Gay parade and police attacked by hooligans

This blog was meant as a way to update you on my escapades in Belgrade. Now that I am in Norway that is not possible anymore. Anyhow - Belgrade is still in my blood and today's Gay-parade and the violent response from angry young men is taking most of my attention on a lazy Sunday afternoon in quiet Oslo.

Foto: Kristian Kahrs

From the reports this seem to be a concerted and well planned action - especially when considering that hooligans has attacked several places, as the parlament Skupstina, offices of the ruling Democratical Party, at Terazije and several other places.

One of the rioters from Obraz expressed
that the only cure for gay's were a bullet in their head

The reports at 16:30 says that thing's are settling. Let's hope it doesn't escalate during the evening.

This picture was taken in Kosovska street just behind Skupstina last week. Obraz is a fascist organization.





If you want to read more about today's happenings in Belgrade you can find information at the following links:

- "Police clash with anti-gay protesters" (B92)
- "Napad na policiju - napad na državu" (RTS)
- "Parada završena, niz ozbiljnih incidenata u centru Beograda" (Politika Online)
- "Serb anti-gay protesters attack political party office" (BBC News)
- "Opptøyer under homoparade i Beograd" (Dagbladet)
- "44 politimenn skadd i homoparade" (NRK)

Walking in Belgrade

This is just some picture's from a walk in Belgrade's streets. Hope You like them :-)

Slavija

Belgrade International Theatre Festival

Beogradjanka

Hmmm, Red Star???

"Waiting for us?"

Eating at Mc Donalds - was it worth it?

I’ve been watching adds for the local version of the Royal at McDonalds and got curious; “in a country with smashing burgers, the  pljeskavica - do they also serve decent burgers at McDonalds?"

You will find one of their “restaurants” on Slavija-square in an old and beautiful building. The interior is totally renovated. It is clean and kind of stylish, but I sense that the house is whispering in pain: "what do this steel and modern interior do inside of me? I'm old and I deserve to be treated like that. Respect me!" 

This box look promising enough: "I'm lovin' it. Ich liebe es." and the last one "Ana uhibbihu" in Arabic.

I got this meal  “Royal Trpeza” with "Royal Domacinski"-burger. It was off course smaller than it looks like in the adds. Or is it just the 250 gram pljeskavica which has set a new standard for how big a burger should be? The pommes frites was ok, although not especially crispy. How was the burger? Well folks, it was slightly more juicy than a cardboard and didn’t taste much at all. Almost as horrible as the last burger I had at this chain in my hometown Trondheim in the early nineties.

See for yourself if this burger tempts you. If you got your marbles pretty kept I think you would avoid eating at that place. And this before considering the moral of both their breeding of kettle and their industry-policies. At Slavija they have done a crime to Serbian cultural heritage using that nice piece of architecture to serve burgers which are insults to the Serbian cuisine.

Hvala - thank you - for confirming that I was right not eating you burgers for more than 15 years

Down to the River - Donji Dorcol

Arriving from Belgrade Port - just before hitting the railway-tracks - there’s a restaurant; Gaucosi. I remember going there with my friends Jasna and Marija – was it first time I came to Belgrade for New Years 2005/06?

We had a nice evening and I remember asking Jasna which was her favourite Djordje Balasevic-song, she replied "Ringispil". At that time I knew "Zivot je more" and just a few other tunes – I've never heard about Balasevic in January 2006 - so probably this was when staying here in the autumn of 2006. But praise to Jasna - you were very jasna back then - it’s a great song!

ON THE TRACK...

In cyrillic close left:
Grobari Dorcol - Partizan-fans of Dorcol.

Second "frame" from right - also in cyrillic:
Donji kraj - lower side (can it be a supporter-fraction?)


Far left: Dorcol P.F.C. - another guess: Partizan Football Club?

Belgrade Lower City

Abandonded railway-station.

PRAVDA ZA URUSA

Uros Misic was a football supporter from Red Star’s Delije whom attacked a police officer in the stands at Marakana Stadium in 2007. He was sentenced for 10 years in prison for putting the police officer in civil on fire when filming the Red Star-fans. The policeman fired shot's in the air after getting out of the burning clothes. Allegedly Misic also tried to put a torch in his mouth.


