Ada

Teenage girls rollerblading hand in hand. Grandmas chasing their grandkids. Grandpas walking to the ice cream stand in their Speedos. Motorcyclists. Cyclists. Runners. Walkers. Lovers. Young people enjoying a Coke by the lake. Families eating popcorn. Naked sunbathers. Strapping young men cruising the sidewalks. Pretty young girls in their bikinis. Lots of laughing, and talking, and eating, and drinking, and glee.

These are some of the sights I witnessed last night as I took a late walk/run around the lake at Ada. I've written about this unique place before, and it continues to rank way up there on my list of favorite spots in Belgrade. Usually, when I exercise at Ada, it is in the morning. Last night was the first time I'd been there in the early evening, and the atmosphere was different somehow. More festive. Busier. But also, very laid back with an almost old-fashioned feel. Think summers at a lake or beach in the U.S. during the 1950s or 1960s.

I couldn't help but think about how fortunate Belgradians are to have this place. And, I couldn't help but think about how happy these people seemed. And, then, I couldn't help but think about how, just eleven years earlier, this city was under air attack by NATO for the crimes against humanity carried out by Slobodan Milosevic and his cronies. How things have changed here in the last decade. Many, but certainly not all, of the people I saw at Ada last night were more than old enough to remember those days. Scary days, spent inside, just hoping that the bombing would stop, and that no one they knew or loved would be killed.

I wonder whether Belgradians think about those days when they're at Ada on a summer night with their friends or family. I wonder whether part of their happiness stems from the freedom that they now have from so many forms of oppression. Things still aren't perfect in Belgrade or in Serbia, but let's be honest, they're not perfect anywhere. From the looks of it, though, the quality of life in this place isn't all bad. People -- at least the people I saw last night -- appear to be able to smile and to enjoy being with their friends and loved ones. It made me very happy, indeed, to see this last night. I hope that this country can continue to move in the positive direction in which it's headed, and that in another ten years, I can come back here, and visit Ada on a summer evening, and see even more joy on the faces of the wonderful people of Belgrade.