.7117j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8

Diary of a British woman in Belgrade - DAY 21 & 22

My husband who is a native Serb, our 10 year old son and I have moved from England to Belgrade for 8 months. This is day 20 & 21 of our stay.

DAY 21

Knez Mihailo (Prince Michael) in 'Trg Republike' (Republic Square)

After we dropped our son at his Serbian school, Dragan and I went to the ‘pijac’ (green market) and bought some dried red peppers in a little bundle. Dragan soaked the peppers in water to prepare them so that he could make dried stuffed red peppers for lunch. They were really delicious. [1]

I had my second Serbian language lesson this afternoon. I caught the bus ‘to the horse’, which is actually a statue of ‘Knez Mihailo’ (Prince Michael) [2] astride his horse in ‘Trg Republike’ (Republic Square) [3]. This is a famous meeting place in the city centre and Dragan would often say to his friends ‘vidimo se kod konja’ (meet you at the horse!) when he lived in Belgrade back in the day. Our family has adopted the phrase and we have met at the ‘horse’ many times now!

Prince Michael’s statue is in a very beautiful part of the city, next to the National Theatre and close to the main pedestrianised street, bearing his name. The street leads to one of the main attractions in Belgrade, ‘Kalemegdan’ Fortress [4]. The fortress provides a beautiful view of the confluence of the two rivers, the Sava and the Danube, meeting just below ‘Pobednik’ (the Victor Monument, completed in 1928) [5]. 

Narodno Pozorište, (National Theatre) on the right

It’s getting chilly here now, and I regretted not bringing a hat for the walk from 'Trg Republike' to my lesson. But, when I arrived I instantly regretted wearing a thick fleece and winter jacket – it was so hot in the building! This is very typical.

The Serbian lessons are excellent. One of the most difficult things about Serbian is that the endings of words change for so many different reasons! Even names can change. When Dragan and I were first married, I was very hurt when he appeared to be ignoring me, when I was calling him: "Dragan, Dragan!" I wasn’t calling him correctly, so he just didn’t register it. I needed to say ‘Dragane’ (pronounced Draganay). This ending is added to a name when you want to attract the person's attention.

Dragan and Aleks walked all the way into the centre to meet me after my class. It was dark and the Christmas lights looked beautiful. Aleks was suddenly ravenously hungry, so we stopped at one of the numerous fast food outlets for a slice of pizza each. We carried on with our trek home, passing Hotel Moskva when Aleks piped up again, ‘I’m starving!’ Next stop at the big yellow M for a Big Mac and a coffee for Mum and Dad. OK so he must have been full, but no, we were nearly home when he was hungry again. This time we stopped at a ‘Pekara’ (bakery) and he had a ‘slani štapić’ (a large breadstick) [6]. At that point we drew the line on food for the day.

Dragan & Aleks in central Belgrade

[1] http://dolcefooda.blogspot.rs/2012/04/stuffed-dried-red-peppers-and-trip-to.html

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mihailo_Obrenovi%C4%87

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mihailo_Obrenovi%C4%87

[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgrade_Fortress

[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pobednik

[6] Can you find slani štapić on this webpage! http://www.pekara30.rs/meni-slano-pecivo.php#prettyPhoto 

DAY 22

The day was murky and damp when we dropped Aleks at school, but we didn’t let that put us for our early morning run in the park. The lawyer was running this morning and he said that enjoyed running in the recent NYC marathon! On the way round the circuit, I was practising my possessive pronouns in Serbian with Dragan.

Lunch, a bit of violin practise and then Aleks and I went to Vero, the supermarket. Despite me bringing my own bags to carry the shopping home, the cashier was very helpful and insisted on putting everything in plastic bags before I could get them into my re-useable bags.

Aleks has discovered drawing! He is chuffed to bits. He uses an online site that shows him, step by step, how to draw dragons. They are good.

Diary of a British woman in Belgrade - DAY 19 & 20

DAY 19

This is our third week in Belgrade for me, my husband (a native Serb) and our 10 year old son. We moved from England and our stay will be 8 months long.

