Every Girls Dream - 9.15.06
I woke up early friday morning and went to the lounge of the monster hostel to figure out my next plan of attack. While sitting there the 2 owners came in with a six pack of beer and offered me one. Beer for breakfast...FANTASTIC. Everyone i've met in Belgrade has been super friendly, hospitable and helpful. It really is a wonderful place. Its up all night like New York but with a San Francisco neighbourhoody feel. As i was browsing online for hostels and tickets to Sarajevo, one of the owners left to go home and the other said he was exhausted and was going to take a nap on the couch. He left me and another guest, a czech kid who was a spitting image of Nelson from the simpsons in charge and said to wake him up if anyone needed anything important.
About 30 minutes later 3 german guests came in and needed to get into the safe as they were leaving and needed their personal effects. They tried whispering to him to wake him up but to no avail, whispering turned into speaking which in turn turned into shaking and patting him on the head and face...nothing. Exasperated they tried shaking gently then shaking harder. They then picked him up (he was 6 foot 4 and strong looking) by the legs and arms and put him on the floor...he didn't even budge. They put him back on the couch and huddled together to for the next plan of attack. Nelson and i were at this point rolling on the floor laughing. They then picked him up by his arms and legs again and started swinging him like a jump rope all the while saying loudly "Please mister we need your help"...NOTHING...the guy was still sleeping. Finally the third got a jug of water and as the other two let go off his arms and legs, he dumped it on his head and he went crashing into the couch. Nelson was in hysterics. The owner budged and the germans quickly grabbed and propped him to his feet, when in daze the owner said in what i can only imagine was the serbian equivalent of "what happened".
Thoroughly amused and noting never to party like this guy i headed off to the train/bus station to purchase an over night bus to sarajevo. Ticket purchased I headed back to the hostel to wake up Emily and we headed to St Sava's temple. On the way we passed a bunch of embassies including some that had been bombed by NATO. It was a little startling to be walking around a very nice neighbourhood and all of a sudden see this building which had been completely demolished. A reminder that not too long ago there was some serious troubles in this area. It was grey in Belgrade but the weather was pleasant. St Sava's temple appeared out of no where and appeared to be going under some serious restoration but the inside was beautiful.
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Bombed Embassy |
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St Sava's Temple |
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St Sava's Temple |
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St Sava's Temple |
We then headed off to Belgrades "bohemian" district which was mainly a cobbled street named Skadarska. Following Nikola's advice to eat some local specialty i ordered a Shopska salad (cucumbers, onions, tomato's, dressing covered in grated cheese of some kind...very tasty) and Karadjordjeva Shnicla also known as "ever girls dream" . Once it came, Emily quickly pointed out that the large breaded sausagy thing wasn't every girls dream and possibly their nightmare. It definitely was imposing and kind of looked like it had a bad bout of " a whoring", but it was delicious. Emily had ordered one too and after several tasteless jokes we got up and headed back to the hostel to pack and leave Belgrade.
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Apparently "every girls dream" comes with fries |