The White City

Belgrade has a reputation of being an ugly, communist-looking city and while it is ugly, it is hardly because of communist style architecture. It is ugly in the same sense that any major urban area can be accused of - dirty, crowded, sweaty (today) and ripe with a bustling commercial center built for its practical measures, not for its aesthetic appeal.

So far, Belgrade is the most modern of any of any of the capitals I have encountered, excluding Bucharest (the indicators of modernity I have selected include the presence of both a Zara and a McDonald's). Really, The White City has everything any serious European city has to offer - an ancient citadel on the hill, a cobble-stoned Bohemian district full of art galleries and cafes and main street/square that goes for miles, every inch lined with shiny storefronts selling Western shlock.

Despite my relatively glowing review, there is not much more to say. Perhaps I have eaten too many bureks over the last 10 days or perhaps I am just tired of traveling and no longer as appreciative of these (relatively) exotic destinations. Mostly, I am not looking forward to sleeping on the train tonight, which gets into Zagreb at 530am.

Now, I am off to find something besides burek for dinner.