Crkva Svetog Nikole, St Nicholas' Church, Belgrade

Sunday in Belgrade, Dragan went to the liturgy this morning in our lovely local church. Ok, so churches in Belgrade are mainly Serbian Orthodox churches.

Later we visited Dragan’s Mum and watched a quiz show called ‘Chase’ on Serbian TV. The questions and answers appear on the screen, but they’re in Cyrillic so I really don’t have much chance of getting any right, although I once actually answered a question correctly!

Next stop, a visit to some more relatives for coffee and a ‘Cockta’ [1]. ‘Cockta’ is the brand name of a soft fizzy drink made in Slovenia (part of former Yugoslavia). It’s dark, sweet and flavoursome, a bit like Dr Pepper or Vimto. Cockta’s main flavour is rose hip, with 11 herbs plus orange and lemon. For Dragan it is pure nostalgia, because he grew up drinking this with his friends in Yugoslavia.

When I first visited Serbia 11 years ago and visited one of Dragan’s many cousins, they offered us coffee. Great, yes I understood and asked for mine without milk but with a bit if sugar (in Serbian). The coffee was bubbling on the stove, so when Dragan’s cousin then asked if I would like ‘sok’ (juice), I was a bit flummoxed and turned to Dragan and said quietly ‘aren’t we having coffee?’ ‘Yes we’re having both!’ Coffee and soft drinks can be served at the same time. Sok literally means juice, but in reality it can mean any soft drink, including Cockta!

Aleks is now a real fan of Cockta.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cockta 

DAY 20

School is ‘pre podne’ (in the morning) again this week, so it was an 8am start for Aleks. We stopped at the ‘Pekara’ (bakery), before school to get Aleks a ‘Rol Viršla’ (frankfurter in puff pastry) to eat at mid-morning break.

Our local 'Pekara' 'ПЕКАРА' (Bakery) called 'Sreća' (Luck)

Ok, here goes, it's your turn to learn some Serbian cyrillic. The large red letters in the photo above, spell ПЕКАРА (unfortunately the last letter in the photo 'A' is hidden behind the tree!)

П is P,
E is E,
K is K
A is A
P is R
A is A

ПЕКАРА! 'Pekara' Easy isn't it?

After we dropped Aleks, Dragan and I went for a run around the park in the pouring rain – rain in Belgrade is not wimpy drizzle. It does it properly and for a good few hours – no messing.

After Dragan went to work I ventured out to the 'Mesara' (Butcher) to order some ‘ćevapi’ (Serbian sausage-shaped meat patties). You buy the amount of raw meat that you want and then it can be cooked for you. The women working in the shop already know who I am, so they didn’t ask for my name for collection – not many British women in our area! They are good humoured and asked Dragan when he recently bought some chicken from there ‘gde je Engleskinja’ – (Where is the English woman?)

Local 'mesara', (butcher)

So I decided to go to the 'pijac' [pronounced pee-yats] (green market), and buy a few veggies. I negotiated the pedestrian crossings – a bit hairy, with trams, trolley buses (a tram/bus mixture), buses and all the pretty impatient Belgrade car drivers. Ok, so when it is a regular zebra pedestrian crossing on a small road it is no good standing at the curb, you’d be waiting all day. You actually have to step out in front of the cars to make them stop! And yes, they do! If it’s a crossing with traffic lights, then jay walking is not allowed and you must wait. Keep your wits about you though when you cross because cars turning the corner can go if there are no pedestrians crossing – so don’t linger!

I was chuffed to arrive at the 'pijac' only to discover it was being demolished! My first solo trip to the 'pijac' was thwarted! They are building a new one, which is long overdue.

Before collecting Aleks, I had coffee with my Kuma (godmother, who’s actually younger than me!) and was amazed to see her ceramic stoves! A tall tiled rectangular stove that had been converted to run on electricity in the 1960s, when electricity was cheap. She also has a baby portable one.

Serbian ceramic stoves including our Kuma's on the left! 

Aleks and I did very little after school – we both needed a gentle afternoon.

Diary of a British woman in Belgrade - Day 17 & 18

My husband who is a native Serb, our 10 year old son and me have moved from England to Belgrade for 8 months. This is day 17 & 18 of our stay.

