Dobrodošli u Beograd
I was sixteen or so when I got a new mobile phone. Last one was stolen from me on the bus while chatting to a girl I liked and I got my eyes and ears just for her. One day I set the language preferences on the new phone to Serbian and never looked back. Many words were almost similar to Slovak, some resembled others. I still remember some.
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Take “Šaljem poruku.” for example which means “Sending a message”. “Šaliť” or “šaliť sa” means to get crazy and have fun, or to do tricks. Usually kids “sa šalia” at the playground. “Ruka” means hand in Slovak. “Poruke” means having something close, withing the reach (of a hand). It still makes not much sense to me and most of the phrases had some quirky meanings too.
Spreading my wings.
Fast forward. On July 5, 2018 I planned a short trip to Prague with short stop in Brno along the way. My plan was to attend some dance event, then hop on a morning train to Prague. (I missed it, by the way.)
Slađana approached me that night. Slovak and Czech understand each other well enough each speaking their own native tongue. But she spoke to me in English. I couldn’t guess where she’s from by her accent. Soon I found out she was Serbian. We exchanged contacts and I continued on my trip.
On my way back while texting with Slađa I somehow remembered I had Serbian language set on my phone as a boy. It hit me from nowhere. It was buried deep (and I mean very deep) down inside within my teenage memories. I lost my words for a while. Slađa laughed.
A month later we walked up the streets of Prague talking about life after not so good party at the Náplavka. Apart from one or two dances I could say it was not worth it. Slađa seemed to have pretty much the same experience as me. But we had a great time with my friends before and overall it was a good trip. Summer in Prague was at its best. I guess I asked Slađza what she liked the most about Belgrade. “There is everything,” I guess she answered. “I miss that you can go and do whatever you want in Belgrade.”
I got back to Bratislava. I was a bit disappointed from the trip. At least I could have told myself I still had some fresh memories from the Toma Toma kizomba festival that took place a week or so before our trip to Prague.
But something else was constantly coming back to my mind. I remember one night I couldn’t sleep I read some scholar article on differences between Slavic languages.
Budapest Kizomba Connection 2018
Later in August I started to think more about going to Budapest’s probably the most well spoken kizomba festival — Budapest Kizomba Connection. It took me a week to finally decide and to get my courage together. I wanted to go there for almost 3 years but I couldn’t and I was still stuck in that mindset a bit.
It was 3 months since I became a dog-less person. On May 31 I took my dog to a vet and I came home alone. I was devastated but I still think it was a necessary step.
I slowly started to explore new possibilities after that. Before it I said no to 9 of 10 things — events, traveling, well… to almost anything. I lived a demanding life with a highly demanding dog and way too many bad experiences to leave him alone with other people, even professionals. My friend Kika could tell you more about that. But that’s whole another story. I will tell you next time. Maybe.
I was lucky. I got a full-pass to BKC for a more than, lets say fair price the next week. I booked an Airbnb apartment in Budapest and waited for the day to come.
Here’s what I wrote on my timeline on the day I went to Budapest:
I love to come back here so much. Budapest has always meant a twist in my life.
I planned to stay for the Friday and Saturday party only. No Sunday, no after party, maybe some courses on Saturday. Maybe. I knew dance could get me way too exhausted — been there, done that and It ain’t pretty.
I love Budapest for its atmosphere and its great choice of cafeterias. I bought an open return train ticket to Budapest and lost it. I probably left it in the train on the day I arrived. I purposefully booked an apartment close to the Margaret Island. I wanted to explore that area. During my previous stays I usually ended up close to the same cafes near main train station. Now it was the time to explore the unseen corners of Budapest.
I tried new coffees, attended Saturday workshops, had couple of very nice dances. The weather was everything but suitable for the night cruise we all wished for. But it was still quite nice and charming in its own way. Take a look.
On Sunday, the day I wasn’t planning to stay, I met Ana. I did noticed her on Friday already but I couldn’t find her until the Sunday afternoon. We danced on the sundeck for a while and we had a great time.
Instead of spending the last night on the floor we spend it talking until the morning lights. It was so unexpected connection and I didn’t wanted it to end.
Oh my god. I am doing it for real
Ana was Serbian. I kept coming back to memories from that night now and then. I couldn’t stop thinking about all the odds and couldn’t help myself but to even consider it being a fate.
As I told my friends about it their immediate response was to ask me when do I plan go to Belgrade. (They know me so well, haha.)
The idea came to my mind before they asked me but I dismissed it. I thought it was just silly and crazy. But I couldn’t help it. It was coming back to me and I really wanted to go.
My trainer reminded us about a week off coming up after another semester was coming due. After another 3 months of heavy lifting we should have had a week off to rest. Another one was coming, in October. I thought it might be a good time to go for a trip.
