Before We Go Any Further -
Some Anthropological Information To Peruse:
The YUGO - Nationally made car. Widely accepted to be the worst around. Available in a vast array of 6 colours, 2 of which are blue. Penetrable in 30 seconds in case of attempted theft. In fact, the doors are generally difficult to close properly until one masters the "slam technique". Limited leg, arm, and torso room. Number one target for Belgrade car thieves. Volkswagens are a close second. Quite fuel efficient, a good thing as gas is scarce and so must be bought on the Black Market. Most Yugos, I noticed, did in fact "go".
The DINAR - Yugoslav currency. Worth: whatever the two-legged, open-air ATM's will exchange it for. Generally, 25 Dinars will fetch you 1 DEM, or 75 cents CDN when changed on the Black Market. Available in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, and presumably, larger bills, though I never saw one. Stores never carry coins as they are worth (literally) nothing.
SLADOLED - Serbian word for ice-cream, a term frequently used by yours truly. Don't think me culturally insensitive, but Europeans whoop Canadian butt when it comes to the perfect ice cream. My favourite company was Delta, centered in Greece. Oh, yum. I tried all sorts of chocolate fancies, but settled on the iced-delight pictured to your left. It is just "the most".
The Black Market - This is not a physical location like the Free Market, but more of a concept. Things that cannot be bought readily in stores and services offered outside of the establishment (eg. banking) are available in the Black Market. Usually this entails changing money with some guy on the street or buying gasoline from a neigbour. Get it? It is a way of life here now.
PLJESKAVICA (Plyeskavitsa) and CEVAPCICI (Chevapchichi) - Absolutely divine local cuisine and staple food consisting of ground pork and beef mixed with garlic and onions and barbecued or fried to perfection. Pljescavica looks like a large hambuger patty and is best served in a pita. Cevapcici are usually served in groups of ten, fat, short "fingers" with salad (salata) and fries ("pomfrit"). I loved this food and ate it whenever possible.
Folk Music - Though tremendously popular here, it is, in a word, painful.
A CAST OF CHARACTERS:
Vladimir and Valentina: my gracious hosts, rooster, cats, dog, and piggy owners.
Sasa (Sasha) and Dinka: good friends, pizza-makers, parents of Filip and Marija (Maria)
Jarko (Yarko): gentleman, musician, good friend, husband of Greta and father of Kristian, Karolina, and Adam. Owner of Bobby the Wonder Dog.
Tanja (Tanya): very kind, architect, wife to Jovica (Yohvitsah) the "wolf man", mother of Jelena (Yelenah) , Dusan (Dooshan), and Masa (Masha) = wonderful kids
Drda (Dirdah): good friend, sci-fi club member, handsome-silent type.
Mica Fles (Michah Flesh): professional photographer and cameraman, good friend and very generous man
Joca (Yohtsah): boyscout leader, friend, and aspiring politician...
PLACES OF INTEREST (local and otherwise):
Bela Crkva (Bella Tsrkva): Where I stayed. The town is named after a local church. Bela Crkva means literally,"White Church". The church is white, I checked. Population: about 15,000. Despite the presence of Oktan Oil, a prosperous oil company, Bela Crkva was not bombed by NATO. Today, it is a popular tourist town, and people from Belgrade and beyond come to see its lakes. As a result, Bela Crkva has an active night live, well, in the summer anyway...
"TRG": Local pizzaria owned by Sasa. The name means "town square". Rumour has it that Italian hunters visiting the area will only eat there as the yummy pizza reminds them of home! TRG is a mere stones throw from the daily Free Market where you can buy everything - even the kitchen sink!
The Lakes: There are 8 lakes in Bela Crkva, 4 of which I swam in. They are all fresh water and have fish in them. I lay about on their beaches for hours and somehow never got a sunburn. The Tourist Lake is very busy and no locals go there. The Secret Lake, is about 1/2 km from Romania and is undergoing gravel-removal by a construction company. No one goes there, it was lovely.
The Post Office: Avoid if at all possible. Down the road from TRG and across from the town park. The rudest people I believe I have ever met work here. Inefficiency and red tape at its height. It is cheap to mail things though, if you can stomach the wait.
Banatska Palanka: Lovely little fishing village about a 20 minutes by car from Bela Crkva. Home of the famous, but vile fish soup. From the restaurant where we ate I could see the mountains of both Serbia and Romania. I saw wild marijuana growing here, on the edge of a corn field!
Vrsac (Vershats): Large town 36km from Bela Crkva. Home of "Banatski Rizling" (yummy, cheap, local, white wine) and Sampion (Shampione) - local beer. Lovely old castle, and miles of sunflowers and grapevines. A TV tower there was bombed during the bombarding last year. Residents of Bela Crkva felt the shudder. About 40,000 people call Vrsac home.
Pancevo (Panchevoh): Closest town to Belgrade, population 80,000. Pancevo, because of its petrol industry, was also bombed by NATO. Home of Weifert beer, the best in Serbia (according to some), and a huge free market, which I am sad to say, I did not get to visit.
Beograd (Belgrade): Capital of the Former Republic of Yugoslavia. Population: 3 million. Very hot in the summer, i.e., 40 degrees celcius plus. Riddled with crime, dirty and broken-down, thanks to the bombing. However, also the home of the beautiful Parliament Buildings, Belgrade University, an old Turkish castle (complete with tiny lizards), fountains, and a large park. The free market runs almost 15 blocks!