A bus zooming by, photo by Aleks

DAY 17

Dragan was reading through a thesis today and Aleks had his violin lesson on Skype with his Suzuki teacher in England. It works pretty well on Skype, but the delay can be a bit off putting. Aleks played well and was really tired afterwards.

After a late lunch we all piled in the car and battled with the traffic through the city centre to visit Baka Dana (Grandma Dana). The journey, which normally takes 1/2 hour, was 1¼ hours long (too long), but Aleks kept himself amused by taking photos of the traffic zooming by. Belgrade is so photogenic. The delays are caused by lots of streets being reconstructed in the city centre.

Ulica Kneza Miloša (Prince Miloš [pronounced 'Mee-losh'] Street)

When we got to Grandma's, she was chatting away to me, but I really didn’t understand a word – still it won’t be long before I am fluent!

We then went for a drink with some friends at a local café/bar and Aleks had two huge 'Palačinke' (pancakes), with 'Eurocrem' (Serbian Nutella) and crushed ‘Plazma’ biscuits. OK, so ‘Plazma’ are a brand of biscuits that are almost an institution in Serbia. The name is very off putting, I know, but they taste exactly like British ‘Rich Tea’ biscuits and are really very nice! The pancakes were served in a cute enamel frying pan. More about enamel later!

'Palačinke' (pancakes) with 'Eurocrem' and crushed 'Plazma' biscuits

DAY 18

This morning I caught the bus into the city centre alone, but I was a bit nervous. The boys saw me onto the bus, No. 27 to ‘Trg Republike’ (Republic Square) [1]. You can enter the bus by one of 2 or 3 doors and you need a travel card to swipe as you enter. The buses stop at every stop and the name of the stop is shown on an LED display as well as being announced. Trg Republike is the last stop and it was very easy and quick. It was a 5 minute walk to Knez Mihailova (the main pedestrianised street) [2] which was quiet and sleepy. I pottered around, took a few photos and stopped for a coffee. For great photos of Belgrade check out 'Belgrade in pictures' on Instagram.

Sculpture of Petar Petrovič, 19th century philosopher & poet alongside a modern mural, central Belgrade

I caught the bus back and feel chuffed that I can now get to the centre alone by bus. I don't usually have an issue with buses!

Meanwhile Dragan and Aleks had met up with Ljuba and they all went to the 'pijac' (green market) and bought delicious fruit and veg, including 'suve šljive' (sun-dried plums), which are absolutely lovely. They also bought ‘celer’, which are celery leaves to be used as an herb. 

Buskers in the main street, Knez Mihailova

At about 4pm we all headed back to the city centre by foot this time. Aleks has his Fitbit, so is happy to walk miles to increase his number of steps! Knez Mihailova was packed with promenaders, buskers (violinists and guitarists) and street hawkers. We got chatting to a printmaker who was selling his work on the street and it seems I may be able to use his printmaking press! Aleks had the obligatory popcorn from a stand and we stopped for a coffee at one of the many cafes. The atmosphere is amazing and the streets are decorated with beautiful Christmas lights, (very costly and highly controversial!). That said, Belgrade is really very beautiful at night. 

After walking back we played a card game at home called ‘Cheat’.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_Square_(Belgrade) 

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knez_Mihailova_Street

Diary of a British woman in Belgrade - Day 15 & 16

My husband who is a native Serb, our 10 year old son and me have moved from England to Belgrade for 8 months. This is day 15 & 16 of our stay.

Pobednik Monument in Kalamegdan Park, Linocut by Ali Savic [4]

DAY 15

Dragan collected a hire car today. We thought we would be ok without a car, but visiting Grandma would be quite long winded by public transport as she lives on the other side of the city. I appreciate many people have no choice if they need to get to work. Some commutes can involve several modes of transport, ‘tramvaj’ (tram), ‘trolejbus’ (trolley bus - a tram and bus hydrid) or autobus.

Trolejbus (Trolley bus attached to the electric cable like a tram)

Aleks had school at 2pm and I popped a ‘rol viršla’ (frankfurter in puff pastry) in his backpack for his ½ hour break mid-afternoon.

