The name of the city Belgrade translates to "white city". I spent the last week in the city exploring it more with our Remote Year city manager and nailing down Belgrade life like a Serbian native.
The Rooftop Party
Our city manager who is a Belgrade local and also a super nice guy invited a bunch of us Kubs to a rooftop party atop the BIGZ building. The BIGZ building was constructed during the 1930s and 40s as a significant social, cultural, and artistic location. It was formerly home to the Publishing and Graphics Institute of Belgrade. However, by the 1990s, the building was mostly abandoned and left to neglect. In the ensuing years, a number of musicians and artists have made their way back to the building. It now houses small production studios for these folk. The stairways and walls are absolutely covered in graffiti and bohemian works of art.
A popular rooftop party happens annually at the BIGZ. We got lucky enough to have Milan as our city guide and BIGZ party connoisseur to invite us along. We started gathering just before sunset and had a spectacularly magnificent view of the solar disk slowly swimming its way from the sky to and beyond the horizon. The sunsets we've seen here in Belgrade are among the most beautiful I've witnessed, and anyone who knows me even just a little bit knows sunsets are one of my favorite things in the world (thanks grandma Almeda!).
Pretty breathtaking.
I've been to more parties and clubs the last few weeks than I have in the last four years. When you're in Europe, it's a party! This is true even in the more conservative of countries like Serbia. The party was a lot of fun. Kubs danced and drank late into the night. I left the party a bit earlier to make my way home, a pensive 30-minute walk home.
I finally think at this point (June 24) that I fully adjusted and got my head around European life. I spent the next few days pensive and focused on work at the cowering space. Some Kubs made their way to Split, Croatia as well as Budapest, Hungary in this time. I would've liked to have gone to either, but I decided it was in my better interest to stay behind to explore more of this rustic city. With the four month timeframe, I wanted to ease my way into this adventure before going on a bunch of side trips. My plan is to be taking side trips while in Portugal and Prague.
A Carefree Lifestyle
I think one of the main differences between the USA and Europe that I've been able to witness so far is that Europeans are generally less uptight and less tense. Also, there are a lot of cool perks in places like the bar where puppie doggies roam around much to the delight of the guests. The parties run late, even on weeknights like Mondays or Tuesdays. Conversation, music, and merriment can be heard into the late hours here.
Carin and Tanner make friends with the bar puppy! What a cute little face. I think all of our hearts melted simultaneously when we saw this tiny dog.
Another thing that I note about Europe is the dedication to pedestrian-friendly areas filled with restaurants and shops. In the US, these are usually lined on still-traffic heavy streets such as the Miracle Mile or in huge indoor venues like The Mall of America. However, Europe takes a different approach. In Belgrade, the main pedestrian plaza along Kenza Mihaila is a kilometer long and is lined with an endless amount of monuments, fountains, flowers, bistros, bars, coffee shops, storefronts, eateries, and everything in between. In the walkway, people stroll as they enjoy a warm summer's day. Street musicians play with passion and open cases for monetary donations. Street artists spray and coat a canvas with a beautiful scene. It's a picturesque scene for a European city center, adorned with life.
Famous brands from all over the world are found here, including many you're probably already familiar with. You have stores like Aldo, Guess, H&M, Vans, and more. I bought a new suitcase from the Samsonite store that was adjacent to the H&M and got a fantastic deal on it. 🙌🏻
Farewell and Barge Parties
We had an official farewell party to celebrate the conclusion of our time in Belgrade. At the stylish and partially-outdoor Hyde Park restaurant, we were treated to a wonderful abundance of delicious food (including veg options!). We were also treated to a traditional Serbian dance by some natives. We mixed and mingled and celebrated the last few nights in the rustic Eastern European city we've called home this month.
After dinner, we made our way to a bar below the main bridge into Belgrade. Some of us stayed there while others went to "the splavs", a set of floating river clubs along the Sava River. That's a pretty unique concept. We went and partied for several hours at Hot Mess, one of the most happening clubs along the river. We ended up again getting a connection to come here thanks to our city manager. We danced and listened to (loud) music late into the night. I was going to try to stay until the sun rise (and nearly did as by the time I got home the sky was getting lighter), but at some point it was just too much for me. I'm not a club goer, I just was trying to live in the moment.
