Musings
I ate the most delicious muesli for a late breakfast - honestly, this city wins hands down for food and presentation of the same, and the dining areas, both inside and outside are divine.
I set out back up the hill to the pedestrian street to check out a few things that I couldn't do yesterday, number one being the St Michael's Cathedral - stupid me, it's Sunday morning and church was in progress - added to which my dress didn't have shoulder's covered, so I lucked out. Try again on Tuesday.
Everyone was dressed in best clothes and were meeting in cafes with families, always with first attention to little children, buy pastries and eating them from paper bags. The old ladies had handmade cloths out on the pavements for sale.
I went in to the brand new mall (because of the aircon) which has the first Starbucks in it. I was told yesterday that on the opening day, there was a queue snaking up the pedestrian street to experience the Starbucks style.
Went into a couple of gorgeous cafes which wouldn't look out of place at home.
Fun Fact #1- there is money pouring in from Dubai - land has been bought on the edge of the Sava River and large glass condos are being constructed complete with sand and palm trees. What do you think the deal there is? is it the Trogan Horse in another guise? Many are asking and there are conspiracy theories in every direction, as well as questions about who owned the land in the first place. There is a gondola and a new bridge proposed over the Sava - partly funded by Dubai, but the locals are pointing out the badly rundown education and health systems, the holes in the roads and footpaths (seriously a health and safety issue in some places - you have to keep your wits about you) and are talking about priorities.
Fun Fact #2 - there is an historically close tie between Serbia and France (guess it was Jugoslavia as it dates back to the 2nd WW) and Serbians can attend the Sorbonne University free of charge. (Trouble is that since the creation of the EU it is difficult to get a visa to get to France if you did decide to go to University there) - but there is a large monument to the glories of France in the fortress park.
People are curious, of course, about why a middle aged woman is wandering around the Balkans solo. My 'otherness' is obvious - by my style of clothes, my jandals (which I try to limit walking around the city, but they are so much more cooler and comfortable), and particularly by my propensity to smile and try to do the 'please' and 'thank you' thing.
As in Croatia, here in Serbia, the polite thing isn't necessary to the extent that it is in, let's say USA.
The other thing that isn't necessary is customer service (recimo, USA style again) in shops. Annette and I discussed just this thing the other day. Going into a shop and asking if they have something - the answer is yes or no - Imam or nemam. If the answer is no, that is usually all you get. Not, 'no, sorry, but we are getting some in', or, 'try the next shop, I saw some there'. etc.
My wanderings this morning took me into a book shop on the pedestrian street, in which I found a book in English called "Grumpy in Serbia' in which the writer discusses exactly the same thing! Having been an outsider living in Serbia for 10 years, and with a keen observing eye, he seems qualified to comment (at the risk of insulting anyone). He talks about the directness of speech (which I experienced the other day at the bike store when the guy asked 'do you believe in God?' - possibly the 4th sentence in our conversation - when I mentioned that I like going into churches). Chris Farmer talks about the 'oh, you've got fat' sort of comment, which when analysed comes down to the fact that it is so obvious that you have put on weight, it would be dishonest not to mention it.
So, perhaps in the Balkans politeness (USA style) is lying, honesty is the ability/need to state the obvious - so the rules of conversation are turned upside down.
In a shoe-shop this morning, I asked about a particular shoe in my size - the answer was simply 'no'. Not 'what about these ones', or 'we have them in a different colour' to try to secure a sale - just no.
Another friend from Croatia wails about the Kiwi shop assistant style 'that colour looks lovely on you', or 'have a nice day' as implicitly dishonest. Opposing cultural expectations.
I bought the book, secured a spot in a cocktail bar land bought a fresh lemonade juice to drink as I read. The observations made me laugh out loud - written specific to Serbia, but totally applicable elsewhere in the Balkans.
I set out back up the hill to the pedestrian street to check out a few things that I couldn't do yesterday, number one being the St Michael's Cathedral - stupid me, it's Sunday morning and church was in progress - added to which my dress didn't have shoulder's covered, so I lucked out. Try again on Tuesday.
Everyone was dressed in best clothes and were meeting in cafes with families, always with first attention to little children, buy pastries and eating them from paper bags. The old ladies had handmade cloths out on the pavements for sale.
I went in to the brand new mall (because of the aircon) which has the first Starbucks in it. I was told yesterday that on the opening day, there was a queue snaking up the pedestrian street to experience the Starbucks style.
Went into a couple of gorgeous cafes which wouldn't look out of place at home.
Fun Fact #1- there is money pouring in from Dubai - land has been bought on the edge of the Sava River and large glass condos are being constructed complete with sand and palm trees. What do you think the deal there is? is it the Trogan Horse in another guise? Many are asking and there are conspiracy theories in every direction, as well as questions about who owned the land in the first place. There is a gondola and a new bridge proposed over the Sava - partly funded by Dubai, but the locals are pointing out the badly rundown education and health systems, the holes in the roads and footpaths (seriously a health and safety issue in some places - you have to keep your wits about you) and are talking about priorities.
Fun Fact #2 - there is an historically close tie between Serbia and France (guess it was Jugoslavia as it dates back to the 2nd WW) and Serbians can attend the Sorbonne University free of charge. (Trouble is that since the creation of the EU it is difficult to get a visa to get to France if you did decide to go to University there) - but there is a large monument to the glories of France in the fortress park.
People are curious, of course, about why a middle aged woman is wandering around the Balkans solo. My 'otherness' is obvious - by my style of clothes, my jandals (which I try to limit walking around the city, but they are so much more cooler and comfortable), and particularly by my propensity to smile and try to do the 'please' and 'thank you' thing.
As in Croatia, here in Serbia, the polite thing isn't necessary to the extent that it is in, let's say USA.
The other thing that isn't necessary is customer service (recimo, USA style again) in shops. Annette and I discussed just this thing the other day. Going into a shop and asking if they have something - the answer is yes or no - Imam or nemam. If the answer is no, that is usually all you get. Not, 'no, sorry, but we are getting some in', or, 'try the next shop, I saw some there'. etc.
My wanderings this morning took me into a book shop on the pedestrian street, in which I found a book in English called "Grumpy in Serbia' in which the writer discusses exactly the same thing! Having been an outsider living in Serbia for 10 years, and with a keen observing eye, he seems qualified to comment (at the risk of insulting anyone). He talks about the directness of speech (which I experienced the other day at the bike store when the guy asked 'do you believe in God?' - possibly the 4th sentence in our conversation - when I mentioned that I like going into churches). Chris Farmer talks about the 'oh, you've got fat' sort of comment, which when analysed comes down to the fact that it is so obvious that you have put on weight, it would be dishonest not to mention it.
So, perhaps in the Balkans politeness (USA style) is lying, honesty is the ability/need to state the obvious - so the rules of conversation are turned upside down.
In a shoe-shop this morning, I asked about a particular shoe in my size - the answer was simply 'no'. Not 'what about these ones', or 'we have them in a different colour' to try to secure a sale - just no.
Another friend from Croatia wails about the Kiwi shop assistant style 'that colour looks lovely on you', or 'have a nice day' as implicitly dishonest. Opposing cultural expectations.
I bought the book, secured a spot in a cocktail bar land bought a fresh lemonade juice to drink as I read. The observations made me laugh out loud - written specific to Serbia, but totally applicable elsewhere in the Balkans.
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