The White City

That's the meaning of Beograd- "white city." Well, we made it....a month and a half ago. We've learned a lot in that time. For example, it takes 6 days to get over jetlag. Also, relax your standards on car safety while traveling around the city. Just hold on tightly to your kids as you slide around in the back of taxis. Really though, we are incredibly happy to be here. Despite what some people have said, we think Belgrade is quite a beautiful place. Sure, on the way home from the airport Eden and Fox were counting all the "haunted houses" they saw. Belgrade does have a certain gritty charm, but many parts of the city are just as beautiful as any other European city. And if anything, its rough veneer just enhances the charm. I can't lay my finger on it exactly, but whatever it is, it's Serbian. If I could sum up the Serbs in one word it would be "passionate." Passionate when it comes to their culture and the things that make it unique; passionate about sunbathing in August; passionate about driving, nightlife, PDA in the park...and pork. I'm excited to find out all the different things that make up this interesting culture.

When we first got here everyone said that Kalemegdan was the place to go first. It's the fortress downtown that overlooks the confluence of the Danube and Sava rivers. There's a definite "city Center" to Belgrade. It's kept very clean and it's always hopping (the later the better). There are always street vendors and performers, popcorn and gelato.
However, the fortress itself was not our first adventure here. After three days or so we decided to go to the zoo. I called a taxi, held on to my kids, and headed to the zoo adjacent to the fortress. Since Belgrade is known as the white city, they have several white and albino animals. White tigers, white lionss, white kangaroos, and (my favorite) white peacocks. They really were impressive.

The zoo was surprisingly beautiful too. The lions' enclosure was the most memorable for Fox. With only a chain link fence between him and the lions, Fox put his hand through it and got the shock of your life. No, a lioness did not bite off his hand, but the electrical current made it feel that way. How was I supposed to read the signs that said if you stick your hand in it will shock you? I don't read Cyrillic. I felt so bad for him...until he went around sticking his hand in all the other enclosures, "just to see what would happen." Luckily, no one was hungry. Eden was in heaven. This was the closest she has ever been to cheetahs before. One waved it's tail at her and that's all Eden could talk about for a couple of days.

I've been so terrible about taking pictures since we've been here. We live in a great little neighborhood at the top of a hill. There's a really beautiful forest behind us with walking and biking trails. I walk down the street a few blocks to the corner grocery for our food every other day. It's a bit of a charming life right now with everything so new. The city feels as though it's in bloom with fall just around the corner. We just got our car today! So, we are planning our first trip to the countryside this weekend. We'll see what we can come up with.

Also, the kids started school a couple of weeks ago. We LOVE their school. Eden came home the first day and said she doesn't want to go back to America. And we think Fox has a crush on his teacher; he blushes everytime we mention her. Here they are on their first day of school, and that's their school bus.