I am longing for a cold, crisp, clear day -- with an empasis on clear. Ever since it started to get cold here, an ever-present haze has settled down onto the top of Belgrade (see the photo above for an example -- this was taken on an otherwise sunny Saturday afternoon around 4:00 p.m., but, as you can see, it is foggy!). Admittedly distraught over this situation, I have taken it upon myself over the past several weeks to poll Serbian friends and colleagues as to what, precisely, is causing this nasty and oppressive haze. The responses vary -- I've heard everything from "what haze?" (denial is not a river in Egypt), to "oh, it's just fog," to, the most common response "oh, that's from everyone burning coal in their homes for heat."
As it turns out, I do believe that the haze is caused predominately by the burning of coal for heat in homes. Since folks do need to stay warm, it appears that we are in for a long, cold, hazy, smoky winter. Actually, I had been warned about the smoky winter skies when we moved here last March. I guess that I didn't believe these accounts, or at least I didn't believe that it possibly could be as bad as people were making it out to be. After all, I'm used to folks exaggerating the downsides to living in Eastern Europe -- honestly, most of the things that bother other people don't really bother me. This omnipresent haze, however, is an exception -- it bugs the heck out of me. There are few things I love more than a gorgeous sunny winter day with a bright blue sky. We haven't had, and I'm guessing , will not have one of those anytime soon. In fact, I walked outside tonight to take the garbage out, and felt like I'd walked straight into a scene from a Dickens' novel (maybe something like the last scene from the musical "Oliver?") No murders under the bridge, but it was foggy as heck!
The good news is that this is the first thing about our experience here that has really bothered me. The bad news is that it is November, and I suppose that it will be cold through March, which means that people will be burning coal for another four months, which means that those cold, clear fall and winter days to which I've grown accustomed in New Jersey and Tennessee will, most certainly, elude me. I suppose this all means that for the foreseeable future, we'll be spending more time inside our wonderful house, eating, drinking, playing games, watching football and basketball, and otherwise enjoying one another's company. Not a terrible way to spend the winter, I don't suppose. But still, I will enjoy those cold, clear days when we get back to the good ole' USA.
Thanks for reading!
Erin
As it turns out, I do believe that the haze is caused predominately by the burning of coal for heat in homes. Since folks do need to stay warm, it appears that we are in for a long, cold, hazy, smoky winter. Actually, I had been warned about the smoky winter skies when we moved here last March. I guess that I didn't believe these accounts, or at least I didn't believe that it possibly could be as bad as people were making it out to be. After all, I'm used to folks exaggerating the downsides to living in Eastern Europe -- honestly, most of the things that bother other people don't really bother me. This omnipresent haze, however, is an exception -- it bugs the heck out of me. There are few things I love more than a gorgeous sunny winter day with a bright blue sky. We haven't had, and I'm guessing , will not have one of those anytime soon. In fact, I walked outside tonight to take the garbage out, and felt like I'd walked straight into a scene from a Dickens' novel (maybe something like the last scene from the musical "Oliver?") No murders under the bridge, but it was foggy as heck!
The good news is that this is the first thing about our experience here that has really bothered me. The bad news is that it is November, and I suppose that it will be cold through March, which means that people will be burning coal for another four months, which means that those cold, clear fall and winter days to which I've grown accustomed in New Jersey and Tennessee will, most certainly, elude me. I suppose this all means that for the foreseeable future, we'll be spending more time inside our wonderful house, eating, drinking, playing games, watching football and basketball, and otherwise enjoying one another's company. Not a terrible way to spend the winter, I don't suppose. But still, I will enjoy those cold, clear days when we get back to the good ole' USA.
Thanks for reading!
Erin
What is the haze like inside Serbian restaurants and bars from cigarette smoke? I have heard that Serbs are very heavy smokers. Are there any places inside a building where a Serb will NEVER smoke? Church? Basketball game? Does a Serbian Lung Association even exist?
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