Belgrade, Serbia

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Ah Belgrade. This is truly a city that grows on you.

Looking back on it now, I cannot really say why it was this city irked me so at first, but if I were to guess it would be because it seems to have no inherit order to it's madness, the transportation system is a joke at best, service at restaurants is an unheard of concept, and if you look around you will likely find buildings that look like they were bombed yesterday. If you power through and persevere despite all that, you will find Belgrade to be an amazing city with a lot to offer if you simply look past the usual places.

The usual places are the museums, churches, markets, and tours. Yes, some are passable here, and you may even have fun, but they hardly scratch the surface and when compared to other European cities in this light, Belgrade comes out far behind. What you must do is ask "where do you go on a Friday night?" One answer was Bigz.

Bigz is an old publishing house that has been abandoned during the war and recently turned to a squat. From the outside, it is as dilapidated a building as you are likely to come across. The inside does little to sway your impression as most lights, toilets and elevators have either stopped working or were looted some time ago. Several small clubs and businesses decided to set up shop here and maintain a sort of unofficial headquarters. One such business is a jazz club on the top floor of the southern building. Despite the shabby surroundings (or perhaps because of them), this jazz club has become a favourite underground spot for people to come, hang out and listen to great music.

Another favorite is the cultural centre, which has taken residence under a bridge across the street from a biker bar. Here people gather for events as diverse as a Japanese Udon night, or an electronic music concert by Glass Candy.

Lastly, there is the Tri Ladjara, a Jazz club in the new part of town, where the average attendant is either in their 70's or in their 20's. Here these two demographics come together every Tuesday to appreciate good Jazz music played by those who volunteer their time and skills for their love of this music.

There is one more place, a student pub named KST. I was told this would be a fun place to go, but I simply did not have enough time.

Should you find yourself with time to spare during the day, I would highly recommend going to the Kalemegdan castle at the park in the middle of the city, checking out the view at the naked statue there, visiting the Tasmajdan park for a local festival market, and going to the Tesla museum.