Saved by the Bel(grade)!: Exploring Belgrade

After a loooooooong flight (due to delays, we were on the plane for 10 hours), we arrived in Belgrade and started settling in. It will take our stuff about 5 weeks to arrive, so until then we’re in a 3-bedroom furnished apartment in central Belgrade. After a nap, we took a long walk and grabbed dinner at an Italian restaurant called Piazza Dei Fiori (Don got a typical Serbian dish though!) and we did a little grocery shopping, before heading home (via tram!) to relax.

We found a restaurant called "New York New York" - must be a sign!

Don's order of Ćevapi (grilled minced meat)

Lounging in the apartment (with a Serbian beer)

Our first full day in Belgrade was all about fun for the kids. My amazing company arranged for a tour guide to take us to a fun pancake house for breakfast (Sugar and Spice), which is located in the old Hotel Jugoslavija, then a walk along the river (fun fact: central Belgrade is located at the confluence of the Danube and Sava Rivers) and there were several little amusement parks along the way.

Welcome to Belgrade pancake sundae (note the waitress is on roller skates!!)

Yup, she totally set it on fire...

You catch Pokemon, even in Serbia

Stayin' alive with new friends

Small amusement park along the river

Burke taking a ride

Riding a roller coaster!

There are some things in life we'll never understand. This is one of them.

Holden driving and Burke riding in a boat

Part hamster, part Cooley

This was too funny... look at the top of the bumper cars... we've got Braveheart, the God Father, the Matrix...

...Rocky, Spiderman... the list goes on and on... (but the 'why' will always be a mystery...)

It's like I always say "Nothing says amusement like kids in parks with rifles..."

Picture with a parrot anyone?

Swans as far as you can see

We ended our walk in the area of Belgrade called Zemun, which used to be it’s own city, but as Belgrade expanded, it is now considered to be a municipality of the city. A neat fact is that while Belgrade is considered part of the Balkans, Zemun was part of Central Europe. We enjoyed a walk around the area and some traditional foods.

Zemun

And this is why we don't plan to drive very much...

View of Belgrade over the Zemun rooftops

Holden is happy, Burke is jet-lagged

The river over the rooftops

A traditional food with prunes wrapped with prosciutto over grilled apples, served with bread and smoked goat cheese. Delicious!!

Some traditional spreads - ajvar (like a chutney made with red peppers), kajmak (like a mild creamy cheese), olives and fried pig skin that they called 'pig candy' (a first and last for me!)

A long Day 1, but still smiling!

For dinner (after a nap for Don Cooley), we made our way to Orasac Restoran for some traditional Serbian and it was amazing! Meat, meat and more meat! For 2 beers, 2 glasses of wine, 2 juices, 2 adult meals, 2 kids schnitzels and a ton of fries the total bill with tip was $37. Kids are a little tired though (Burke fell asleep on my lap for a few minutes before the food came).