Life in Retro(bel)grade

Belgrade is like any other landlocked metropolis in summer. Well, no. Not really. Most Belgraders will tell you the heat coming off the asphalt is unbearable, the traffic almost as much of a mess as it is in winter, people are cranky, too many tourists in recent years, the crowds downtown and at the malls simply annoying… and the list of complaints from most locals goes on. Whatever the season, and Belgrade is fortunate enough to have all four seasons vividly expressed each year, I find myself in one of my weird expat-repat limbos.  Summer is a time when I enjoy connecting with some of the foreigners visiting Belgrade, because they see what I see in Belgrade. The details that the locals either take for granted or miss entirely.

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again – Belgrade is at least 16 cities in one. Whether you’re a rave-loving, party ’til you drop, club-hopping college student, a middle aged, intellectual history buff or a stay-at-home mom of three – Belgrade has a corner (several in fact) that you can call your own. Unlike most other cities that have all the urban amenities one could desire, Belgrade won’t make you conform to it. It leaves room for you to work out a signature quilt of your own from its many patches.

We’ve recently had the pleasure of having Adam Daniel Mezei in Belgrade, a fascinating character I added a while ago to my on-line third tribe list (a.k.a. members of my personal Non-Aligned Movement), and he is now back for a second visit. Before getting here on Sunday, he conducted a little poll among a few locals he had met before – he asked for a list of 3 favorite things about Belgrade. I haven’t gotten into the results of that poll with him, but he did share answers from a few people. The answers I saw were vague and bland, if anything. It’s high time I made a list of my own here. I’ll begin with my favorite things and then go on to list 3 things I strongly dislike about Belgrade, just to be fair.

Absolute favorite things about Belgrade:

1. The diversity -

I think it has to do with the fact that Belgrade is not only set on the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, but also has numerous underground streams flowing below the city. All that water seems to give the city a whole “go with the flow” attitude and the diversity of activities and venues is just amazing. I don’t think Belgraders appreciate the fact that they could take a short hike, jog or ride on their mountain bikes in the morning in Košutnjak, drop by Ada Ciganlija for an afternoon drink and swim after work, and still make it to that business dinner downtown on time. Sure, we don’t have fancy aqua-parks or huge NYC-like spas set smack dab in the downtown area – oh, but the things we do got are amazingly diverse.  On weekends you might feel like another walk in the park with the fam, or bowling, paintball, a game of golf, horseback riding, pamper yourself one of the spa centers in the vicinity of the city (the links are all just examples) or hanging out at Ada all day before hitting the clubs at night.  Anything goes and each of the municipalities of the city is a world unto itself.

2.)   The history / The future -

Obviously, I’m a huge history buff. I believe lessons from the past are what lead us to a successful future. And Belgrade personifies that belief. I’m not saying there aren’t other cities with that same quality, I’m just saying Belgrade does that contemporary-meets -the-old-continent thing  less pretentiously than say Berlin or Paris. If Berlin were the Yul Brynner of cities and Paris the Alain Delon, then Belgrade would most definitely be the Steve McQueen. The history of the world, with pieces of both the Occident and the Orient, are embodied in one way or another in this one city. It’s not a Serbian thing either. The city itself didn’t actually come under full Serbian rule until just a couple of centuries ago. I tend to say this is a place where you can stroll the streets with the ghosts of heroes and fools and look into the future. If you take a good look into its past, Belgrade will give you a glimpse of what isn’t there. Yet.

3. The freedom -

Again, this may have something to do with all that water running throughout the city. This is one of the few landlocked cities I’ve ever seen where you can actually stop to enjoy the wind blowing through your hair and body, walk barefoot in the grass in a downtown park, run wild with your kid or friends down a busy pedestrian street and seldom get a judgemental look. Matter of fact, your bound to get a smile from someone. And the city literally never sleeps. Like never ever. Ever ever. And I don’t mean you can stay out and party all night at the clubs. That’s a given. But you can also go out at 3 or 4 am to buy milk and smokes at a local all-night store. Or say you just feel like having a quiet cup of coffee with a buddy in the middle of the night – there are several cafes around the city open all night. The simple freedom of doing whatever you feel like doing, whenever you feel like doing it is priceless, a source of sheer joy. Yet, again, most Belgraders don’t realize how much freedom they have. I do my best to demonstrate every once in a while though and they seem to be quick studies.

