Belgrade Meetings, Serbia

My last post was supposed to be about the Postcrossing Meeting in Belgrade last year...but I realized I had not posted the cards from the previous years, so I thought I'd include them as well...therefore it will be all cards, no pictures (plus I haven't asked for the consent from the others if I could post them here, since I am not alone on any of those :))

So this last meeting was a really good one, since we were quite a few...it was Ana, Renato, Aleksa (Renato's son), Jelena...and for the first time we got the chance to meet Milan - a great guy, and also Liza from Latvia joined us since she was in Belgrade those days (I had met her before here in Skopje, so it was great to see her again :)) I just really missed Judit this time....

The postcard was written at a place called Caruso - on the 8th floor :)

You know it has become a challenge to find some new view-cards of Belgrade, but I always manage...and from what I realized, there are different stamps on each of these cards (for this I would have to thank my dear partner in crime :))

Also after over two years, I got to see my dearest cousin Aleksandra...she actually made me company at the Book Fair, and later Liza joined us as well....speaking of the Book Fair, I finally got my copy of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams...and also this book by the Serbian author Svetislav Basara, "The Cyclist Conspiracy"....whichever of these two you lay your hands on, give it a read!
Well, I also got back with these most awesome pairs of earrings ❤ 

I got the Little Prince ones from my dear partner in crime...and she actually showed me this place which is like heaven for this kind of jewelry!

the stamp here was issued in 2013, in a set of four Orchid stamps - this one is called Cymbidium Fort George



Next is a card from the 2014 meeting...

...and it shows one of the first petrol stations in Belgrade, around 1934.

It was just Judit, Ana and me at this meeting...but that doesn't mean we didn't have a great time :))

I think I finally bought Brave New World this time, by Huxley...and dont know what else I stocked myself up with - this is what happens when I dont do my updates in time...I think it might be "Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage" by Murakami......I think...

two beautiful stamps!!! Issued in 2007 in a set of 8 stamps representing Flora, Landscapes and Tourist Attractions - on these two you can see the Zapadna Morava river (left) and Kopaonik (right)




Next is the 2013 meeting...and actually two cards from this one...

according to the signatures, it is me, Ana, Renato Judit, Jelena who attended...and for the first time Snježana from Bosnia joined us...and seems we have overdosed ourselves with cakes here...since what I have on the back of the card says 'crunch cake', 'mini plazma-almond cookie' 'mini-hazelnut cookie'...but I think that a good deal of this was smudged on some postcards....:P

If I'm not mistaken, this was the year when I got "Kafka on the Shore" by Murakami - probably like my all time favourite by him until now...I must have bought something else too...but have no idea...maybe it was "You and Me" by Ammaniti...or that was the year before...well either way, both of the books are way too awesome!

a cute stamp from set of two "Joy of Europe" stamps issue in 2013

and a card that Renato designed...with a funny slip...since the English version says it is the 3rd PC meeting, but the Serbian translation says 2nd....yeah, trying to make you think something's wrong with you and you are seeing things :)))

To make it clear, it is the third one...and btw, if you are into Haiku...or even if you are not into Haiku, you can check Renato's book here - Haiku by Renato

issued in a set of two stamps in 2013, under the name European Nature Protection


and back to 2012

                   


meeting attended by me, Ana, Judit and Renato....the card shows the Memorial  Centre of Josip Broz Tito....but I won't go nostalgic now...
Which books I got this time...I of course have NO bloody idea....

                                             



the stamp was issued in 2008 in a set of two Nature stamps, with this one representing the Devil's City (or Đavolja Varoš in Serbian)




Now this last card is not from one of those regular Postcrossing meetings, but an extra one that happened on April 27th 2012, when dear Nastya was in Belgrade, so I went there to see her and Ana...and I must admit it I also used this meeting as a chance to get my Mexican Visa (that I would use later that summer), since the Mexican Embassy is in Belgrade...nobody knew about it, so this meeting kinda covered as a perfect excuse...but that is one of those times when stars align and the times overlapped....sometimes things really happen for a reason...

the card shows the Main Railway Station in Belgrade, and the photo dates back to 1958

and a matching stamp! :) Issued in 2009 in a set of two stamps commemorating the 125th Anniversary of the Railroad in Serbia.


Phewwww! I think I am finally done here!! Boy that was soo much babbling, my keyboard hurts :)

I hope it wasn't too annoying...I understand if you dont feel like reading through it all...but I hope you at least enjoyed the cards, stamps and the pictures :)

Now I seriously think I need a break!!