Friday — 48 hours before my leave
I sat down at the espresso bar near the espresso machine. I used to sit there a lot. I messaged Ana that I’m coming. My heart was beating, my stomach shrank. I knew it was a last minute notice.
I already went through some ups and downs while planing the trip. After I couldn’t find my passport and then finding out it was overdue I already accepted the worst case scenario before writing her. All of my hopes and dreams already collapsed when I thought I am not going anywhere without a passport. I messaged Slađza about what happened. “You are from EU, you can go with your ID,” she responded. With that single sentence she resurrected all of my hopes.
I was so nervous. I always was spontaneous and never had worried too much about the outcome. This time it mattered to me more than ever how it goes. I had to tell Ana that I am coming on Monday. That was in 3 days.
I thought I could go to Belgrade during the first week of October, the week I thought I had a week off so I still thought I have some time to tell her about my trip. I postponed that day as much as I could. Nothing was certain. “What should I tell?” I was asking myself even now. My work schedule was crazy. I miscalculated possible date and had to rearrange it quite in the last moment for a week earlier. I was worried but to my surprise she was excited. I expected everything else, for example she could freak out, and never speak to me again so I was getting ready for the worst. And I was so grateful for her reaction.
On Saturday I had to work extra hours to finish as much work as possible before I leave. Fist I thought I will go on Monday. But on Friday I found out that there is no bus to Belgrade on that day. I had to leave on Sunday or Tuesday. But everything worked out well. On Saturday evening I got my Airbnb confirmed. I was good to go.
Sunday: Just let me pass the borders, please.
I went to bank just to find out they do not have any Serbian bank notes. When I then passed the Pán Králiček Priestor on a bike, a place where Alica worked I stopped by. Alice was there. It’s quite close to the Bus station and I wanted to come earlier before my leave. We said hi and went home to pack those few clothes I planned to take with me. I could barely eat that day and when I got to Alice she got me a glass of rose wine to ease my travellers fever just before I left to the station.
The ticket said I should be there an hour in advance. It was strange to me, but I went there at 21 o clock. My bus should leave at 22. There was no information about my bus on a single board. None.
I called the hotline. I really wanted to be sure to board that bus.
No one asked to see my pass or ID and so we left. The wine did not worked as Alice promised. I opened Soundcloud and I listened to my favourites playlist.
At this moment my heart stopped for a while. It was a long time ago I have passed the borders. I thought it would take some serious amount of time to get to the borders and it got me unprepared. We got there too soon. I had no passport, not much money with me whatsoever.
No one spoke to me a word during the control. I showed my ID and I went on. We waited for every one to get past the border check.
I thought that was it. But it was just a 30 minute break at some duty-free neon zone. We had to get off the bus. Some waited inside the shop, some of us beside the bus.
Monday: Belgrade, Serbia
After we passed the second control I finally got some little sleep. And I mean a very little. I was like floating between the state of being awake and dreaming when it’s quite hard to tell the difference.
I jumped off the bus and opened the Google Maps App with an offline map of Belgrade pre-downloaded. We came an hour earlier and I had 2 hours to check in. I decided to go to see some of the city.
My first impressions were somewhat worrying. Belgrade had more of a harsh, dusty appearance for a newcomer like me. But hey, no one will cheer about the Bratislava’s Main train station either. And the more I moved away from the Bus station towards the city centre the more I was amazed by the city.
Skies took my breath away that morning. Cold morning lightened up by the pink rays of the sun waking up the city.
That morning I ended up at the Kalemegdan. I walked, I guess, the Main Street called Knez Mihailova. There were at least 2 dogs walking freely at the park.
Get connected
On my way to the flat I found a coin and free WiFi in the park near the Church of Saint Mark. 15 minutes of free connection was more than enough to message my mum, friends and my host, Mara. Soon I met Mara, her daughter Laura and Mara’s mother and two blue Russian cats too.
I talked to Mara until noon, but soon I had to get at least some sleep before I went out. First challenge was to find a Raiffeisen ATM (compatible with my bank that should not charge extra fees for withdrawal even outside of the EU) and then buy a pre-paid SIM card.
I got the SIM at VIP at Knez Mihailova street first. Guy who sold it to me was great. He swapped the SIM for me. Even though I took the tool to change SIM with me to Serbia, I forgotten it at the flat. He also sticked my Slovak O₂ SIM to the large plastic card he just got the VIP SIM card out from so it won’t get lost.
The SIM got enabled pretty quickly. The data plan started to work a bit later. All was going well until I got to the ATM. I had to enter the amount to withdraw. I found the bank with ease. But I was still confused about the money rates. I almost withdrew 300€ because I miscalculated the zeros. Also Ana just messaged me, she’d just finished at work. We scheduled meeting at Trg Republike.
