I just sat down and ate my first meal of the day and it is almost 9 pm back where I started the day at 3 in the morning, traveling by 4. I am a little tired, but after the meal I will head back to the hotel and clean up my presentation material for tomorrow. Presentation matters when it comes to delivery of training and the approach can be either a help or a hindrance and this poses challenges in my line of work as I never know who I am really going to be training, nor the local customs when it comes to what is acceptable. The "culture" advice is usually much to general and doesn't cover the nuances and variation within the group.This week's delivery is for a division of a very large and global professional services company.
So, here I am in Belgrade, Serbia.
The hotel is a long way from the center (where I am eating dinner) which is a bit unfortunate as I can't just "go for a walk" as it requires a taxi trip first. It is about an hour walk and I am a little uncertain of the safety of the streets between. After clearing out most of the immediate work at the hotel, I grabbed a taxi and the first scene I was met with was this,
It looks pretty bad, but on further inspection, it seems that it was a celebration for a football win, but I am unsure. I went in to the crowd a bit but didn't really find anyone I was so interested in talking to in order to ask. I have found myself in the middle of protests before and these days with crowd mentality and the internet, one can't really know what is going to happen. Before I walked into the crowd to get a closer look, I spent a moment to look at the faces of the onlookers, a good indicator of the mood.
After the entrance and smoky welcome to Belgrade city, I headed into Main Street, the shopping district. It is interesting as pretty much all major European cities have one of these and they are all relatively similar with the same shops and general layout, but this one was much more run down than those of Copenhagen or through Germany. It is easy to see from the level of degradation and styles of the buildings that the history isn't that far in the past.
The buildings are gorgeous however, just quite rundown. I assume that over the coming decades the renovation work will get into full swing as it has in pretty much all the other locations that I have visited. It takes time though, and a great deal of money and resources to spend on upgrading the facade, something that isn't the most functional part of the building. Again, presentation matter though and as these types of cities aim to increase tourism, the value in development will be seen. There are a lot of Asian tourists here that I have seen so far.
I am sitting out on the street alfresco dining and just a moment ago, an elderly man came through begging for change. Out of 6 tables, 3 gave him something from their pockets - something that doesn't often happen in Finland. I wonder how much of that is held in the memory of recent times gone where people understand hard times better than many others in this world.
At the end of Main Street is the Belgrade fortress, which was first built in 279 BC. Yes. BC. 2300 years old. Of course, it has been built several times throughout history as it has seen man wars. As I walked around a little, there were tanks and cannons on display. The location is positioned on a ridge at the point the two main rivers running through Belgrade meet, the Sava and the Danube and it commands the view.
Instead of the militaristic view, I thought I would give a different perspective of the fortress instead, one much more fitting for the beauty of the surroundings.
It is nice to see what has likely see a great deal of death over the 2300-year history of the location be repurposed as a place where lovers and friends meet to spend their time. One thing that has really stood out in my brief time walking through Belgrade tonight has been that they are very affectionate and couples kiss a lot, as couples should.
I think this next image is my favorite of the evening, two friends talking while looking out to the city and the rivers below.
I am planning on heading each night for a walk and a little bit of an adventure, but it is always touch and go depending on how the day's training goes and what needs to be adjusted for the following sessions. At least I have had a chance on day one to see something of Belgrade and now I will head back to the hotel (I don't know how to find a taxi) and do my final prep work.
While work travel is tiring and far from glamorous, it has its moments.
Taraz
[ a Steem original ]
All of these shots are unedited other than maybe a crop.
Is that smoke on pic.2 coming from a grill?
Lovely series of photos. Haven't looked into the way Belgrade looks nowadays, by the way. Yet. Except for this.
Ha no, not from a grill. If you look closely behind the girl, there is a guy on a motorbike with a flare.
I haven't seen enough to know if I like it or not yet, but the people seem friendly enough.
Yeah, I was making a bad cultural pun...
I thought so, but wasn't sure so I didn't want to enable you further ;D
Nice shots and writeup. Belgrade is a young and vibrant city with great nightlife scene, I loved it.
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It seems that way, but unfortunately I don't think I will get to taste the nightlife this time around.
~very nice photographs!
I recommend you also visit the Ada Ciganlija lake and also the Gardoš Tower for an awesome view of the old town in Zemun along the Danube
I will check it out ti see if I can swing it in my schedule. Thanks!
I will check it out
Ti see if I can swing it
In my schedule. Thanks!
- tarazkp
I'm a bot. I detect haiku.
i can't tell you 100% that nothing will happen (because there are stupid people everywhere) but i think you don't need to worry in general about the safety.
as afrouli said you should visit Ada Ciganlija for a walk along the water. Also i think you will like the food. Not from belgrade so i can't really recommend a place.
Just got home from my vacation but heard that taxis are on strike because of some stupidity with cargo (kind of uber) so i think it is a bit crazy traffic in the town.
tanks and cannons are a part of a military museum located at the fortress. was not there for a loong loong time but as i remember there are exhibits of military stuff from old old days until now.
What are you doing in Belgrade? How long are you there?
I have been told to go to Skardaska and check out the food there, as well as along the river under the fortress. I am hoping I have a chance for some tourist activity.
Yes, it would have been nice if the hotel let me know :) I tried Cargo, no luck there either. Ended up find a cab but it took about an hour all up.
I am here for work for a few days which means it is always hectic and unpredictable. I have always hoped to organise some kinds of meetups but it is not really possible with the schedules :/
This looks more like a fun event. Not much like a protest. Although the energies are similar.
It was for the football, but when I was walking toward the sound from behind the buildings, it didn't sound overly friendly.
I can imagine so. Specially shouting in a loud Serbian tone!
Ah! You’re in Belgrade?!?! It’s one of my favorite places! There are steemians there you know. How long are you there for??
Also I was there for a week and felt very safe, even if at night I didn’t go out alone, but that’s just normal for me.
I feel "safe" here, but I have only had a couple hours around the streets during the day. I am in the hood at the moment it seems - A weird place for a nice hotel at least.
I am only here til Friday and two of those days are heavy training days. I will likely only have a few hours to kill on Friday, but even that is uncertain.
When I took some of the shots up at the fortress I had a feeling that it was where you took some a really pretty one last year, is that right?
Yes I stayed near the fortress is a place called Central Park apartments I think.. they were very nice. And I spent most of my days at the fortress, so most photos were from there. There is even the hidden fountain I posted about there.
Bummer you will busy most of the time.. if you have some free time though @alcibiades and @milosm know where all the good food is.. and they are pretty amazing human beings.
I remember a girl sitting on a bench with a guy that looked uncannily like you. :)
If they get the tags, I wouldn't mind a decent restaurant suggestion with tasty food somewhere in the city.
I love old buildings. Some combination of architectural style and the fact they've managed to stick around for ages.
Unless there was food I think I would have stayed away from the crowd and the smoke and the loudness even if it was a celebration XD You got some good shots.
Nice shots of the city! It looks like you found a little fun, even if the first impression was a little sketchy!
Ah, the begging thing. That's difficult to deal with if you're not used to it, too. When I lived in Jerez de la Frontera, people used to come through the cafes begging. Some of them actually got kind of aggressive with the obvious tourists.
Interesting that there are so many Asian tourists in Belgrade. It seems like an odd destination for that.
That reminds me of the run-in with three Chinese girls I had in a hostel... funny story :-)
The beggars have been much more prevalent in Finland the last 15 years too, but they don't generally come through the cafes anymore.
It stood out as strange considering it doesn't seem to be a large tourist destination yet. Maybe they are getting hipster. :D
Sounds like a story over drinks.