Belgrade

We've just about made it to Budapest. After leaving Belgrade several days ago, our major stops were Timisoara, Romania and Szeged and Kecsmeket in Hungary.

We stayed in Belgrade for 3 days. As far as cities go it was probably the highlight of the trip so far, thanks in large part to our most awesome accommodation at the 3 Black Cats Hostel. Situated in the Republic Square (identified by the huge statue of a man on a horse), we had convenient access to the heart of the city.

The hostel was small but felt like home more than any other place we've stayed. There was a tiny kitchen that had everything necessary for Will to cook delicious meals several times a day.

The first night we were there our gracious owner and host, Mladin, prepared a traditional hungarian meal that was without a doubt the best food we've eaten since being on the trip. There were 3 main components 1) really good bread, 2) pork that was prepared in egg, breaded and then fried and 3) pickled peppers that had been soaking in the magical juice since october. When we asked him what you call this meal, Mladin explained that it translated into "winter food." It was a simple dish and Will and I were clearly the most excited people in the room about it.

We also got a chance to do some touristy things. The first day we went to the military museum located withing the grounds of the city's enormous fortress. Overlooking the Danube from one side and the city center from the other, it was clear that Belgrade has had a long, and at times violent history. The military museum was the military museum, don't know much what else to say. Cool weapons.

After the museum we made our way to the oldest tavern in the city, ? Aka "The Question Mark. We splurged a little on the recommendation of the server. It was good, but no winter food.

The next day we went to the Tito Museum and it was pretty clear that Serbians love that guy. It was an interesting experience that I will simply say this about - the nationalism espoused by a people (particularly in difficult or transitional times) in admiration for a single, charismatic individual can be both frightening and inspiring.

We had taken a bus to the museum and walked back through the city towards the hostel. We stopped at a huge, famous cathedral, the Parliament Building and made our way through the Bohemian Corridor. All very cool.