Ana took me to Kulturni centar GRAD to try some Jewish food at Delikatesni ponedeljak sa Haverom. Atmosphere was cosy and very friendly. I am not really sure what exactly I eat, but it was great.
On a way back home we passed by one espresso bar. That caught my attention.
That night we went for a few dances to Cinema caffe at Cara Dušana. That place is small but cozy. I couldn’t imagine a better way to end my first night in Belgrade than to dance with Ana.
Tuesday: Walk with me down the Dorćol
Tuesday — second day of my stay, first day I explored the city. I found one (and still only I know about) non-smoking coffee shop in Belgrade and I decided to go there. I was curious. It should be my first specialty coffee in Belgrade. I had high hopes. As proper coffee geek I also took a book about espresso with me.
It was a bit harder to find the entrance, because its really minimalist. If you ever find yourself in need for such, look for the “Everything you see…” graffiti and than just continue down the street (right on the picture) and in few meters you’re at your destination — Pržionica D59B.
Roasting just took place in the same venue. It was few years since I smelled the coffee roasting. Place was nice, a bit hip. People were chatting, enjoying their coffee. One moment barista handed me a cup of his filter for me to try. Such hospitality. I was overwhelmed.
I read few chapters of the Need for Espresso: Underground, book I took with me. Then I headed to Trg Republike. This time because I wanted to join a free walking tour.
Dorćol is famous for its graffitis of famous people. Make sure to look around while walking downtown.
It was my first walking tour ever. I never did one in my hometown, not even in Bratislava. After this tour, I decided that I need to change it when I get back. (By the way, I did one tour already in Bratislava.)
We ended up at Kalemegdan, just when the sunset. It was a completely different place than the one I visited that Monday morning just a day before. People gathered to watch sun set over the Novi Grad, where the rivers of Danube and Sava turn to one.
I stayed at Kalemegdan after the group split just to watch the last lights of day turning into night. It felt so calm.
Walking home I couldn’t help but stare at that some sort of dreamy, bit dark atmosphere that surrounded me.
Wednesday: Exploring the coffee scene a bit.
Before I left the flat I spoke to Mara a lot about Slovakia, Serbia, the common and the not so common. One moment I realized that my mum once told me, that my grandmother’s grandmother was different, Yugoslavian like name — Tajana (or Tijana). I messaged my mother about it. She replied, that her name was just like that, but her origin is a bit uncertain. But she quickly added, that my grandmother from my father’s side had surname Dobrovičová. My grandfather’s ancestry was named Dobrović and they came from the area I was just visiting. I was speechless because I did not connect the dots until I came here.
I no longer consider myself being hater, or harsh critic, not even about coffee. I think it happened over time that I accepted that being empathetic is not a sign of weakness. I can appreciate good quality coffee, I understand those varying factors that could cause it all go wrong—from bean to the cup.
That morning I spoke to Mara, my host about that too. She offered me a Turkish coffee the day I arrived and I refused as much politely as possible.
Explanation is simple: I love the beans to be high grade, specialty grade coffee, if you like. Only coffees that got cupping score more than 80 of 100 can be considered specialty grade. You can be sure, that those coffees are the best among the vast offer around the city. Specialty accounts for around 5% of total coffee production as far as I know. The rest is coffee that is sold as commodity.
Commodity coffee is unfair. The price of commodity is on its lowest point in the last years yet I don’t see businesses selling such coffee to lower their prices too. Imagine how farmers should survive from such little amount of money. Is it a surprise what farmers choose to grow — coffee or coca?
I also like the traceability of specialty coffee. Over time you can get to distinguish the tiny details in coffee beans from the same country but coming from different regions. Every bean has its story.
Each of our decisions play tiny role in the whole picture. And coffee is for many of us a daily ritual. You make decision each and every day by choosing the coffee, its origin, its process, the roasting and the preparation. Every tiny bit creates an opportunity to help or to ruin other people lives.
I have one simple rule:
Don’t buy the coffee that is unfair.
If you don’t know that is in the blend — don’t buy it. If you do, you help exploitation of farmers, support large producers that give a shit about the climate change.
More over you have no idea what stuff you put in your body. If you don’t know who produced it — don’t buy it. Ask the waiter or barista about the coffee. They should know what they sell.
If it’s too dark — don’t buy it. Dark means the beans are burned and are quite possible to cause cancer. Such coffee contains Benzopyren — found in cigarette smoke, Carbolines — made during strong and long roasting. Oxidation, the roasting process, produce substances that attack DNAs. It contains also more Acrylamide— found in bread, smoke and in the polluted air that is also carcinogenic.
Specialty coffees are usually roasted lighter. Such roasts tend to be also a bit more acidic but also more beneficial to your health as they contains less carcinogenic substances than dark roasts and are also richer in antioxidants.