Now that I’ve pumped you up, allow me to hit you with a dose of reality – what I strongly dislike about Belgrade. Of course, the city is far from perfect, but these three things would be nearly unbearable were it not for the above mentioned attributes of the city.

1. The Sea of Garbage

I’ve written about this before, so  won’t get into another rant on the subject. But, honestly, the trash in Belgrade is just ridiculous. I don’t even blame city officials and services. Not that they’re doing an awesome job, but they ain’t doin’ too bad either. It’s the citizens of Belgrade and their attitude that’s the problem. Many locals will even complain about the trash in their neighborhood, but have no problem throwing out a tissue, a plastic bottle or putting out their cigarette on the sidewalk in other neighborhoods or downtown Belgrade. Fucking appalling. There are trash bins and waste containers on every street and corner, but most people just don’t have the decency to walk over to one and dispose of the trash. When I first came to Belgrade and commented on this problem, I was given the “hard times” and “economic situation” excuses by many locals. Bullshit. If you can afford to buy it, you can afford to dispose of its packaging properly. Plain bad manners. Since the city has (yet another) budget deficit, I suggest enforcing fines for such behavior. The ol’ two birds with one stone deal and everyone’s happy.

2. Strays

This subtitle should read “Strays and Behavior Toward Animals In General”.  Serbia has passed a few laws on this and needs to pass a few new ones, or at least enforce the existing laws. Belgrade is chock full of strays, the vast majority of them friendly and many of them pure breeds. Meaning, somebody saw an adorable puppy, bought it and then realized this thing was going to continue growing and eating. Serbs aren’t too good with long-term projects or self-discipline and owning an animal requires both. And, folks, if you’re not part of the solution – you’re part of the problem. If you run into a lost dog (they usually have a tag, seem healthy and were probably thrown out by an irresponsible owner) give ORCA’s Belgrade office a shout for help or advice.  If you notice a female stray or an injured animal in your neighborhood, call the City Veterinary Station and tell them specifically about the stray. If it’s a female, they will probably come out to pick it up, neuter it, vaccinate it and release it into the streets again in a few days. (Not the Emergency Room of the Veterinary School of Belgrade University – this is where you take your own pet in emergencies) . If you’re an animal lover, you hould know this will not only prevent a stray dog from having more stray puppies, but will keep her healthy and safe.  The last thing this dogs need is to have puppies unsupervised in Belgrade’s winter weather and watch their puppies die off one by one from cold and malnutrition. Do the humane thing. I keep ORCA’s and the Veterinary Center’s numbers in my cell phone, have called them several times from several locations in Belgrade and have always gotten a good response from them.

3. Traffic

Note that this list is in no particular order. All three problems are on the same, virtually intolerable level. The traffic in Belgrade just plain sucks. I wouldn’t know where to begin – the lack of bridges over to the New Belgrade side, the lack of garages and parking space in downtown Belgrade, the narrow streets where traffic is allowed both ways, the clogged city squares… ugh. It takes me about two hours to get to parents’ place some 125 km from Belgrade. A full hour of that is just covering the 25 km to get out of the city. Ridiculous. City officials have been saying for decades that, while there are solutions, it would take a couple of huge undertakings and a couple of years of construction to begin solving this problem. How about keeping it simple? Trucks and large vehicles have already been banned from entering downtown Belgrade during regular work hours on week days, yet you’ll see a ton of them at any given time. Another set of laws not being enforced. And how about banning entrance to all private vehicles on weekdays? If anyone wants in they can pay a yearly, monthly or daily fee for their vehicle. It’s green, it’s fair, it’s viable – just do it.

That about covers it on my part. I’d like to hear your thoughts if you’re a local or have been to Belgrade. What are your favorite venues or characteristics of the city? What bothers you about the city? And, more importantly, any suggestions?

Tags:   Ada Ciganlija · Belgrade nightlife · Berlin · golf · Hipodrom Beograd · Kosutnjak · paintball · Paris · summer2 Comments