Danube Riverbank in Zemun, Serbia
The riverbank along the Danube in the town of Zemun, a municipality of Belgrade.
Place you live: Belgrade, Serbia
Place your photo was taken: Riverbank along the Danube in the town of Zemun.
Can you sum up Belgrade? Belgrade is the capitol of a developing country that is still quaking in the aftermath of Yugoslavia, politically, economically and even in the drawing of its borders. Serbia as a nation has been shrinking for decades. It is a confounding, demanding and above all interesting place.
Occupation: Photojournalist
Preoccupation: Hunting for good food and good beer wherever I travel
A perfect day in Belgrade? Any perfect day here would include some hours spent at Brodic , my favorite pizza ‘boat’ on the Sava river, with friends. We’ll be drinking a cheap beer or spricer (white wine and sparkling water), eating the best pizza found in the city (I recommend the Srbska or the Verde) as the sun sets over the river. In the summer, we will be outside at the picnic tables located on a floating patio over the water, in the winter we’ll be even more cosy inside the boat next to the wood-burning stove. Brodic is just a perfect spot.
If someone was visiting, what must they do? I make anyone visiting me go for long walks, from the Kalemegdan fortress overlooking the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, to the under-construction Sveti Sava cathedral, down to both water fronts, and through the various neighborhoods of the city (and especially to visit each neighborhood’s green market)
A perfect meal in Belgrade? The three meals that come to mind would be ‘prebrenac’ (baked beans with meat) in the musty old Kafana (a particular type of Balkan homestyle restaurant and drinking hole) located next to the Red Cross building in Dorcol. Or a bowl of Szechuan glass noodle soup from the tiny stalls at the Chinese wholesale market on the edge of New Belgrade, called Blok 70. And of course the pizza at Brodic.
What is the best thing about your spot? The people and the lifestyle that is possible in this city, which is often slow paced but pocked by moments of unexpected excitement.
What is the worst? Can I be cliche, and say it is the same as the best thing about Belgrade?
A little known fact about where you live? The origins of the city can be traced back to Roman times, and consequently all of European imperial history has swept over this place.
Where is your favorite place in the world? Hard to say, but probably the San Juan Islands, near my home town of Seattle, WA, USA
Who are your favorite photographers? Since I recently had an article written about this, I’ll stick with Alex Majoli.