There’s a lot of graffiti in Belgrade with this text Pravda za Urusa – Justice for Uros. According to this opinion’s Facebook-group the state and police “dictated” the whole process “so they could blame the fans for everything bad that happens in Serbia, and turn away the public from the real problems here.” Whether Misic is guilty or not, this seems to be an anti-establishment statement which
resonances well with the attitude of many young people.

Just one track operating?

DOWN TO THE RIVER, BUT NOT NECESSARILY TO PRAY...

Zemun to be seen far in the background

Danube, Pancevo Bridge in the background

Danube, looking North

Recreation - fishing and promenading

Sports-center "Milan Gale Muškatirović", better known as 25. maj, which was the name from the foundation in 1973 until the name change in 2006.

They are now constructing a new large pool and the whole project is lead by Milorad Cavic's coach. Cavic won the Olympic Silver Medal in Swimming 2008 in Beijing.

This spring the Serbian Open Championship in tennis were held at the adjoining tennis-courts.

"...for the health and the well-being of our socialistic country."
 - Tito.

Gornji Dorcol - Upper Dorcol

The Partizan-fans section of Alcatraz
seems to have their followers also in Dorcol

In Tsara Dusana you will find Prva Beogradska Gimnazija (First Belgrade Gymnasium) which was founded in 1839 on direct order from (Knjaz) Milos Obrenovic. 

Serbia's president Boris Tadic and the man whom has been blamed for the First World War; Gavrilo Princip, has been among its pupils.

The first edition of Aleksander Nevski Church was erected by Russian monks in 1876. Aleksander Nevsky is a saint in Russian Orthodoxy who lived in the 13th Century. He was a sucessfull miltary leader and defended Rus from the Swedes at river Neva. The main church in Sofia is also dedicated to the memory of this Russian saint. If you want to know mor about him you might want to see Sergei Eisenstein's "Alexander Nevsky" from 1938.

Today's structure was developed by the Kardjordjevic-family. Construction started in 1912, but due to wars it wasn't finished until 1930.

This charming restaurant in Gospodar Jevremova Ulica (Street) is to be found in a villa dating from 1936. It has a very romantic garden and is definitely a place to go - either on a date, for a confidensial conversation or just to celebrate the Serbian cuisine with good friends.

The sign down-left informs about live music at Friday's and Saturday's.

For menu, pictures and other information click HERE!

Simply an old building...with a Wine Bar and Restaurant at ground floor.

Entering the corner you can find a shop for antique

and decorative furniture restoration; Dorcolac. 

An old Volkswagen in Kralja Petra Ulica. (King Peter Street.) If you know the year of the model - please tell!

Ornaments on house in Tsara Dusana



















Yummi Breskva torta (Peach-cake) for 160 din/1,50 euro at Hleb & Kifla (Bread and rolls(?)). This establishment is a chain of about 10 patesseries in Belgrade. Elegant and modern - and it seems like their cakes are pretty good.

One of Belgrade's many tram's, this one has just passed the walls of Belgrade Zoo. It can be a bit scary experience if you ride one of the older tram's. They are shaking like you think it will collapse at any time, but miraculously they don't.

The fare is 42 din and you should buy ticket's at newsstand's, and this goes for all public transport in the city. Don't worry about timetables, usually they are running with just a few minutes between departures, so you seldom need to wait for a long time for catching your buss or tram.

Bankrupt BEKO clothes-factory at Northern end of Tsara Dusana. It's in the industrial part of Dorcol - a place I wouldn't be at night. It seems pretty deserted.

The brand has an outlet in Knez Mihailova which is up for sale at an auction to be held on the 10th of October, so if you got money to invest...

A question to my friends of knowledge: is BEKO short for Beograd Konfekcija?

This last picture is dedicated to my Norwegian friends. If you don't know what "Polet" means in Norwegian I can inform you that this is the place where Norwegians normally buy alcohol. To explain the concept in short: you can't buy alcohol in normal shops in Norway, you have to go to state-runned licenced stores...crazy eh?