I liked the spring trip to Belgrade so much that I came back for autumn. Belgrade is an exciting city with a rich social life. The city is large enough to participate in anything one could want to experience and small enough to see it all. There are stark differences between the classic historical and Austro-Hungarian architecture in the center and the newer parts of the city’s communist mega apartment buildings. Belgrade is a safe city, it’s easy to walk around due to wide sidewalks and clean streets. There are great restaurants, charming cafes, art galleries, museums and plenty to explore around every corner.
I arrived in Belgrade September 2019, but then had to fly to London, New York and Florida for my twenty-one-day-seven city work adventure. When I returned to Belgrade in early October I attended the many local activities. The first weekend back there was the Honey Festival, then a food festival the following weekend, then the next weekend there was a three-day cheese festival, another week there was a jazz festival for a whole ten days. The air was crisping, but it stayed mild all the way through November and into December.
People were still out in the cafes, the energy of summer still remained over the city as the autumn days grew cooler. Autumn is such a great time of the year in any city. Everyone returns from their summer adventures, back to their routines, back to participate in the numerous autumn activities. The weekend after the local food festival there was the Balkan Cheese Festival; three floors of the convention center were lined with cheese makers and matching products. Samples covered their tables and patrons were encouraged to gobble down all sorts of varieties of cheeses.
All of them were very good, but I enjoyed a cheese maker with truffle cheese in the shape of a heart best. I also preferred a booth that makes traditional French verities, the one I enjoyed most was an excellent blue brie. They also had some delicate local sheep’s milk varieties. I bought a mozzarella sort of cheese that was pulled apart into sheets then layered in dried fruits and nuts, the cheese was then rolled into a log then cut into rounds. It was so good! In between the cheese carts and tables I found many dried meat producers and canned products which were also delicious.
October ended with Beogradski Jazz Festival in the convention center. I was living in an apartment in the neighborhood of Vračar this trip. As much as I love my apartment it was a bit small for Fiorella and I to work in. We rented an office space in one of those cool coworking spaces. We chose Nova Iskra in Dorćal because they are 24/7. For some reason the others were all closing by nine.
The best part of having a coworking space was that we were able to explore Dorćal. There are so many fantastic cafes in Dorćal, some of my favorites will be posted next week on my Belgrade Cafés blog post. There are so many to choose from. Some specializing in the best coffee while others are more hang out spots which attract people to occupy every available table. Everyone here spends their free time in cafes.
The last week of October the trees finally started to change their leaves and November brought the cooler weather, though it was still mild. While in Dorćal we explored many restaurants. With the end of November Thanksgiving came and even though my church is filled with Americans I decided to be alone and relax this Thanksgiving. I created a new recipe which I’m calling Savory Corn Medley.
Must see/ things to do:
Skadarlija
Knez Mihailova
Kalemegdan park and fortress
Zeleni Venac Market
Riverside walking, or bike ride, either on the New Belgrade, or Old Belgrade side, both are great.
Museums of course, there are so many, but Tesla one is a must see
My favorite restaurants in Belgrade are:
Ambar
New Reset
Bistro Grad Hometown Food
Smokvica
