Summer is coming and some friends, specially students, want to visit their families in Cuba for a month. Purchasing an airplane ticket from Canada could be tricky if you want a direct flight to Havana. For Cubans living in Toronto the options are few: Air Canada and Cubana Airlines. Until 2005, Taca used to fly […]

I convinced myself that  dancing is a way of life for Cubans when I moved to Canada. It took me a while to get used to people not dancing at parties and to agree that the gathering was fun when I did not dance at all. How could you have a party at home without […]

Yesterday I went to visit some friends who were celebrating their Slava (a Serbian orthodox tradition in which families celebrate their patron saint’s day). Although I have been among Serbians for many years and I have heard of Slavas here and there I never attended one. The guests usually bring flowers and wine. Once they […]

The pictures shown are from a Roman portrait exhibit at Kalemegdan Fortress that we went to see today. The place itself is as interesting as the second century artefacts they have displayed. From what I could quickly find out at the beginning of 18th century, Barutana (the part of the fortress where the exhibition is […]

I just finished watching the Cuban/Puerto Rican/Spanish  film “La Mala” (2008), an biographic musical about the Cuban singer “La Lupe”. I enjoyed seeing exceptional actors like Jorge Perugorria, Vladimir Cruz and Maria Isabel Diaz and discovering Lena Burke, the granddaughter of the famous Elena Burke. I did not even know the existence of this film […]

This trip to Belgrade has been a preparation for the trip to Havana in June, an introduction to Cuba after two years. Sometimes I do not realize how much this Serbian city reminds me of my homeland, or perhaps many times I prefer to ignore it and just look at the pretty side of things. […]

May 1rst is a holiday in Belgrade. Unlike Cuba, citizens do not go to the Revolution Square waving the national flag. That kind of Worker’s Day celebration is history here. This morning the streets were completely empty and later the radio announced that the artificial lake, Ada Ciganlija, was absolutely packed with people. It does […]

This past weekend we wanted to go on a day trip somewhere and agreed that Novi Sad was an interesting destination. The small city is in the north of Belgrade and internationally known for the EXIT music festival, which happens every year during the summer. A family friend drove us there in the morning of […]

If you are visiting Belgrade for more than a couple of days the visit to Avala Mountain is a must.  The drive is short, about 16 km from downtown, so the destination is perfect for locals who want a quick escape from the city noise and pollution. When a friend heard us planning to get […]

  Question Mark Restaurant Sveti Sava Temple Street Art: BUG Craft Market at Kalemegdan Fortress Leftovers of NATO bombing Do not eat me! Jelen Beer at Atelje 212 Roads and names Che play at Atelje 212 theatre  

One of our good friends is visiting Belgrade for ten days. The same friend who visited us in San Francisco last October and the same friend we will probably visit in France this coming summer. Thanks to him I can now say that I know the city better. A week ago I was able to go […]