"Adio" to Dubrovnik A tale of two refugees Full Monty Parlor Games Share My Fire Car - the relationship-saving device Going Straight West A year to expirience, a lifetime to understand Meeting Vuk Cultural insensitivity Sex in Serbia Buvljak experience What's news in Yugoslavia? part II What's news in Yugoslavia? Trust issues: Yugoslav Banks Hosting, Serbian style Flat-hunting Staying legally in Yugoslavia Welcome to Belgrade Border crossings The Paper Chase: Single - entry visas

After a seven hour trip south from Budapest, your most likely point of origin, you've made it to Belgrade. Welcome, or as the locals say, "Dobrodosli". Even after having suffering under international sanctions and anti-Serb sentiments in the West, Serbs are incredibly hospitable and warm to foreigners. Many of them will pointedly tell you that they haven't had a chance speak to a foreigner in five years and are more than happy to speak with you.

Point well taken. Serbia has, shall we say, an image problem and most Serbs believe the rest of the world looks upon them as the scourge of the Balkans. But even if the war hadn't happened, Belgrade has never been a tourist Mecca and the city hasn't done much in the way of improving facilities for visitors. There's no Thomas Cook office waiting to exchange your hard currency for dinars, the local currency, and you'll be lucky to find an eager local or youth hostel representative waiting for you with a room to rent. In fact, no tourist office in Belgrade has any information about private rooms, which means, you will need to plunk down from $30 to $175 for a room in one of Belgrade's hotels.

Your reasons for being in Belgrade can best be summed up by the text printed on the back of the tourist map. "Belgrade is simply unavoidable on all travels: overland, or by waterways and air. It is a gateway on the routes leading from west to east, from north to south." Hey, you're in the center of the world now. That's something special.

But not special enough to attract tourists. Unlike Central European capitals like Budapest and Prague, you won't find any locals jaded by tourism, mass consumerism, fast-food joints and billboards. The local culture isn't presented in the form of a kitschy peasant blouse sold at the nearest tourist attraction or restaurant signs in German. Belgrade's allure comes less from the way it looks, but the particular way it feels. In sum: Belgrade has soul as black as New Orleans, as they like to say.

It also has economic desperation and I suppose the two are compatible and feed off of each other quite nicely. This meaning that people who once held respectable positions are now the ones selling chocolate bars and pantyhose on the street. "I can't wait to graduate so I can sell socks at the outdoor market," chimed Edward, a student at Belgrade University's Mechanical Engineering school.

The new class of merchants can be found on the central walking street Knez Mihailova, the hub of downtown Belgrade. This stately street neither resembles the artsy, symbolic Charles Bridge in Prague or exclusive Vaci utca in Budapest, but it is the best looking street in Belgrade. Inside the 19th century buildings reside the remnants of Belgrade's old intelligentsia; families of those killed by partisans who were left with a fraction of their old properties. The street's regulars today include a gypsy guy who likes to fool passers-by with his bird-whistle, a young Serb playing American classic rock songs on his electric guitar and a cat named "Hairwolf" among others.

The shops lining the street won't demand much more than a second but the outdoor vendors will certainly catch your eye. First up are the money changers chanting the mantra "deviza". This is followed by the Bulgarian CD sellers, sweaters knitted by hand by the grannies of Zlatibor mountain, protest 96/97 memorabilia and popcorn stand after popcorn stand. The latest product on the street is the pair ultra-cool sunglasses, worn by ultra-cool Serbs. Within a 10 minute stroll, I found at least five such stands, each one specializing in a different style. There are the square, gold-rimmed ones for the wanna-be criminals, the wrap-around ones for the rave-heads and the oval-shaped ones for the gals with the platform boots, fake furs and blonde streaks.

Armed with cassette tapes of favorite songs from the Protest 96-97, a poster of a famed Chetnik Royalist and some popcorn stuck in your teeth, you are ready for a stroll through Kalemegdan park and its fortress, which overlooks most of the city. Here, you can witness Belgrade's lucky (or unlucky, depending on how you look at it) geographical positioning at the crossroads of the rivers Danube and Sava. Unfortunately, the best view in Belgrade are of the Battlestar Galactica-like concrete monstrosities of New Belgrade, home to the local riff-raff.

Skadarlija , the bohemian quarter of Belgrade, is where many flock for the nightlife. The cobble-stone street is dotted with quaint, overpriced folk music restaurants and couple of interesting nightspots like Dzungle, Blah-Blah and Guli where the best of Belgrade's city faces can be seen mingling with U.N. workers on leave, diplomats and the rare Western businessman. The "in" music at these places is usually of the jazzy-soul variety, acid-jazz and a bit of techno. Anyone spending any time in Skadarlija won't miss encountering a Gypsy brass band playing the soul music of the Balkans: a lively cacophony of horns mixed with Turkish drums called "Cocek", kind of like a high school marching band on acid.

The Ministry of Tourism's new tourism advertisements read: "Serbian Cities: Love at Second Sight." If Belgrade makes your heart quiver, remember, she'll play hard to get.

by Jennifer C. Brown    

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Info - ciro ren
Surviving Belgrade! - Linda Woodard
economic student - Robert Labad
Belgrade - Jason Richards
Belgrade - Peter Carlich
Belgrade - Lorna Belcevski
lived in Belgrade long ago - Paul H.
we love Belgrade - maria makridaki
Cars in Belgrade - Don Maskell
Looking for J C Brown-graduation 1992 - Barbara Biddle
Moving to Belgrade - Ljubisa Milovanovic
Belgrad New Comer - Matt Longo
Belgrad New Comer - Matt Longo
Learning Serbian - Nidia Moya
Serbian native speakers - Andrea Bielska
ex pat life - steve jansen
Xenophobic stereotypes aren't really that amusing.. - Danilo (who is kinda neutral)
no subject - Natasha Jones
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Is There A International University? - Joanna Shaw
Jennifer, Jenifer... - Kristina K. Izzo
Serbian Language Learning - Miroslav Bires
oh really - milena milenic
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SSL - Serbian as a Second Language - Kristy Anderson
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by Jennifer C. Brown - it's mmmmme
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personal services - Jim Thompson
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reply - sandra lukic
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reply - Misa Car
Belgrade - Milutin Nikodijevic
Assistance - Randy Cook
shame of you - Dragan Lazic
Help - Julie Martinovic
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jobs and homes in Belgrade - Katie Tucker Miller
About Belgrade - KIM ILAGAN
cao Jennifer - Pesic Igor
Geneology Search - Peter Vujanovich
Learning Serbian - Vojislav Stojanovic
Welcome to Belgrade - Jeca Pereca
To live in Beograd - Lisa Ossmark
Hey you forgot ot mention about the gypsie !! - Pepsi C
Hey you forgot ot mention about the gypsie !! - Pepsi C
To learn serbian language - Miroslav Bires
arriving from the US - Djordje Nesic
talk - rick dick
Comment on Belgrade - Tiki Liki
no subject - NIKOS MOSHIDIS