After school we all piled in the car and drove over ‘Gazela Most’ (Gazelle Bridge) [1] to ‘Novi Beograd’ (New Belgrade) [2] to visit some friends for their ‘slava’. ‘Slava’ is unique to Serbia and is a family saint day celebration. Families in Serbia have a patron saint and the patron saint is passed down through the male line and from husband to wife. On the Saint’s Day, friends and family are invited into the home to enjoy a meal, drinks and good company. Traditionally ‘slava’ lasts for 3 days and it is an open house arrangement. Any tables available in the house are covered in the best table cloths and laid for a sumptuous meal in the living rooms of the house. All the chairs in the house are used, including office chairs and stools. Guests arrive in a continuous stream and after a group of people have spent a few hours eating & chatting and then said their goodbyes, that part of the table is reset. Sometimes the table is full of guests and at other times not many people are present.

On arrival guests will be offered ‘žito’ [3], which is a sweet and nutty offering containing wheat, ground walnuts and sugar. You eat a teaspoon of ’žito’ and some guests will cross themselves at this point. It is customary to say ’Srećna Slava’ (Happy Slava) to your hosts.

The meal will be elaborate, with a delicious soup to start, often followed by smoked meats, salads, pickles and also fish, ‘sarma’ (pickled cabbage rolls), roast meat and ‘prebranac’ (Serbian baked beans). If the ‘slava’ falls on a fasting day, Wednesday or Friday or during lent, then the food will be vegan with the addition of fish.

'Kolači' (small cakes) are often served. These little cakes can be layered, are sweet, but not sickly and many contain nuts & chocolate. They are very dainty and delicious, some are iced and can come in many shapes, colours and flavours.

Our friends, live in an apartment in a striking group of tower blocks, built in the 1960s, which have a step like appearance. Aleks said they look like steps for giants! They are fine examples of Belgrade's 1960s architecture; solidly built and the apartments are gorgeous inside.

Apartment blocks that resemble giant's steps

[1] 'Gazela' is Serbian for 'gazelle'. Đorđje Lazarević, who was president of the competition commission [when the bridge was opened], said "this bridge leaped over the Sava like a jumping gazelle", and the name stuck. Wikipedia

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Belgrade 

[3] http://wonderfulserbia.com/destination/food/desserts/zito/ 

DAY 16

This morning Dragan and I went for a run and Aleks came to the park and took some photos. Mum looks more like she's taking a stroll!

Dragan and Ali running in the park

At 3.30pm I had my first Serbian lesson in the city centre, Dragan and Aleks dropped me off and they had a lovely time playing in the park at Kalamegden Fortress. The fortress itself, is strategically place on a hill above the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and it is now an important tourist attraction in Belgrade with restaurants, museums, monuments and parks, plus beautiful views overlooking the rivers and New Belgrade. The linocut above is of a famous statue called 'Pobednik' (The Victor) [4], to celebrate Serbia's victory over the Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian Empires in The Balkan Wars of 1912/13 and in WW1.

Fontana Borba, Kalamegdan Park

The Serbian lesson was 1½ hours long and I was the oldest person in the room by far. I felt I learnt a lot and I came away with a huge book (not cheap) that I must do my homework from. I have been quite vigilant and have practised my Serbian every day. The novelty might wear off! My next lesson is on Tuesday and I will make my way there myself.

I chatted with the other students after the class and a young American guy was very amused that I have been married to a Serb for 11 years and still can’t speak the language!

[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pobednik

Diary of a British woman in Belgrade Day 13 & 14

DAY 13

Frieze in 'Park Oslobodioca Beograda' (Park of the Liberators of Belgrade)

My Serbian husband, our 10 year old son and me are spending 8 months in Belgrade. Our home is in England and this is the next instalment of our trip.

Aleks has attended one full week at school, starting at 8am each day. This week he starts at lunchtime. In the whole of Aleks’ school life, he has never woken up early for school, we have to wake him every morning. Today when school started at 1.15pm, he woke up at 6.40am. I actually predicted it, because he always wakes really early on Saturday morning. When he was 4/5 we used to fib and tell Aleks that he had school the next day on Friday evening, so that he would lie in on Saturday mornings. It worked really well, for quite a while!

