Balkan File

I captured this cute cat at the weekend while wandering around a part of Belgrade near the top of King Aleksandar Boulevard (Bulevar kralja Aleksandra). He or she was probably a stray and seemed very thin, though I don’t know whether that’s because of its young age or from a lack of food. S/he was very friendly, immediately getting up off the thrown out Persian rugs (which no self-respecting Serbian home would be without) to come and say hello and try and get a bite of my pljeskavica (beefburger) – which s/he did!

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This is a night time shot of Belgrade University’s Law Faculty (Pravni fakultet). The building, which is located on Bulevar krajla Aleksandra, was built before World War II and was renovated with the building of a modern annex in 1995. The faculty covers an area of 12,000 sq metres and has 60 offices, eight lecture halls, 10 classrooms, a library, bookshop, computer labs and a student club amongst other things.

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This is the view of Knez Mihailova ulica (Prince Michael Street) you’ll see if you sit in Snezana, a famous restaurant on this even more famous pedestrianised central thoroughfare. The street is always packed with friends, couples and families walking up and down. Many will stop to buy an ice cream or lollipop from the street vendor you can see under the Frikom umbrella in the left of the photo, especially on these hot, almost tropical summer days Belgrade is currently experiencing.

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The Guardian has written an online (not sure if it’s in print) article about Belgrade’s nightlife, focusing on dancing and drinking opportunities both along the Danube river and in the city.

Garth Cartwright sums up exactly why I love Belgrade at night:

Every night of the week it is home to a huge variety of clubs and parties. You can dance in old fortresses and on boats, in underground caverns and cocktail bars. And there’s a great array of musical styles to dance to: from ragged Gypsy fiddlers to blinged-out turbo-folk singers, from banging techno through heavy metal, and more, much more.

I wouldn’t say the river club Sound and the city club Plastic (which relocates during the summer to the Danube) are techno clubs, they play mainly house music (correct me if I’m wrong). Techno and progressive house, as well as psy-trance, are mainly played in Club X-Lagoom under Brankov most and at one-off parties with big name international DJs in venues such as the Sava Centar Garden, the Genex Impulse Hall (pictured above) or the enormous splav Kolos. But I don’t blame the author for getting it muddled up, he seems to be more into his gypsy music!

The article does manage to fit in a lot different clubs, bars and cafes, in several parts of Belgrade, which cater for a very wide spectrum of musical tastes, but there’s a lack of detailed information about each venue (and the hotel recommendation at the end is a bit expensive!) This Times Online article from last year explores its nightlife suggestions in more detail.

‘Dancing on the Danube: Clubbing in Belgrade‘, The Guardian, 25 July 2009.

Check out the Guardian article and let us know what you think. What’s your favourite Belgrade nightlife spot and why? Let us know by leaving a comment.

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That’s right, you read correctly. Bosnia-Herzegovina, that country of 3 million people in Europe, does not exist. Period. Well, according to Citroën at least.

(www.24ur.com)

This map appeared on a new promotional campaign for the French car manufacturer Citroën. As you can plainly see, Bosnia has been swallowed up by Croatia and Serbia. Slovenia is suspiciously larger, having occupied northern Croatia. Montenegro too has vanished into thin air. And Kosovo? Well, even though France has recognised Kosovo, Citroën went against the official view and decided that it isn’t independent after all.

Oops. That’s a rather huge (and sensitive) cock-up. Clearly geography’s not Citroën’s strong point.

(Link to B92 article)

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