Unfortunately, the music was louder than I realized, and since going I think I've had some noise-induced tinnitus. I haven't had any hearing loss thankfully, but this has caused me some distress and anxiety. I don't think I will be attending nightclubs again for a while and certainly not without some sort of ear protection. I didn't even think it was that loud, but apparently it was. Yikes, be careful with your hearing. Once it's gone, you can't get it back. Also, tinnitus is an awful, distressing thing. I hope it continues to reduce, even though I know that may not be the case. I wound up going to an ENT and getting treatment for it. The doctor did inform me that no hearing loss was a good sign, and that the ringing is auditory trauma from being around the loud music. She advised me to stay away from loud noises as I could develop permanent damage otherwise. Again, yikes. She also prescribed me some immunizations and medication. I definitely learned a lesson - no more messing around. I'll be getting nice ear plugs to wear frequently. Silly to have one night of partying ruin something for the rest of your life.
I got treated for that and then got settled in to my last few nights in Belgrade, taking in one last dinner at The Jazz Cafe the night before we left. I relished and ate a delicious and (hopefully vegan) creamy pasta entree. I made my way back home, anxiously packed for several hours, and went to sleep to run to the doctor once again the next morning and then hurry back to wait for our van to arrive to pick us up and take us to the airport. Our plane to Munich to connect to Lisbon was waiting to take us to the next chapter in this journey.
Reflections and Thoughts
I wanted to gather up some of my musings and ideas here in a slightly more digestible, bulleted form than the prose I've been throwing at you. I've collected these thoughts in my head while walking around but have not written them down in a concise, accessible manner.
On the origins of my name
If you take a look at both my first and last name, they are very Serbian. I am part Serbian from my great-grand father who emigrated to the US nearly some 90 years ago. I believe I was the only person in the group who had Serbian blood.
I asked around town if people knew my name or how to pronounce it in a Serbian fashion. In the US, we say it as a rather Americanized "air-um-bay-sick". I got a few different answers from locals, but the most insightful one was from a short conversation with a guy about my age who works at iBikeBelgrade.
He explains that an "Arambas" was the name of a leader of rebel warriors
the "ich" means son of. Therefore, an 'Arambasic' was the son of the rebel warrior leaders. Now my way of life makes more sense! Stay true to the family name.
The proper pronunciation is something more along the lines of "arr-um-boss-itch"
I would love to do more research and learn who these rebels were, where they were, and what exactly they did
Stefan is a very popular Serbian given name and is all over the city in various forms
Serbian women (and people) are beautiful. I've never seen so many pretty looking people in my life.
One of the locals told me they spent a lot of time on appearance, so in a way that makes sense. However, I am still convinced the gene pool here is excellent. The men are generally big, the women are built.
Most everyone is in fit or in shape. Of course you have some overweight individuals here-and-there, but on the whole people are in shape. Many more people on average seem to have weight issues in the US.
Restaurants are an experience, not a dine-and-dash.
There's copious amounts of outdoor seating at many locations - on average much more than back in the US per restaurant. A lot also have comfortable seating with pillows and cushions.
Servers take their time. I think the idea is to sit and visit and have minimal interruption from the wait staff. They will take their time, so you have to be proactive if you need a refill or want your bill or something. Expect an hour dinner in the States to take more like two or three here.
If you ask for water, often you can get it still or sparkling ("gassed"). This I love! I wish we would adopt this in the states. I've gotten well on board with the sparkling water gang the last few years.
Serbia smokes...a lot
There are SO MANY CIGARETTES! I knew that Europe in general has a higher smoking rate than the US, but Serbia took it to another level. As a local noted, Belgrade is probably one of the top three smoking cities in the world.
Back home in the US, most restaurants and bars have banned smoking inside. Meanwhile here servers at several restaurants hand out ash trays along side silverware and waters. Even at the fancier establishments, people lit up frequently and without hesitation. Not for me!!
The birds are not shy and somewhat aggressive
The pigeons walk within just a few feet of other people, within crowds. I have not witnessed this before, so I found that interesting.
Also, pigeons will fly around the pedestrians and nearly hit you. On five or six different occasions a bird flew almost directly over my head to the point where I flinched and ducked to not get struck by a flying rat.
Try to stay out of their way. They peacefully co-exist with the humans for the most part, but I made it a point not to go out of my way to pester, agitate, or even just shoo them away. They'll just chill and look for scraps as they would anyway.