Belgrade, Serbia

...and a week later, the concert in Belgrade was on schedule...unlike the one in Sofia, here I stayed for a few days with my uncle, and his family, so it was also a great way to enjoy some bits and pieces of lovely Belgrade..the bronchitis was still nasty though...I could perfectly tell it when i was running for the first row..I could barely catch my breath...but thank God my cousin did her job perfectly well (well it was me who convinced her we should get fan pit tickets and get early at the venue...and she never regretted that ;-))

another awesome performance by DM...and for me, better than the one in Sofia...it wasn't raining for starters...and somehow I felt emotionally different...and when the concert ended I just started crying..unlike in Sofia when I was just 'oh wow, that was great'...I didn't get that emotional cos I was aware that another concert is coming...but now in Belgrade I was all like 'damn, this is the last one, I won't see them again...won't get the chance to experience all this again...yeah, like a girly teenager who has a crush on some celebrity...just that here I have a crush on an entire band and their music...and such a farewell is much harder to deal with..blah blah blah...:)

Well, once the concert was over, Belgrade brought a bunch of more chill out and relaxing moments...I just love going to the city centre...sitting down in some cafe..munching on some cake or pizza or slurping down some nice coffee or shake...and just observing the people around...something that for some reason i never feel comfortable doing here, but abroad it's all fine...stupid mentality id say

Belgrade inevitably brings some evil acts and attacks with my partner in crime...and this time was no exception, te-he-he :D

And of course, had to shoot a missile my way as well...was wondering what would be the most appropriate...and in the end I chose this card because it does show the place where the concert was held...I mean, what more could I have asked for? Plus, it wasn't that easy to find a Belgrade card I don't already have, khm khm khm :))
So here I can remind myself that i was eating a marzipan cake during this meeting...yumm yumm yummie...at least my partner in crime has resisted smudging some cake over the card...as we have the habit to do sometimes :P :D

The downside...as time was passing by, I was getting better and better...barely any traces of my bronchitis...and...regrets started of why I havent booked a ticket to Zagreb...Zagreb was few days later...and I could have simply gotten on the bus or train in Belgrade and go there..but nope, I missed the opportunity...first the excuse was, ok Ana, set some limits, two concerts are enough...then it was, well, no, two concerts are not enough, but in this condition, I rather be home...and of course, another wasted opportunity...down to this day I still regret the decision, but oh well, I'll know better next time...hoping that there will be a next time :)

I still cant believe it that I got to hear "Only when I lose myself" live...it was like a dream come true..since this is the only one of the concerts that I attended, where Martin performed this one...sorry for the audience noise..but that's how things go with such concert videos...for an amateur video, the quality of the picture is great..not too much shaking or anything

of course, the card came with a stamp...I may be rambling here about concerts and all, but lets not forget the stamps...this one comes with the 2013 Lunar horoscope issue, for the Year of the Snake

hugs to my partner in crime for the great time spent...and all those fun evil plans :D

The First Postcrossing Meeting in Belgrade

well, ok...you should all know by now about the first postcrossing meeting that was held in Belgrade on 29 October 2011...if you dont know about it, you should probably blame your postman :)

It came too spontaneously, but turned out great...the only remark would be the lack of time :)
And one of the most special things about this meeting was the special postcard design we had, done by Renato. A really unique card, representing all the participants (by their usernames) and all that nicely arranged according to the country they were coming from! Can you spot me? :P
Personally I addressed way too many cards...and I have no idea how many we signed in total, but it was a LOT LOT LOT!!! Well, after all, it was the first meeting :)
Unfortunately, I didnt manage to send as many cards as I had originally planned...the time simply didnt allow it, and funny but after the postcard shopping, I ended up writing out ALL of the cards, even though I planned to bring back some home...so do the math :)
If you hadnt gotten a card from this meeting and you are sure your postman is the most reliable guy on Earth, then let us know for next time :)

and somehow this post was perfect to present this fantastic map card of Yugoslavia...it was sent to me by Renato as well, a few months before the meeting. Here all the former republics of Yugoslavia can be seen with their respective flags...and this is somewhat what our meeting was about...postcrossers from different parts of  former Yugoslavia...unfortunately, Montenegro, BiH and Slovenia were missing, but we wholeheartedly hope that on the next meeting, at least one representative from each republic would be present. Ill do my best to fill in the Macedonian spot :)

Renato used a really nice definitive from a set of 8 issued in 2007 with this one representing Kopaonik.

