2-17: The Fast and the Swerviest

The #2 tram (a.k.a. my whip, yo) swerved to avoid a car yesterday. This is impressive, considering that a tram car in this town is mounted securely on tracks:

Pictured: The antithesis of maneuverability.

Nevertheless, as the small Volkswagen came hurtling across the intersection past Trg Slavia at hilarious speeds, our own driver pulled the closest thing you can come to a Crazy Ivan with Beograd public transit, and our entire bulk seemed to shift a foot or two sideways. Whatever it was she did, it gave us enough room for the brave (crazy) driver (pilot) of the Volkswagen (Mitsubishi Zero) to careen past us and on down Knez Milosha, doubtlessly headed off to see if they couldn't bust the Kessell run in under twelve parsecs.

Disclaimer: Author is not responsible for any nerdgasmic overdoses caused by the references in the preceding paragraph.

Anyway, my weekend was a strange affair. In lieu of something ridiculous like linear, coherent storytelling (psh.), I'll let my observations speak for themselves:

1. Beograd nightlife is crazy and fun and ridiculous and quite frequently all three. Don't let anybody tell ya different.
2. Host-grandmom made me dinner today. I asked her what it is (in Serbian, bitches!), and she managed to communicate that it has potatoes and eggs and some other stuff but by that time I couldn't hear her over the sound of my wolfing down everything on that plate. It was like piranhas going at a cow.
3. I took a several-hour long walk along the river yesterday planning out my running route, and came to the conclusion that I will forever resent any run that doesn't take me on an epic bridge over a gigantic river. There's a chance this city has spoiled me in that sense.
4. The Sava River is nasty. Like, Schuylkill nasty.
5. "Diamonds in the rough" is a cliche that fits this city like a glove (speaking of cliches). I spent today meandering the warehouse district of the city (which shall henceforth be referred to as Sketchgrad) until our guide came upon what she was looking for: Well...a warehouse. But we then learned it was actually the home of an underground theater movement started by dissidents under the Tito regime, extinguished during the war, and brought back in semi-secret in its current form. Then we went inside and found the absolute coolest little cafe, full of oddities, blasting classic blues, and featuring a pet turtle. This city epitomizes finding wonderful things in unfamiliar, even foreboding places.
6. The same serendipitous discovery can be said of good friends.

Srpski word of the day: Krompir (кромпир)-Potatoes (Seriously. Potatoes. Eggs. They tasted like little pellets of goodness and there was a freaking gigantic plate full of them. I think the plane crashed somewhere over Munich and I'm in Valhalla.)