Day 1

It's been a couple days here in Belgrade, Serbia. We arrived around noon on Sunday after an entire day of flights, shuttles, busses, and airline food. Thankfully, it all went very smoothly which is new for me. I met my group in Logan Airport flew Lufthansa to Munich, then to Belgrade. After meeting up with our TA Mladen, our bus drivers/tour guides Dragon et Dragon, and Professor Sullivan we were allowed to settle in tot eh luxurious Hotel Slavija and explore the city a bit.

I had some pre-concieved notions about Belgrade before I came. I imagined a European city trapped in a ceratin age, pock marked with neglected architecture, evidence of extreme violence, and living monuments to a once war-torn country. I also imagined a lot of charm and European ideals thriving and pulsating through the streets with strong intelligent citizens strolling, bustling, and weaving through the streets living their everyday life. I wasn't wrong. Belgrade is a unique city with a unique history and you can see and feel that in everything you see. On one hand, with the many cafes, restaurants, fountains, parks, bookstores, and small shops it looks like a street in Madrid or Florence but as imagined there is evidence of a tumultuous past and the poverty, pain, and struggle that accompanies it.

Here's a photo of me and part of my group (about 1/4) during our first day casually touring the city. As you can see the beauty of the city far exceeds the unpleasant which I romantically interpret as hope, peace, and success for the future of Belgrade. With this blog, I hope to share with you what I see in the Balkans and also try my best to explain the complex history of this part of the world as I humbly see it.