Driving in Belgrade

Can I just say that driving in Belgrade is a bloody nightmare? What seemed like a fun adventure when we first arrived has turned into a complete headache. One problem is that I am driving my enormous Honda minivan on streets that can barely fit two small cars. So, there is an awful lot of stopping and pulling over to make way for other cars to get by me. (And, I can't tell you how many times I've swiped another moving vehicle with my outside rearview mirror). Another complication is the fact that people park just about anywhere they want to in this city, including on the sidewalks, hanging off the curbs (on both sides of the road), and sometimes even in the middle of the street -- so, more obstacles to get around while driving. Yet another element of the driving experience is the sheer rudeness of many drivers. I have gone to great lengths to complement the Serbs, generally, on their warmth and kindess. Something seems to happen to these people, though, when they get behind the wheel of a car. Let's just say that patience does not abound on the streets of Belgrade, and that it can making driving here even more of a challenge.

Our car bears the evidence of the difficulties we've encountered driving here. Our front bumper is nearly completely scratched and dented. The scratches, actually, have occurred as a result of trying to pull the van into our driveway without adequate space to pull in at the right angle. We finally abandoned our attempts to park the van in the driveway, and now park it on the street. After fretting over the damage to the car for quite some time, I finally decided to stop worrying about it, and have resigned myself to having to have the entire bumper replaced when we return to the States. In the meantime, I have no doubt that the car will incur further damage during our stay here, and it would be silly to have any body work done here. So, we soldier on, get in the car each morning to take the kids to school and to drive to work, and just hope and pray that the worst thing that happens on the road that day is being honked at by an impatient driver, or having to (patiently) sit behind a water truck as its attendants spray down the streets of Belgrade.

I have joked with our kids that I feel fairly certain that I will be the recipient of multiple moving violations in a short period of time when we return to the States. What with having become accustomed to driving on the sidewalks, parking in strange places, and doing whatever else is necessary to navigate through the streets of Belgrade, I fear that I may have a hard time reacclimating to the oh-so-civilized way of driving in the United States. We'll miss many things about this wonderful place when we return home, but driving here, I dare say, will not be one of them.

Erin