Dragan outside 'Gradjevinski Fakultet' (Faculty of Civil Engineering)

Dragan went to work at the 'Gradjevinski Fakultet' (Faculty of Civil Engineering) [1] today for a few hours. So, after I dropped Aleks at school, I then went for a little sortie by myself, bought a few things from the supermarket and posted a few postcards. I felt very self-conscious posting postcards, I am pretty sure there were no tourists in our part of town today. The butcher said ‘odakle ste?’ (where are you from?). He understood my reply in Serbian, even though it was incorrect. 

Park Oslobodioca Beograda (Park of the Liberators of Belgrade)

Later that day, Dragan and I went for a run and did 16 laps around the park (it’s very small!) before we collected Aleks from school at 5.30 (in the dark – that’s a first).

It’s been very windy today, so I am expecting to see our lady with the logs in the park tomorrow morning collecting windfall branches for her stove!

[1] http://www.grf.bg.ac.rs/home/e

DAY 14

Starting times at Aleks’ school seem to be a moveable feast! Today was special, he started at 11am because he had a school visit to the 'bioskop' (cinema) to see Diary of a Wimpy Kid (with Serbian subtitles). Aleks thinks it might be a special cinema for school kids. I was actually quite jealous, I never went to the cinema for a school trip and he never has at his English school either.

Since Dragan was at the 'Gradjevinski Fakultet' (Faculty of Civil Engineering) today, I was forced to do my own thing! So, off I went and took photos of the beautiful socialist realism sculptures in our area. I visited the Jewish Cemetery (all part of 'Novo Groblje', the New Cemetery) and it must be one of the most beautiful places I have ever been. There is an avenue of mature pines with benches leading to a mid-20th century monument. The gravestones have a combination of Serbian Cyrillic and Hebrew text. A handful of pebbles, mostly white, have been placed on some of the newer graves.

Jewish Cemetery in Belgrade

I am enjoying the freedom I have in Serbia. I am not bogged down with possessions, we only brought 3 suitcases and I have no garden to attend to. Out of this feeling came the idea to sketch in the park. I took something to sit on, because the park benches are made of stone. The grandma’s would certainly notice if I sat on a cold stone bench. This was purely self -preservation as I didn’t want to draw attention to myself. According to a Serbian old wives tale, if you sit on cold stone it will freeze your ovaries! (That's if you don't die from 'promaja', the draft first). A few people walked by and I was relieved that they paid no attention whatsoever.

Sketch in the park by Ali Savic

Once when Aleks was two, we were playing on a paved area in Baka Dana’s (Grandma Dana's) garden. Aleks would sit on the paving now and again and I was amazed at the stealth and swiftness with which Baka Dana would place a cushion under his bottom! The air temperature was about 26 degrees.

I spent a good hour sketching and whenever I draw, I hear one of the lecturers from my art college days say, ‘try and find new and interesting ways of drawing’. I’m not sure I did that, but it was an hour well spent. As it turns out I am so glad I sat on a cushion, it was chilly and I ended up with an ice-cream headache. God knows what would have happened to my ovaries.

https://www.alisavicprints.com

Diary of a British woman in Belgrade Day 11 & 12

DAY 11

My husband, who is a native Serb, our 10 year old son and me have all moved to Belgrade, Serbia’s lively capital for 8 months. This is day 11 of our big adventure.

Belgrade Waterfront with Brankov Most in the distance

In the morning we went to visit friends, who live in the city centre, near Zeleni Venac, which is surprise, surprise yet another pijac (green market). However, you’ll be relieved to know that I am not going to write more about the pijac today. After a chat and a coffee, we strolled down to Belgrade’s new waterfront area on the Sava River. On the way there we passed by the old bus station, half of it was demolished. It looked like a bomb site! Dodging the cars and buses we managed to get to Belgrade Waterfront [2]. Two enormous luxury apartment blocks are being built and are quite controversial, because very little is known about them and who is funding the project. But, the path by the river is lovely. There are small cafes and kids play areas dotted along the way.

