I promised myself that I will blog about Serbia every day, and of course have not been doing it, partly paralysed by blogging block and the debilitating feeling of pointlessness of own blog when compared to others, more interesting and legitimate, partly distracted by life and traveling, by snow on Kalemegdan.
Selected elements of our trip, in chronological order:
- Absent-mindedly, fatefully, inexplicably, I pulled the emergency cord in the disabled person's restroom at London St Pancras at 3am, setting off the alarm.
- Belgrade, with the graffiti and peeling paint, is immediately beautiful the way my nineties Russian childhood was.
- We dined with Ana, Luka and David at a conceptual restaurant/store full of useless yet interesting Scandinavian-designed devices.
- We learned about the Pride parade in Belgrade in 2011, and how the tear gas used by the police filled the rooms of Luka's top-floor apartment, how you could only breathe in the bathroom, how the rioters broke store windows and tried on stolen shoes, looking for the right size.
- In a crowded bakery, we stood by the mirror and devoured burek with cheese, watching ourselves with amazement and horror.
- We explored the ruins of the Kalemegdan fortress in the sun and the snow: unspeakable beauty - "the diamond dust falling on our coats, jewels in our hair. the sky showering us with pearls" and so on and so on, following the badly translated lyrics of a very good song.
Must go to the train station now. We are going to Budapest. Will write more, in an unselfconscious way, even if it is pointless. And will maybe even post pictures: at least one of the fantastic piece of clothing that came my way today.
Selected elements of our trip, in chronological order:
- Absent-mindedly, fatefully, inexplicably, I pulled the emergency cord in the disabled person's restroom at London St Pancras at 3am, setting off the alarm.
- Belgrade, with the graffiti and peeling paint, is immediately beautiful the way my nineties Russian childhood was.
- We dined with Ana, Luka and David at a conceptual restaurant/store full of useless yet interesting Scandinavian-designed devices.
- We learned about the Pride parade in Belgrade in 2011, and how the tear gas used by the police filled the rooms of Luka's top-floor apartment, how you could only breathe in the bathroom, how the rioters broke store windows and tried on stolen shoes, looking for the right size.
- In a crowded bakery, we stood by the mirror and devoured burek with cheese, watching ourselves with amazement and horror.
- We explored the ruins of the Kalemegdan fortress in the sun and the snow: unspeakable beauty - "the diamond dust falling on our coats, jewels in our hair. the sky showering us with pearls" and so on and so on, following the badly translated lyrics of a very good song.
Must go to the train station now. We are going to Budapest. Will write more, in an unselfconscious way, even if it is pointless. And will maybe even post pictures: at least one of the fantastic piece of clothing that came my way today.
It's not pointless. I promise. I need these ramblings as you need mine. Not "significant," perhaps, and without the polish of published material or advertised sites, but who wants polish? I want the boot leather and I like it rugged.
ReplyDeleteAnd, besides, thoughts of you pulling that alarm in the restroom made my laugh out loud. I can imagine you there and the ensuing chaos.
ReplyDelete