A big hug to all my PC meeting friends, and of course, to the ones who couldnt make it this time :)

Belgrade, Serbia

Ive been wanting to post a Belgrade card for a while now, but I was waiting until all, or at least the majority of cards I sent from there, arrived. So that I dont sort of spoil the surprise :)

Well, Im still missing 10 people to cross out from the list...but hopefully they have made it to their end too.
I didnt want to say anything ahead, coz I didnt know if my plan to send cards will succeed...but well, for the first time, out of all my visits to this city, I managed to surprise some mailboxes....with a huge thanks to Ana, my namesake and partner in crime, and merciless drill sergeant :D :D :D (for those who know what im talking about)
You know I went to visit the book-fair, but of course, I cant spend all day there (I think that with the overall conditions, it is humanely impossible). So in the afternoon I met Ana, and we occupied this table in this cafe, straggled our cards, and stamps and papers with addresses, with people looking oddly at us and the waiter having no idea where to put the cakes, so he just handed them in into our hands....a fantastic hilarious afternoon, and too much cake...but what was most worth it is that I got to send out cards! At last!
Another great satisfaction was that after I dont know how long, I had the chance to use an actual mailbox in front of the PO, to mail out the cards instead of handing them at the postal desk. In Macedonia, these mailboxes are not really functional, and i dont feel secure at all with them...but here, in Serbia, or at least Belgrade, this option works! I wont tell you how many cards we sent, but they didnt fit at once through the opening of the mailbox :D
And of course, took my favourite ride back home...well, not exactly on this train, but this is the main train station, where my train takes off...I got this card from my previous trip to Belgrade, not long before the book fair...all my trips to Belgrade are arranged at the very last minute and last less than 24 hours, but are more than worth it and I love them...even though I end up travelling 1000km back and forth in one day.
The card is from a reprint series of cards called Editions Francophiles 2000. Couldnt be more perfect for me :)
Looking forward to my next Belgrade trip...though I dont think it would be soon...it is freezing cold right now!

Belgrade, Serbia

My last card for today came as a surprise from not so far away....and I just love it!!

Even though this is a tram and not a train line, the card feels perfect and so nostalgic....and for some reason i think this shot was done on a Sunday afternoon....

The card shows Dorćol - one of the oldest parts of Belgrade. Narrow streets with the strong sense of past times are hiding many cultural and historical monuments and buildings. Skadarska street - the "Bohemian quarter" with traditional restaurants, and Strahinjica Bana street with modern cafes and restaurants, are symbols of the Belgrade night life.

Hvala ti još jednom Anči!

Belgrade, Serbia

As i told you last time, my next Belgrade post will be dedicated in order I ramble a bit about the concert....what, you thought i would have forgotten and spare you from it??!! He he, sorry....

well, the concert itself was great..however, i cant say the same about the journey from Skopje to Belgrade...if Tuesday was a lovely sunny warm day, Wednesday was the cold, windy one with snow! Unbelievable! Such a rapid change in 24 hours JUST when i had to get down the road on a 450km trip....i honestly dreaded we wont get there in time. On our way, it was freezing cold outside, and the more we approached Belgrade, the worse it got...a real blizzard with a strong wind and icy roads....if you just put your head outside the window, you would encounter this totally unpleasant harsh wind blow into your face, and you would just rush back inside the car. I really wonder how out of all possible days it had to get like this on this one....
We arrived in Belgrade at 8pm, just in time...for the first time im thankful that there are other bands which perform before the main one, so that we didnt miss anything....believe it or not, i even got into the first row!! My all time dream when going to concerts is to be in the first row, and so far, I didnt manage to do it in just one....well, not coz i didnt manage, but coz my friend had to stand in the middle of the hall...which while the hall was half empty, seemed ok, but once it got full, it wasnt so ok anymore.....that was a Moloko concert...as for the rest, Depeche Mode, Placebo, Massive Attack, Kosheen, Pet Shop Boys and now AIR,  had the delight of being in the very very front! Its good out of practical reasons as well...being im only 1.60, its not very convenient to stay somewhere in the back, since ill always have other people's backs in front of me, so i wont see much, or better said, I wont see anything.
As with every great concert, this one lasted too short....i wish they could play for hours and hours...they were just great on stage and for the first time I realized how awfully charismatic Jean-Benoît Dunckel is on stage.
They played some of their top songs, like Kelly watch the stars, Sexy Boy, Talisman, Remember, Venus, High School Lover.....the funny thing was, somewhere in the middle of the concert, Nicholas asked the audience if we spoke French....of course, the majority said NO...and then he said, well, since you know French, you would be able to sing the next song....are YOU ready??!! - Noooooo!!! And THEN they start playing Alpha, Beta, Gaga....now, you really need to know the song in order to get the joke :))