We then walked inland towards the city and crossed a railway line near ‘Brankov Most’ (a bridge that connects old Belgrade with New Belgrade) [3]. I was shocked that there were no warning signs, no barriers on the railway. It made me nervous, but our friends reassured us that the trains are very infrequent and slow. I took a photo of Dragan standing on the tracks, but felt very uneasy about that!

Dragan on the railway line!

This part of town is fairly derelict, but is in the process of being developed. We passed by a hostel for refugees; lots of Syrians came to Belgrade, as Serbia didn’t close its borders to them. Many refugees used to sleep in the park opposite the bus station before they could be accommodated or they moved on. We also passed a centre where refugees could get a meal and medical attention.

We stopped for lunch at a typical Serbian restaurant – very rustic in design, with red & white gingham tablecloths and terracotta dishes. The walls were decorated with 19th century style paintings of the countryside and the food was, as always, delicious and plentiful. I had ‘teleća čorba’ (veal soup) and a ’mala pljeskavica’ (small burger). It was however enormous, but good. To my surprise Aleks ordered ‘kupus salata’ (cabbage salad) with his chicken kebab. He is becoming naturalised. He never eats cabbage in England!

Waiters and waitresses in Serbia have a career, not a job. They are extremely professional, discreet and nothing is too difficult. They are able to carry a heavy tray full of drinks whilst opening, pouring and serving the drinks with one hand, usually with a flourish and with style. The service in Serbian restaurants is excellent. Dragan tells me in the time when he was young, the waiters were earning more from tips than from their salary. In fact some of them would gladly work for free, relying completely on tips. Tipping is still expected for good service in Serbia at a rate of about 10%.

Here’s a new word for you. ‘Ručak’, pronounced ‘roo-tchak’, meaning lunch. Lunch is normally eaten later than in England, often between 2pm and 4pm.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgrade_Waterfront

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Branko%27s_Bridge

DAY 12

Today we visited Dragan’s mum and bought her loads of ready cooked ‘sarma’ at the supermarket. Lots of places now produce delicious hot homemade food. ‘Sarma’ [1] is pickled cabbage rolls stuffed with mincemeat, rice and spices including paprika. It’s good. Dragan’s mum seems to be partial to it at the moment! We had lunch at Grandma’s including my absolute favourite, ‘boranija’ (yellow string bean stew).

National Assembly, Belgrade

On the way back to our flat it was twilight and the Christmas Decorations throughout the centre were lit up. ‘Skupština’ (Parliament or The National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia), building looked beautiful [2].

Christmas Decorations in Kneza Miloša

In the other direction on the same road, a police car was escorting a protest march of about 100 people. The protesters were carrying banners, Christian crosses and religious images. Aleks said it looks like they are protesting about a Church being demolished. Dragan said you are not far off, that protest is something to do with me and my engineering colleagues! Many years ago a dam was constructed near the city of Valjevo [3]. Dragan worked on the design as a young engineer about 30 years ago, but the construction started in the late 1990s. The Dam is now complete and being filled. The protesters object to the flooding of a Church although a new one has been built above the flood-line and the Serbian Orthodox Church actually agreed to it being submerged. To my surprise the protest was on a busy road at dusk and even though it had a police escort the vehicles were still passing very close to the protesters walking on the road!

[1] https://www.thespruce.com/serbian-stuffed-cabbage-recipe-sarma-1136569

[2] http://www.parlament.gov.rs/citizen's-corner/education-center.695.html

[3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rovni_Lake

Diary of a British woman in Belgrade DAY 9 & 10

Serbian gentleman wearing a Šajkača, a traditional Serbian hat

My husband, Dragan, who is a native Serb, our 10 year old son and me have moved from England to Belgrade for 8 months. This is day 9 & 10.

Aleks happily ran into school and asked if he could go by himself, so we came to a compromise and will drop him at the corner in future.

Another lovely day, so we agreed that I would try and remember the way to the pijac. On the way past Vuk Karadžić’s sculpture, we saw an elderly gentleman feeding the pigeons in the park. He was wearing a traditional Serbian hat, known as a Šajkača [1].

