Postcards from Belgrade

Sending off a few images from our first day here, and you’ll see I’ve scribbled a few words to you on the back of each (virtual) postcard. . . When you’ve read through those, I’ll show you a few pages I’ve filled in my sketchbook in just our first day here. . .

Hello friend,

We’ve landed in a great little apartment in Belgrade after an easy budget-airline flight from Rome — about six hours from when we left our place in Rome until we were dropped off at our new temporary address. There was some fussing with the key fobs and lockbox setup, but someone came to help us; we settled in, had a good night’s sleep, and did some happy exploring the next day. I thought you’d like this gorgeous stairway railing as much as I do! You know how much I’ve fussed (and continue to worry) about all the complications of this trip, and I do feel the stress of travel, but you were right and it continues to be worth it. xo, f

Dobro jutro, J____

I know you love a good breakfast of shakshuka, so I thought of you when I saw this postcard! Considering that we only picked this city (with some reservations) because it would take us out of the Schengen zone while also being more affordable than the UK, we’re feeling very pleased with our choice. Doesn’t hurt that we woke up our first day here to fabulous sunshine nor that our server at breakfast spoke excellent English and was very friendly. Honestly, I worried about visiting a place where we know no one (although it turns out I have a blog reader here — isn’t that amazing? what a connection!) and don’t speak the language (I feel almost dyslexic here as the alphabet is so different , the street signs hard to recognize when trying to follow Google maps). But friendly people, good food, sunshine, beautiful architecture. So far, so great! xo, f

Pozdrav A_____!

Thought of you immediately I spotted this turquoise tobacco package on a table near ours at breakfast our first morning here in Belgrade. You warned me that I’d be second-hand smoking as soon as we stepped out of the plane here, and you were right! Of the four tables occupied while we ate our shakshuka (so good!), we were the only ones not using the ashtray! I made quick sketches of our smoking neighbours — I’ll show you when I get back. . . So far, though, that’s our only small complaint, and when the weather’s so good that we’re eating outside that smoke’s not such a big deal. Not enough to distract me from all the gorgeous old architecture!

xo,

f

Dobar dan, B_____

Thought of you when I spotted this doorway, because you’re SuperB (get it? Super B? 😉 So many fabulous old doors here — I’m “collecting” a bunch of them to sketch when I find some time, maybe when I get back home. Although I’m pleased to say that I’m managing to sketch everyday — it’s a really good way to stretch out a morning without having to walk too many kilometres (we’ve been averaging 7 or 8, and that feels like enough after so much walking in Rome, and especially that walk in Cornwall). Hope all’s well with you. Wish you were here — I’d buy you a gelato or two!

xo, f

‘bro jutro, F_____

I’m sending you this postcard ’cause I thought if you were here, you could help me spot and count all the spires and clock towers and domes that stick up (most of them with crosses on top) all over this old part of Belgrade. This one is the Church or Temple of Saint Michael the Archangel, and it’s pretty amazing inside. Do you remember lighting a candle in a church quite a few years ago when your dad drove us somewhere in L_____? So many people have lit candles here — long, skinny candles, and then they stick them in a long metal box full of sand, so many flames burning at once. The churches are different than the ones we visit in Italy — no pews to sit in, a large open space inside, and very beautifully decorated. . . I’ll show you oodles of photos when I get back.

xo,

Nana

Ciao K_____

A quick postcard to reassure you after our WhatsApp videocall the other day. I can’t deny that the stress of travel has got to me a few times during this long period away from home, especially since I couldn’t plan it ahead of time the way I usually do (too much depending on other people’s schedules, as you know, and with this Schengen-zone limitation bumping up against the date of our flight home). But I’m finding pleasure, daily, in pursuing curiosity around a corner, in observing patterns and rhythms, watching the season gradually change in new places, soaking up the atmosphere of local culture (without trying to analyse it too much yet). Some of what I see makes me better appreciate what I have at home; some aspects make me wish I could stay here longer or bring a few objects or practices home (most especially, the visual stimulation, ubiquitous architectural richness). xo, f

Pozdrav, S_______,

I think you need to grab your sketchbook and paints and come join me here in Belgrade! I mean, look at these doors. So many of them! And when we’ve added three or four to our pages, we can stop for a gelato (I’ve found a few good places!). Or a beer. I think you’d love the pedestrianized area near where we’re staying — wide streets full of people, no cars (although, Whoa! cyclists can be dangerous — we’ve had a couple of close calls, bikes whizzing past, missing us by inches!). Buskers playing traditional instruments, mimes, comics, all drawing crowds. Tables set up under canopies all down both sides of the streets, kids running ahead of their parents toward a fountain — such a happy energy, at least under the blue sky we’ve enjoyed so far. Wish you were here! xo, f

Okay, so I’ve sent those off in the (virtual) mail; I hope you’ve received and enjoyed them.

And now we can sit together (you’ve come here to join me, or I’m back home and we’ve met for a coffee) and I’ll show you what I sketched yesterday, my first day in Belgrade.

Quick sketches I surreptitiously scribbled while suppressing the coughs triggered by secondhand smoke at breakfast. Sketching people is hard, but I won’t get any better if I don’t make myself do it, right? And there are characters here that make my fingers twitch for a pen. . . (From now on, though, I hope I remember that if a hand is up at the face level, palm on cheek, the thumb is towards the back — sheesh!)

I’ve been trying to use pencil crayons (water-soluble ones) more often . . . and I’m trying to grab important shapes. What’s most important for me is the slowing down, the observation, that sketching demands. And that’s often enough — it really supports the idea of Slow Travel.

I have so many more photos to share, postcards I could send. For now, though, rain’s begun falling on the skylights in this cozy apartment — there are two right above the bed, and I’m looking forward to being distracted by that delicious sound while I try to read my book. Best lullaby ever, right?

I haven’t been good at responding to comments while we’re travelling, but I really appreciate reading them. So if you got these postcards, maybe give a wave in this direction . . .

xo,

f