Day 3: Hello, Belgrade!

First full day in Serbia...

5/9/22

Today we ate a tasty Serbian breakfast at our hotel. Here's what I had! Eggs, fried dough, what I think was walnut baklava, and super good sausage. What irked me was that smoking was permitted in this relatively closed off dining room, and a woman at the table next to us was having a cigarette with her breakfast. It seems to be a big part of the culture here, and the smell is common in the city. Probably my least favorite thing here (but also cities in general...) Man, I absolutely cannot stand the smell of cigarettes. Blegh!

Then with happy stomachs, we set out to sight-see. Our walk through the town led us by many beautiful plants and ornately constructed buildings. Lots of Belgrade seems to have that old world feel and charm, some areas complete with cobblestone roads.

If you'd like to learn more about the plants of the city I met while exploring, check out my Belgrade plant report.

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We walked along the river Sava, where they have turned old barges and boats into nightclubs. Stay tuned- we may pay one a visit!

At the end of the boardwalk, we climbed the ramp up to the Belgrade Fortress. There has been a fort there for over 2,200 years, the first stones laid under Roman rule.

It sits at a strategic point on the corner hill overlooking the t-shaped confluence of the Sava and the Danube.

We got a hearty lunch in a cute Serbian food restaurant. The bread was the and best tasting I've ever had, crunchy crust but airy soft warm inside, and it came with four spreads including pimento cheese, a pepper and eggplant paste and spicy cheese. The meats here are more local than those in the states, and Serbian meat codes are much higher as well. In past trips, vegetarians for ethical reasons even would eat the meat here.

Later, I ordered some chocolate, and told the cashier "Dobre dan" (good day) and "Hvala" (thank you) for the first time today. The language is tricky but beautiful. I will not however be getting used to reading signs in Cyrillic. It's amazing how two alphabets can make the same sounds.

That's all for now, and tomorrow is a big, big day! We will have lots of lectures and meet the Serbian political science students.