St Sava Church, Belgrade, Collagraph print by Ali Savic

After buying some warm hats and slippers, ready for winter, we made our way to the 2nd largest Orthodox Church in the world, Saint Sava Church [2]. It is totally spectacular with verdigris domes and white stone facades. Vogue magazine recently described it as Eastern Europe’s answer to the Sagrada Familia.[3] The exterior is complete, but the interior is a huge space with only concrete walls and scaffolding! The building has been under construction for about 100 years.

But... the Crypt below the main church is one of the most stunning sights I have ever seen. The frescoes are in a typical Serbian style with no expense spared on the gold leaf. It was also refreshing to see other tourists for a change!

The Crypt of St Sava Church

On the way back home we stopped for coffee in Kapetan Cafe, luckily there was no-one smoking inside! We had Topli Nes (hot & frothy instant coffee with a straw).

We met Aleks at 12.30 and he played basketball for a while with his new friends in the playground. Next on the agenda was a walk into the city centre for lunch at a lovely restaurant called ’Walter Sarajevski Ćevap’, famous for its Sarajevo ćevapčići (gound beef & pork sausages). Dragan will correct me and say, ’they’re not sausages!’ Whatever they are, they’re delicious served with raw onions and ’lepinja’ (round flat bread made with yeast & baking powder).

The restaurant is named after the 1972 Yugoslav film, ’Walter Defends Sarajevo’, set in 1944, about a mysterious character called Walter who is the leader of the Partisans in Sarajevo. He causes a lot of problems for the German army there.

The picture was distributed in sixty countries , and achieved its greatest succeess in the People’s Republic of China, becoming the country’s most popular foreign film in the 1970s. Owing mainly to the Chinese audience, ’Walter Defends Sarajevo’ became one of the most-watched war films of all time. Wikipedia

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C5%A0ajka%C4%8Da

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Church_of_Saint_Sava

[3] https://www.facebook.com/Vogue/posts/10155629586197279

DAY 10

After dropping Aleks, Dragan and I went for another run in the Park of the Defenders of Belgrade. The usual suspects were there too, the maintenance guy, the dog walkers and our lady with the log. Today she was struggling with two large branches and I smiled as we jogged past. She laughed and said in Serbian (translated by Dragan), ‘oh you’re laughing at me trying to carry this wood’. She said it in good humour.

Park of the Defenders of Belgrade

On our next circuit she appeared again this time she was dragging a 10 foot branch and was clearly not going to make it back to her place. She had brought a komšinica (a female neighbour) with bright red lipstick to help. I set Dragan up saying we could help and next thing he was carrying this huge branch out of the park to her house! Dragan returned and we continued our laps, and there she was again with yet another neighbour and they heaved yet another lengthy log off to burn in her stove.

Dragan collected Aleks’ new Serbian passport today and Dragan also had his first meeting at the Fakultet (University Faculty).

https://www.alisavicprints.com

Diary of a British woman in Belgrade - Day 7 & 8

Ali & Vuk Karadžić

After dropping Aleks at school at 8am we walked past the big graveyard, Novo Groblje (literally New Graveyard, although it isn’t that new, the first burials took place here in 1886) towards Vuk Karadžić’s imposing Monument. Vuk Karadžić [1] was the major reformer of the Serbian language in the first half of the 19th century. After a few little side streets we came to a famous pijac (green market) in Belgrade, Kalenić pijac. It’s the season for grapes, plums, pumpkin, pears and apples. Very fresh, very nice.

Garlic, Beans, Onions & Grated Pumpkin

This is the season for cabbage in particular, which is pickled by almost every family in Serbia, known as ’kiseli kupus’ [2]. These days, this is usually done by stacking big heads of cabbage in a plastic barrel (at least 50 litre) with lots of salt and water. The contents of which is pressed down by a large stone and the barrel is then sealed. As the majority of Belgrade inhabitants live in multi-storey apartment blocks, most balconies now contain one or more of these barrels, with fermenting cabbage. The reason why it is sealed, is because it can be quite pongy. But don’t be deceived, it is a very tasty delicacy in Serbia. Dragan loves it and managed to find it in a Polish shop in Exeter and promptly made ’Sarma’ (sour cabbage meat rolls) [3].