When i first got to know I was going to the concert, I planned to stay a bit more in Belgrade and meet up with Ana for some cheesecake, but as you could notice that was almost impossible...and on top of that I caught a cold....I just had to leave with some souvenir afterall

I loved AIR before the concert, but now they definitely climbed up on my favourites list.
here are some pictures i managed to take...not of the greatest quality, but I mainly blame the light for it..

Air in Belgrade

there are no good quality video shots from the Belgrade Arena, so ill just give you a few regular AIR videos.....











and here is the Alpha Beta Gaga one...so if you know French, please sing along :)))

ok, i know you are fed up with me, but just a few words about the stamp.....it is a definitive from a set of 2 stamps issued in 2009 under the subject Art and Antique Objects and here you can see a ring from the 18th century.
Sorry for so much AIR, but they are definitely worth it, esp. since they are so underestimated as well

Festival of Postcards - White

Festival Headquarters

Anticipating the snow to start falling...well, nothing has been on the forecast, but a view outside my window makes me think that its gonna start snowing sooner or later...though with my luck, its gonna end up raining...and until i get the chance to play in the snow for real, ill settle with some snow on postcards....

I had a post regarding Kalemegdan once, in case you want to have a look....well, unfortunately, i havent had the chance to witness Kalemegdan with snow, coz if we are to judge by this card, it seems to be lovely...this in particular is the so-called Despot's Tower, built in the 15th century, which dominates the north-east side of the fortress. Today it hosts the Astronomical Observatory, which has all the necessary equipment for sky observation.

Im trying to make a parallel here, between Belgrade and Skopje, and see which of our places could be our Kalemegdan..the first, and unfortunately only thing that comes to my mind is the Kale Fortress....but for some reason im not at all satisfied with my choice of comparison...from both places you can enjoy the view over the town, both places are fortresses...but I think that Kalemegdan can serve as one of those places where you can go to when you so much feel mad at the world and everything...and while sitting there in silence, watching the glimmering city lights, you feel how all your bad feelings seem to wither away.....and you just realize that life is beautiful and how much you love the city you live in.....the problem with our Kale Fortress is that due to the circumstances and the environment, you cant just go there and enjoy life alone in silence...esp. not at night (coz truth told, there is something special invoked by the glimmering city lights, esp from a distance...)

i sometimes wonder if i sound way too biased towards Belgrade and way too antagonistic towards Skopje...as if im always trying to find all the bad reasons why i dont like it here and why this place doesnt offer me any good reasons to stay here anymore...coz here, neither the whiteness of the snow seems to be able anymore to just wipe away those bad moments and emotions and leave the soul and mind clean and peaceful...neither the sound of the snowflakes can bring that purity of mind, but even worse, it only brings reminders of some better times that will never come back....i miss the snow of my childhood...i wonder if the snow had turned to be the same in the entire world, or is it just me, stuck and clinging to things ended long time ago and just find the offenders in everything else but me.......there is a lovely book i would recommend you to read during a cold winter night, covered under the blankets....Snow by Maxence Ferman....a book as simple and delicate and pure as the snow itself....i wholeheartedly recommend it...

Opening the doors towards the world...and Happy PFF! :)

Well, as many of you already know, Friday is PFF reserved, and im usually trying my best to squeeze in as well and dedicate a post to it...so after some time, here comes another Friday on this blog, dedicated to doors this time (not the band, sorry :P), coz  i think that hey have a pretty symbolic meaning.

Just as the sender of this card (Ana) wrote on the back, i wholeheartedly agree...sending and receiving letters and postcards has opened so many doors to the rest of the world. Each person you get to know, shows you the path to a different door, behind which there is a whole new world to explore, a whole lot of new things to learn about...not just about culture, history, religion, but to get to know a whole new person as well, since each human being is a world, different from the rest of the 6+ billion people inhabiting this planet.
There are ALL sorts of doors that you can open...big ones, small ones, some are very modest, some look very fashionable, some are easily opened and let you inside their world with no problems, some are more stubborn and take their time before they decide to give you the key to their world, some are determined to remain unopened forever, and some unfortunately have lost their key and seem to be lost and forgotten by everyone else...though if you blow the dust from them, im pretty sure you'll find another fascinating world to get into.
Im really thankful to all those people out there for giving me the chance to have a peek behind their door and take a look inside their unique worlds....with each world i get to learn about, i feel richer as a person, and honestly, happier.