The streets are smaller, so are the cars
The oldest parts of the city have rather narrow streets suitable for one lane of parking and one lane of driving.
Unlike in the states where SUVs and light trucks are ubiquitous, most of the vehicles here are sedans or hatchbacks, with only the occasional crossover or larger car.
Driving is insane, and rules are optional
Each ride I took in a car I felt like (in an even larger way than home) I was taking my life in my hands
Taxi drivers drive fast and are aggressive. Interestingly despite this, I didn't see any major traffic accidents or even fender-benders. Tight turns around corners and near-misses with oncoming or merging traffic are common.
People change lanes randomly without warning or veer in and out of lanes without much regard to road markings. Seems dangerous to me, only provoking a mild amount of anxiety.
The pace of life is slower; people are out all the time
See the above restaurant section on wait times!
There are no drive-thrus in Belgrade, at least not near the city center.
Parties happen any night of the week. Music starts playing in bars around 6, 7 o'clock and goes on to midnight or beyond even on a weeknight. People are found at all hours in restaurants, bars, or even just outdoors roaming the city or in parks.
Belgrade unemployment is very high at 14% (2017) and almost 30% among women, so this may play factor
In the US, my women friends tell me constantly they fear going out in the dark almost at all, and this is a recurring theme at a societal level. They avoid night walking alone unless absolutely necessary. This isn't quite the same here. I've walked past several women out alone or walking dogs at 11 or 12 o'clock at night. This helped reinforce the safety of the city to me and was a bit striking on how a night walk in the US can be ironically more dangerous than a former Eastern Bloc nation.
Walk, walk everywhere
I wasn't astute enough to really figure out the mass transit system in Belgrade while I was there. Belgrade has:
A comprehensive bus system
Light rail system
Neither Transit nor Google Maps had information on the bus or light rail system in Belgrade, but my roommate Mason did inform me about Moovit which did have a live direction feature that I was able to navigate towards the end of our stay.
Buses are unfortunately crowded, hot, and subject to delays. Milan, our RY city manager, told me that often no one ends up paying fare for them because "they're crappy". Sounds like Belgrade needs some bus funding!
While there are no subways, I initially thought there were because all over the city Belgrade has underground street cross-overs. Roof-covered glass-walled staircases lead you down to a sub grade passage (where there are sometimes even shops) to cross below the street to walk back up the stairs so as to have an uninterrupted, non-conflicting with vehicular traffic walking flow around the city. This is a great concept and really effective! I'd love to see this back in Detroit or Ann Arbor.
While a ton is within walking distance, of course not everything is. Taxis are readily available, the traditional way or using Taxify. While neither Uber nor Lyft is yet present in Belgrade, a startup called CarGo is looking to take the Uber model and bring a local version of it to Belgrade.
We actually met the founder at a Remote Year event. He is a really great guy! His English was very strong as he spent his graduate years in the US attending university in New York and then living abroad for another 6 or so years before coming back home to Belgrade.
Belgrade is a rustic, old, and gray city with a soul
Due to many years of communist rule, this has been reflected in building architecture inside and out.
A lot of gray permeates the city. This is why, as I mentioned in my first Europe post, graffiti is so common in Belgrade. It helps to give life and color to a city that doesn't have a ton of it.
However, despite this grayness, there is a soul here. People are lively and energetic. Artists line the streets and musicians play music. The BIGZ building as I mentioned earlier is an industrial home for lots of Belgrade's bohemian creators.
Trends and things arrive here much later than other parts of the world, but they are embraced. Wifi and smartphones are as ubiquitous as home. The latest music and trends are present including those damn spinners.
United States and Western culture is still highly influential
American music was played at most of the establishments we went to at least part of the time. Top artists such as Bruno Mars and Katy Perry received a lot of airtime.
Most young (and even some older) Serbs speak English. While not all of them did, some signs and markings offered translations into English and also other languages. If you are an English speaker, you should be able to get your way around without much issue.
This part of the journey has now been written! It's time to move onto the next chapter. Expect an into post on Lisbon later in the week. Thanks for reading along! I hope you are able to gain some insight and enjoyment from my musings and photos that I take the time to illustrate here. Hopefully, one day I can look back on this blog and recall all of the memories I've made over the course of this trip.
Para Lisboa, vamos!