When I lived in the Balkans back in the late 1990’s I never made it as far as Belgrade. But Croatia and Serbia are not dissimilar. As I walk the streets of the capital the road layout, the tree-lined streets, the trams and the graffiti are familiar.
The time I spent in Poland and Croatia and my numerous visits to post-Soviet Russia means that the small shards of Slavic language I learn during those years are still lodged in the back of my head. I have been surprised at how quickly they have come back.
My ability to read Cyrillic was never great but I can still manage it. A whole year in Lithuania in 1994-5 means that I am instantly transported back to those years when I hear the sound of trolleybus approaching from behind me.
Unmistakable is the sound of the antennae as they navigate the electrified overhead cables. It could be nothing but a trolleybus. However, unlike in Lithuania, I have not seen the driver having to get out, climb on top of the bus with a long pole and get reattach the antennae which had jumped free of their lines.
Waiting at the bus stop I looked around for somewhere to buy a ticket and then saw the newspaper kiosk and my “mental muscle memory” had me holding out a small note to the lady in the window on the assumption that things had not changed too much in the Post-Soviet world since 1992 when I was first there.
Belgrade today has flashes of its former self and supports Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. It also feels like a proper European city with it’s tree-lined streets filled with Serbs sitting on the pavements drinking coffee wrapped in winter coats.
Central Belgrade has all the shops you’d expect from a major European city and the squares dominated by huge churches, statues and a thousand bistros, restaurants and cafes.
If you can see past the graffiti which covers every wall, gate and building, Belgrade is a really nice place. It has a mix of history and modernity. The new train station is going to be very impressive and will provide an easy way to get to and from this lovely city.
It easily wins the title of most attractive and livable city in the Balkans. I shall be out of here tomorrow but I will definitely be back.