Hard to believe seven weeks have already passed since moving to Serbia and the heat has arrived. Instead of daily rain, we have scorching days topping 30C / 90+F. This week we were reminded of how much we miss our Virginia friends, when our Instagram DMs filled with invitations to join the outdoor yoga. Last year we enjoyed exercising while watching the sunset and then going to BarTaco for spontaneous happy hours. Bart, Melody, Rebecca, Nina, Rosemary, Fred and Gal, have a margarita for us! Melody and Gigi you both looked great while partying in New York City, and I was very happy to see the city is recovering post Covid.
Eunjae is doing very well, and we met with her new orthopedic doctor last week. As per usual is in Serbia, Dusan and Igor both recommended the same doctor independently of one another, so the “I know a guy” network is working perfectly. Through Boban’s efforts to rehabilitate Eunjae’s clavicle and her dogged perseverance, the clavicle is finally healing. The new doctor was / is adamant against surgery and warned us of complications due to potential infections. We will continue to monitor and Eunjae is committed to recovering.
Only two more weeks until we move to our new apartment. Moving will be fairly easy, as our new place is only a couple of blocks from our AirB&B. On a positive note, our shipping container has left port….
…but sadly it won’t arrive until mid- to late-August in Croatia, and eventually in Novi Sad, so until then we are urban-campers in a barren apartment (air-mattress and paper plates / utensils). We asked…Why does our furniture get a two week Croatian vacation and not us???? The world is unfair, so to spite our furniture, we are holidaying in Budapest; stories and pictures in a future post.
Women at The Serbian National Theater
We are really enjoying attending performances at the Serbian National Theater including Italian Operas, Dance Recitals, and this week’s performance was “Da Ne Baude Tama” that is about the life and accomplishments of Nikola Tesla. Do Americans know that Tesla is the most famous Serbian, outside of Novak Djokovic, Monica Seles and Nikola Jokić (sorry to our Serbian friends if I left anyone off the list)?
The Da Ne Baude Tama was a treat to watch. Virtually an all female cast with wonderful singing, dancing, costuming, and actresses of all ages. The pictures below fail to convey the joy we observed on the ladies’ faces and so many proud parents in the audience.
Ferdinand Knedle
Imagine a potato dumpling and a jelly donut had sex. The baby would be a Ferdinand Knedle, and it is delicious.
Knedles can be sweet or savory and everything in between, and are available everywhere in the Balkans. Think Popcorn Ball (savory) or a Cruble Cookie (sweet but flat instead of round) in the US. As you can see below, Eunjae had momentary balls mania and ordered all these for us.
Each ball is tender, juicy and glistens with sugary toppings; probably because they have plenty of oil. I will go to hell for this, and likely incur Serbia’s wrath, so with no further ado, here is Alec Badwin’s “Schweddy Balls” that perfectly describes the Kendle experience (must watch video with sound to understand).
InterFest Wine Festival
In lieu of a restaurant review, we attended the InterFest Wine festival and really enjoyed ourselves; OK, a bit too much based on the next day. The festival is held annually, in the Novi Sad City Centre, and runs for three days. Over a hundred vineyards and food vendors attend, representing a wide variety of wine and food styles. They also had live performances daily and once again the kids had a great time.
Here are a few snaps from the festival. If you haven’t noticed, smoked / cured pork is everywhere and always makes the day better paired with wine.
Final Thoughts
We continue to feel our move was what we needed to rewire our brains by exploring a different culture. Each day brings a reminder of what we left behind and what we are looking forward to experiencing. We are very happy that so many people are enjoying the blog, and thank you for your comments.
Take care… Eunjae & Joel