While Belgrade is very cosy in Autumn and Winter (and can actually have amazing weather), the crowds and pollution can be a tad overwhelming, and make you wish to leave at least for a day. Below are a few suggestions for day-escapes if you enjoy hiking in the autumn and winter. In addition to these, do check out my older article on best day trips … Continue reading Best autumn/winter hikes from Belgrade
There is no better sign of (approaching) middle age than reminiscing about the restaurants, bars and clubs which are no longer around, but which left a mark on one’s memories, taste and, in many ways, life. My path towards becoming a kafana connoisseur started in Vidin kapija, across the road from my primary school. I was taken there in 1996 by my mom and grandma … Continue reading Vanishing Majik of turn-of-millennium Belgrade hotspots
Maybe it is the shimmer of the water, maybe it is the people around them, or perhaps it is chlorine or sunstroke, but swimming pools, and especially public pools, have a magical, surreal touch to them. It is no wonder they inspired a lot of great art from Hockney’s Bigger splash, to Cheever’s excellent (yet dark) tale of a man who decided to swim his … Continue reading Hidden Belgrade (67): Swimming palaces of Belgrade
While Serbia and the Balkans come nowhere near Italy in purism about food and food related customs (aka culinary fascism), there are certain things that are not done, and certain other signs that signal to you that you are in the presence of a true gastronomic veteran. For example, one of the main tells that you are a non-local in Serbia is ordering ajvar in … Continue reading Beyond ajvar, burek and ćevapi: building your kafana cred with must-try offal and regional dishes
Train travel used to be the stuff of nightmares in Serbia. While I was in highschool I remember packing up lots of food for a 90km train ride to Novi Sad, while any attempts to venture further – to Zagreb and Budapest (both about 400km away from Belgrade) – were day-long out trips in crappy trains that stopped in crappy stations. I n a lot … Continue reading Belgrade to Novi Sad on Soko express
If you think you are a Balkan culinary know it all for loving ćevapi, sarma, burek and kajmak, well the truth is… there is plenty more to discover. Everybody knows they are great, and with ajvar now present on the supermarket aisles from LA to Dubai, and the increasing number of restaurants serving Serbian fare all around the world: from Kafana in New York, via … Continue reading Politically charged pies and the first Chinese dish in Serbia: More stories about Serbian food
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Given that the culinary scene in Serbia not only expanded, but changed sufficiently to attract the interest of Michelin guides, a few friends and I lamented the receding prominence of good Serbian kafanas on the culinary landscape. Yes, this is probably overly nostalgic and curmudgeonly, however once one hits a certain age, has had the chance to taste enough varied dishes and has been overcharged … Continue reading Karafindl: The Nutshell Times Good Kafana Guide
Serbia enjoys a bit of a reputation for heavy feasting, especially involving copious amounts of grilled mince meat, and piglets and lambs roasting on spits. There, however, is another, deeply traditional side to our food, which, although somewhat unfashionable for a few generations, is coming back with the global rise of veganism and fasting and rediscovery of religious fervour in the country. Traditional Orthodox fasts … Continue reading Fast food: Indulging during Lent in Belgrade
As Kingdom of Serbia was late to industrialise, modern Belgrade was a city built in large part with the money of proud peasants and cattle (esp. pig) merchants, more than happy to celebrate their rural heritage and especially the ornate dresses of Serbian villagers – this was especially popular as Orientalist and Romantic art, as well as Art Nouveau started looking for something to break … Continue reading Belgrade, Peasantville
Entrances to buildings in Belgrade used to be stages where architects showed their utmost creativity in the interwar period. They were designed to woo potential tentants to buy or rent by making a block of flats look like a private castle, or to impose the serious nature of a company or official building. Some of my favourites were built while Belgrade modernism (local variant of … Continue reading Making an entrance, Belgrade style
Vladimir Bajagić je pokrenuo Majstora i Margaritu 2017. sa prijateljima u maloj radnji u Balkanskoj ulici u Beogradu. Ove godine ova prelepa picerija je uvrštena na listu 50. najboljih u Evropi (van Italije) i skoro se preselila u veći prostor u Vuka Karadžića, sve tokom jedne od najvećih kriza u ugostiteljstvu. Sa Vladimirom sam pričao o putu do Majstora i Margarite, izazovima koje je donela … Continue reading #94 Vladimir Bajagić o pokretanju Majstora i Margarite, fantastične, pun-tastične picerije…
As a city which went through significant turmoils in its modern, post-Ottoman history – from brutal occupations in WWI and WWII to major political changes in 1903, after WWII and in 2000 – Belgrade has had its fair share of monument destructions, however mostly at the hands of its occupiers. Unsurprisingly, removal of monuments to the recent past happened most immediately after the Partizans took … Continue reading Belgrade’s Lost Monuments
In the past few years, it was becoming increasingly difficult to find quiet places to walk and chill in central Belgrade, places where you could feel completely outside of the city and see nobody. One of my favourites was (and still is) the path along the abandoned railway which goes from Dunav Stanica all the way to Belgrade’s former central railway station. Ever since the … Continue reading Hidden Belgrade (49): Along Belgrade’s Central Rail Line
In the gloomy days of late 1990s, after harsh international sanctions (which extended to sports and culture) and in the midst of general social and economic decline, Belgarders yearned for feeling that they are part of the wider world, from clothes to food, so much so that their cry for help was a banner, carried during the student protests of 1996/97 exclaiming “Beograd je svet!: … Continue reading From Arepas to Za’atar Manakish: Global Street Food is Booming in Belgrade
I got burnt last year by making a list of things to look forward to in Belgrade in 2019. Two out of four did not come to pass (Chinese Cultural Centre and St Sava Mosaics), and the restored Palilula market only opened in the last few days of 2019. Still, I decided to press on this year, out of spite to the general chaos surrounding … Continue reading Belgrade 2020: Three Things to Look Forward To
The Feast of Epiphany, which according to the Julian calendar falls on January 19, is the day with some of the most colourful rituals in Serbia as it marks the end of Christmastide. Given it is the day when, according to the New Testament, Jesus’s divine mission became apparent to the masses after his baptism in the river Jordan, most of the folk rituals surrounding … Continue reading Magic of Epiphany in Serbia
Exploring Belgrade’s “spomeniks”. Continue reading Hidden Belgrade (39): WWII in Belgrade in 10 Memorials
It’s been a while since I’ve done a list of Belgrade’s best spots for eating and drinking. Part of the reason is my laziness, and the other part is that in the past few years, there has been a boom in the offer. While before there were a few new places worth checking out every month, now there is enough to lose track (thankfully insta-fiends … Continue reading Best of Belgrade June 2019: Ultimate Belgrade Eating and Drinking Guide
Faintness of wisteria in Krunska. Sweet roses on the Danube run. Endless evenings under the lindens in Palmotićeva. Chlorine and sunscreen at Taš. Damp asphalt and grass at Ušće. Muddiness of the last dip at Ada. Charred paprika skins, hinting ajvar. Crisp smog around Bajloni. Eau de Kafana and wool, tumbling through a December night. Smogless, snowy morning in an empty city. Dusty seats of … Continue reading Smellscape of Belgrade
Here are top five runs in Belgrade for you to get in shape. Continue reading Get on Track: Belgrade’s Best Runs
