Today marks two weeks since our furniture arrived and our lives dramatically improved. Last week we shared apartment pictures, and this week we are fine tuning the rooms. We also celebrated Eunjae’s Birthday with our friends Nebojsa, Karla and Igor. You may remember that Nebojsa and Karla from our adventures in China. They are the couple most responsible for us moving to Novi Sad and continue to be our Serbian ambassadors and welcoming committee.
Speaking of Eunjae’s dinner, the Birthday Girl was in fine form and dressed to impress. We started the evening with cocktails and then went back to Jasmin A Maslina for another amazing meal. Seriously, how many restaurants change their menu weekly and make such delicious food? I forgot to photograph all of the dishes – where is Bart when you need him? – so you will see just a few of them below. Dinner was wonderful and we left with full stomachs and great memories.
Cars vs. Bicycles
I have officially become a Novi Sad citizen by getting into my first accident. While riding my bicycle, a car hit and knocked me down. It is a unique experience realizing there is no escape and how time dilates. I can still see the driver turning right while looking left and thinking he surely knows I am there; NOPE! The feel of the car accelerating into the bicycle and the bumper striking the rear tire and my right leg is so freaky. Fortunately, the car just started to accelerate, so my flight-time was brief and the landing merely bumpy instead of catastrophic.
Injures are limited to some road rash, bruising and feeling like I was hit by a car. My bike valiantly defended our honor and speared the car’s front bumper and tore-off a section. What really impressed me was how quickly people assisted and how nicely the situation was resolved. The driver, who was at fault, did not dissemble and the bystanders were so compassionate. We decided not to involve the police, as scratches heal and the car received the worse of the damage. Before you ask “No, I was not wearing a helmet.” Outside of the United States helmets are not worn (had add this for American readers).
Slovenia Here we Come!
We leave for Slovenia shortly and this is the maiden voyage for our new Tiguan. We will be stopping in Ljubljana, Bled, Piran and Koper (six days spanning 1400 km / 870 miles). The trip is a blend of city, nature and coastal locations, and we will take some nice hikes.
Final Thoughts
I can say getting hit by a car was a wake-up call, and we are now taking additional precautions in case we find ourselves incapacitated. We are both fortunate to have good friends willing to help and the experience overall reinforced our belief that moving to Serbia is the right decision. Speaking of decisions, yesterday, we hosted our second cocktail party for our neighbors and look forward to getting to know them. Dinner was a lot of fun and the tasting menu at Fish i Zeleniš was way too much food / wine.
