Belgrade

....I hardly knew ya.

Though I feel I did pretty well in the bit of time I had, and under the conditions.

I, along with many others, came down with some sort of respiratory infection while on The Yacht Week. I can't say that I'm surprised... Questionably healthy decisions were de rigueur for the week.

My own sinuses, then lungs plainly informed me: "We are taking a break now", so my tourism time in Beograd (Belgrade) was greatly abbreviated and I spent nearly half of it horizontal in a soviet-era block housing airbnb with soaring vista of.... Ugly.

I'm reluctant to say that the whole city is ugly - there were some really pretty statues and the standard-anywhere storefronts. Serbia as a whole is very much a meet-for-coffee kinda place and sidewalks are full of people socializing in attractive seating areas. I lived that!

There is a scenic fortress along the Sava river, and riverboat cafes/bars that, had I been healthy, I would have liked to explore.

Highlights for me: biking nearly 100KM along the Danube to get from Novi Sad to Beograd. It was a long day with a lot of coughing, but it felt good to ride a bike and was a great introduction to the joys of eBike tourism. I'm a fan. It's a good vehicle with which to explore a foreign country.

The best part of Serbia for me has been the people. Both of my airbnb hosts were kind, generous, and helpful. If you find yourself near Novi Sad, I recommend Podrum Miljević https://air.tl/6tWu87l5 . Great spot to stay.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/jkgwW1YyFFJPFYix7

The friendly bike rental guy fed me coffee and shared tips on how to get around. Waiters were patient with my butchery of their language, even though they spoke excellent English, and a tour guide carefully explained how to catch the $4 shuttle bus to the airport from downtown (an idea that other cities should copy!)

I met a fun cycling couple from Munich and shared some terrifyingly narrow car-infested roads. Having company takes things from scary to adventure, sometimes.

The food... Meh. I didn't love it. The host at the winery made wonderful meals. I did have some scrumptious baklava and also found a chinese place (Mr. Wong's) with a suspiciously Serbian-looking chef and a delicious kung-pao veggie bowl. Perfect spicy vitamin-packed meal to help me fight this sinus thing.Læs mere