We came back from the green market, past the graveyard and the road is under reconstruction. There were JCBs and all sorts of machinery and construction workers busy at work. The area is not blocked off to pedestrians and so it is the strangest sight, with people picking their way through the rubble and construction, avoiding large holes and keeping clear of reversing machinery. There is little regard for health and safety, but Serbian people are used to it and know how to keep safe.

Reconstruction of Ruzveltova Street

After another large lunch and a relax, we all set off again on a long march to the City Centre. It was clear, dark and cold with a half moon shining between the domes of St Marks Church (Crkva Svetog Marka). Aleks had delicious fresh popcorn from a little stall and I had a quarter pizza slice to go. We passed one of my favourite landmarks, the Hotel Moskva (Hotel Moscow) and set off back through Tašmajdan Park, which was recently renovated with funding from the leader of Azerbajan (a rather stiff sculpture of him stands overlooking the park). Tašmajdan means ’stone quarry’ in Turkish. Serbia was part of the Ottoman Empire for centuries, but that’s another story!

Crkva Svetog Marka (St Marks's Church)

Aleks had his first English lesson at school today and he said it was pretty easy! The other kids in his class offered him 100 dinars to do their English homework for them. Aleks quickly worked out that he could make 2700 dinars if he obliged. 100 dinars is about 75p.

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vuk_Karad%C5%BEi%C4%87

[2] http://www.serbiancookbook.com/food-recipes/winter-stores/cabbage-heads-pickling-recipe/

[3] http://www.sandraseasycooking.com/2011/12/sour-cabbage-meat-rolls-sarma.html

DAY 8

Another cold, bright day. We dropped Aleks at school and went for a run in the Park of the Defenders of Belgrade. It’s a small but beautiful place and each circuit is about ¼ mile. There were a few dog walkers, a park attendant and a very serious guy, speed walking. There were also two women, one quite elderly, collecting fallen branches and twigs for their fire at home. Dragan got chatting to another runner, a tall gaunt lawyer who is about to do the New York Marathon in November. He said to Dragan look up Lawyer + Marathon (advokat + maraton) and he appears to be a bit of a local celebrity.

Later that morning, we took a stroll through Novo Groblje (The New Cemetery) [1]. Quite a few important and famous people are buried here, including many Partisan fighters from WW2, Tito’s communist fighters. One of the grave monuments that stood out was a sculpture of a man and woman dressed in Partisan uniform and the woman is holding a machine gun. Their headstone reads ‘Sasha & Tamara’. I’m not sure if they’re famous, but the sculpture caught my attention.

St Nicolas’ Church in the cemetery is very beautiful and Dragan attends the liturgy there.

There is a beautiful Chapel built in the cemetery in memory of Field Marshall Radomir Putnik who led the ‘Long March’ [2], which was a huge retreat of the Serbian army and civilians from Serbia to Greece in WW1. This was one of the most devastating events for the nation, but the soldiers returned to liberate the country in 1918. Serbia lost between 1.1 and 1.3 million people (almost one third of the whole population and 60% of the male population).

The Monument and Memorial Ossuary to the Defenders of Belgrade 1914 -1918, with a fallen eagle at its base, is absolutely stunning. Over 4,000 soldiers, identified and unidentified, are buried in the ossuary beneath.

The cemetery is very well kempt and Dragan and I came across a group of maintenance workers in grey boiler suits with large leaf blowers. They worked in a team and at a pace. Dragan asked if he could take their photo, and they were happy to pose. I also made of short film of them at work! Very funny and they thought so too. Belgrade’s Ghostbusters!!

Belgrade's Ghostbusters!

Having had a superb guided tour of Highgate Cemetery in London, I think The New Cemetery in Belgrade could benefit from guided tours. There are so many interesting headstones, characters and stories to tell.

That’s just for starters – I’m sure we’ll visit again.

[1] http://www.beogradskagroblja.rs/page/100091/cnt/new-cemetery.en-GB.htm

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serbian_army%27s_retreat_through_Albania