Saturday Morning

First weekend in Belgrade. Dinner at an Asian fusion restaurant last night to celebrate my predecessor's departure (spring rolls and crispy duck roll-ups (I am not sure what the wraps were made of, sort of a cross between tortillas and those spongy things you get in Vietnamese restaurants). Many were drinking exotic cocktails (margaritas, jagermeister, long island ice teas, pernod spritzers) but I stuck to pivo, of which their are many local varieties, light and dark, lagers, etc. It's a hard life in these developing countries.

When we returned to the hotel, guests were arriving for some kind of prom, and we were treated to the sight of girls in flashy dresses and ridiculously high heels, along with their more modestly dressed dates, many of whom eschewed ties and opted for sneakers instead of fancier footwear.

Up early this morning, and after a rainy walk to the office and an attempt to make it look like I know what I am talking about next week, I'm going to work on the primer on Serbia I promised last week. Here's a picture of my office, to give you a little context. Its on the fifth floor of a six story building on a quiet street, just a couple of blocks from the hotel, as well as my new apartment, which I'll move into early next week. There's a Costa Coffee around the corner, and lots of cafes and restaurants within easy walking distance. I'm pretty pleased.