The flavors and taste of a light roast coffee can be balanced too, trust me on that, but dialing such coffee requires experience barista skills. Therefor looking for a balanced cup of specialty grade coffee is much harder but all worth it.
I set myself on to finding such cups in Belgrade on the third day of my stay.
The first coffee shop I tried was Šoljica at Trg Nikole Pašića. The coffee was a bit too pricey (300 RSD/2.53 EUR for a double shot) for the quality, service and overall experience to my taste.
My expectations came unfulfilled — I needed another cup. When I was looking for my next coffee shop to try I remembered that espresso bar from Monday night. I wondered if I could navigate back to that. I didn’t remember the name but I managed. I found it. It’s called Barista’s Specialty Coffee Corner. I stayed there for more than few hours chatting with Alexander, as I later found out, one of the owners.
By the way, try the local “dark beer” — actually it should be called stout, not beer as I learned. I don’t care much about the naming. More important to me was that it was amazing!
The place is smoking as all the coffees in Belgrade, but it was more than bearable during my visit. You should definitely pay it a visit when you’re nearby. I got some more tips on coffee and drinks from Alexander that I still have to explore on my next visit and I am looking forward to it! (Thank you.)
Later that night we went to dance Kizomba to a lovely little club right next to the Hotel Moskva called Al Centro Salsa Beograd. The playlist there is very democratic — 3 songs of salsa, than 3 bachatas and 3 kizomba songs as Ana told me. That night to our mutual pleasure it was 4 kizomba songs each round.
Thursday: Full of Joy (Radost)
I decided to visit Museum of Modern Art on the other side of Sava. But first, work. And I worked the all day long. Finally. I did managed to put the brochure I was planning to work on for a long time together. The rewards were sweet.
The sun was already setting when I crossed the Branko’s Bridge. The museum is a short walk down the Sava river.
There were just 1½ floors open, still worth seeing. Here are just few of the artworks that caught my eye.
Later that night I went to see Ana. She arranged a plan to go to the concert in the evening. We met under the Branko’s bridge with her friend Daria. Daria’s friend from Israel joined us later that night at Radost restaurant. Radost means Joy in English. It was strange to us that such concert took place there.
The singer who call himself Gift was crazy, amazing, funny. The restaurant was full of his presence. The energy he made was great. Also the music—some sort of 80/90s revival.
Friday: Go underground
Entrance to the bunker was opened just for us. You need a tour guide to go to the military bunker from Tito’s period. Air was heavy, a bit wet, stale. Ceiling was low, tunnel was lit by old neons. We passed few small rooms until we reached the dorms for the soldiers. There was just as much space for 4 people to sleep in. Not more, not less.
I also visited Roman Well that has nothing to do with Romans and it’s not a well too—there is no underground water in the well and it was not built by Romans.
There was a club in Kalemegdan underground. They need to shut it down. There is some sort of museum with sarcophagus inside of it.
In the caves under Kalemegdan there is a winery. Entrance to the winery is next to the large black and white mural that you can see from Branko’s Bridge.
Saturday: Full of surprises
Ana took me to Savski splav. We walked along the Sava river for a while and when we got back to where we started she bought 2 return boat tickets to Ada Cingalija lake.
Boat tickets. Boat! I mean… take a look:
We sat at the beach, talked, watched sunset over Sava, bought sushi.
It was already evening when we got to that building, two tall towers connected with a bridge I saw from Kalemegdan—Genex Tower also called Western City Gate. Between those two towers the wind was blowing like crazy. We got away fairly quickly.
Round thing on the top was a restaurant. Same concept of a turning restaurant as the UFO restaurant in Bratislava. This one is not working anymore.
That night we also went dancing again to Cinema café. It was short though. The music was too loud and the party ended up with the arrival of the police.
Sunday: Already?
I wanted to take Ana to a place in Belgrade I thought she never was and to try something she hadn’t done before.
Of course I took her to the only one non-smoking coffee shop in the whole town to try specialty coffee I thought she never tried. (She did, BTW, but she had no idea she did.)
The place was crowdy even on Sunday. We’ve tried it all—espresso, cappuccino and filter.
Zemun, our last destination of my short trip. Its Gardoš Tower became that thing Ana haven’t been to. (My memory is not that great, but that is what I remembered from her speaking.)
We walked down the Danube shore. It was windy afternoon. Gardoš is situated on a little hill in a part of Belgrade that totally looks like anything like the rest of the city.
The view from the Gardoš tower is stunning, I would say it’s a must see.
Zemun is ideal for a walk. It’s nothing easier than to get lost in its tiny streets with all the small cute houses. Who knows what you can find there.
A note to fellow travellers: Before you can board the bus at the Belgrade Bus Station, you need to buy some sort of a Platform ticket for 180 RSD. And no. You cannot pay by card. It could be a little stressful. So get ready for that.
Doviđenja Beograd!