Happy PFF and Happy Belated Birthday to Postcrossing as well! It surely has opened way too many doors for me, from all sizes, shapes, kinds....and after blowing the candles and having a slice of cake, go to Marie's for the other interesting PFF entries :)

Belgrade, Serbia (07)

Here is a great card and a great addition to my map card collection from dear Ana in Belgrade...

Here you can see Kalemegdan, which is one of the MUST-TO-VISIT places, if the road windings ever take you to Belgrade.
When i visited Belgrade last year, even though i stayed there for less than a day, i did manage to visit Kalemegdan. Maybe it was freezing cold, but im more than thankful to my uncle and cousin for taking me there...i had been there at my previous Belgrade visits, but for some reason, i dont recall details about it, and my memory just feels blur...
The view from there is just magnificent and its one of those moments where if you dont feel freezing as i did, you will definitely feel your peace of mind if you just free yourself.
What i really liked about it is that there were many young people there, on a Saturday night...i dont know if there is the same trend as it is with young people here who gather at such open places though...another thing i liked, was that there was an open exhibition...there were like 20 or so standing bilboards (well, if you cant get a picture of what im talking about, then dont worry...its actually me who has no idea what they were or how we call them here in the first place...and i even dared to translate it into English :))
Anyway, each of those bilboards, had 3 photographs portrayed and they were just great. I dont recall the name of the photographer, even though while i was there i PROMISED myself i will remember it and i will look up information once i come back home...but he had shown photographs coming from different parts of the country, mainly nature, but also some events...the nature photographs were simply amazing! Mountains, rivers, lakes of Serbia, thru the lens of this photographer, from great angles and points...I was in Belgrade the 25th October, 2008...if anyone knows who had an exhibition then, PLEASE let me know...
And i really liked the idea...an exhibition in the open air...for free...we have that here as well i guess...just that, first of all, im far from informed about it and there is something weird here about people and their concept of art...you should see the latest 'artistic' sculptures that appeared in the centre of the town...or i dont know...maybe its just me who doesnt get it...

Belgrade, Serbia (06)

An older card....which i dont know exactly when i had got it, neither if its me who bought it when i have been in Belgrade, or someone has given it to me....

Shows a nice view over the central part of the city and the Parliament...in the background you can also see a river...well, one on the left, one on the right....its a bit gloomy there, so i cant tell exactly if its one river, or two merging into one...and at this perspective, i cant recall either through which parts in Belgrade do Sava and Danube exactly flow.....

It would be nice if i had a chance to go to Belgrade...for a day at least...as long as its not Sunday....last time I went there, was just on a passing by, so i couldnt get postcards or anything....

Belgrade, Serbia (05)

Belgrade, Serbia (04)

Belgrade, Serbia (03)

Belgrade, Serbia (02)

Belgrade, Serbia (01)

Im not sure how this one had arrived in my collection....so it will be one of those of unclassified origin unfortunately

Mmmmmm, Belgrade....definitely the city with great charm and karma....each time i go there, i can feel it...i can even only just have a drive-through without stopping, i always feel something special when i go there...im not sure why...maybe coz from my dad's side i belong here...so i feel some sort of a connection
The first time i went to Belgrade was when i was like 10 years old. I went there for the New Year holidays and stayed with my relatives (my cousin is two years older than me).
Being still a kid and coming from a less developed city from back then Yugoslavia, i was fascinated by Belgrade and the fact it had a McDonald's! In Skopje we didnt have a McDonald's then, so can you even imagine how a child like me felt at the discovery of a McDonald's?? ! (well, dont ask me about my attitude towards it now :))
Another thing i found really fun back then, was that Belgrade had trams! Here we only have buses, so the discovery of a tram was like again discovering a whole new world.
The entire atmosphere just captivated me....the taste of food, the scent of the air, they all felt simply different and charming....
I dont visit Belgrade often, but its charm always remains as its most significant feature for me.

And I know i didnt say a word about the card, but there are many upcoming cards of Belgrade, so eventually you'll get fed up of those :)