Battles in Belgrade

Last weekend, we were involved in a tournament in Belgrade, Serbia and I was completely taken by surprise with how I instantaneously fell in love with the city...

It all started with a not so lovely 12-hour bus ride from Thessaloniki.... so the plane ride I mentioned in my previous blog, in fact, did NOT happen, but we still made it to Belgrade in our way. The only positive of the road trip was getting a literal once-in-a-lifetime moment when I was saw the sunrise in the Serbian countryside. It was unbelievably mystical with the elements of fog and damp roads from recently melted snow... it was a time when you sit there and think to yourself how you will remember that clip of memory for the rest of your life.

We arrived in Belgrade in the afternoon and two hours later, we were in the pool preparing to play a "friendly" game against the top Serbian Women's team. I am finding it a very inappropriate term:"Friendly". I have yet to play a "friendly" game that wasn't anything BUT friendly... perhaps it is a delusional notion of wishful thinking.  We were still able to handle the game easily in terms of scoring goals, but there was one girl.... ugh... all she wanted to do was fight. And of course, she was my match up. Sometimes, I feel like the girl who is always attracted to jerks; like family and friends are saying "she really knows how to pick 'em" behind my back... These girls that I constantly have to guard seem to have no interest in where the ball is at the moment, rather they are interested in where the exact position of my jaw is so that they can introduce it to the boniest part of their elbow. I'm honestly surprised that I made it out of Belgrade with all of my fingers intact with the amount of times that she purposely attempted to bend them to point of "no return". After playing them 3 times that weekend, I was happy to wish good riddance.

Although, this team proved to be a challenge, physically, the other teams we encountered really surprised me with the lack of experience and competitiveness. Considering the Serbian mens' teams are some of the most talented and experienced in the world, the women's side is the antithesis. To give an idea of the level: the first game of the tournament was played on Saturday morning; on Friday night, our coach told 5 of us, which was 5/7 starters including the goalie, that we would stay at the hotel and sleep in while the rest of the girls went to play the game. Without us, without a proper goalie, they won 17-3. Needless to say, it was more a trip geared towards team bonding and confidence building before the start of our Greek Championship games. Honestly, this was fine with me because it allowed me to have some fun with the girls and with polo, which had been slowly slipping away with all the constant training we have been doing without much reward of competitions.

Unlike our tournament in Athens, we were able to explore and experience Belgrade a little bit and the two things I was most impressed with were the architecture and the people. To me, the thing I love about Europe in general is the history that you can feel when are walking through a city. You can be having coffee on a street that Alexander the Great rode his troops through in 300 B.C.E. There is no where like that in the States, and it never ceases to amaze me when I am here. Belgrade is really no different. You feel the reverence of all the old buildings and churches as you move through the city, realizing that they have withstood many generations of people, and are still standing looking just as breathtaking, even if they have had a little work done, so to speak :). What was also fascinating about Belgrade was the presence of some more modern communist buildings that were erected in the 20th century. This modern classical blend of architecture was a story within itself, almost like a political map through history. I feel like I left Belgrade thirsty for more answers about the city and its little known history.

Another endearing quality, that I have already mentioned, are the people. Maybe it is the Eastern European trademark that they are immediately marked with, but I ignorantly entered Serbia expecting a colder culture. I am so glad that I was proved wrong! The Serbians of Belgrade couldn't have been warmer or more welcoming, well, other than their water polo players... but those that we met in the hotel and in the market were nothing but smiles and life! Also, I have a new appreciation for Serbian genes. Having come from a very TALL family myself, I am very apt to notice fellow giants in this world, and in Serbia, the Traughbers would feel right at home! I couldn't believe the "average" height of these people! It was amazing. Even the kids were all legs and arms about 2 days away from sprouting to an intimidating 6'8". When I mentioned this to one of my teammates, she educated me saying that, in Greece at least, Serbians are infamous for being a very good looking culture. I had no idea! But now that you think about it, there are a fair number of Eastern European models that grace the pages of some of the top fashion magazines. It's just not a place like Brazil or Argentina that you immediately think of beautiful people. But I can vouch for them now! Don't hate on the Serbs!

If time. money, and fate allows, I would love to go back to Belgrade and more fully experience the city with restaurants, bars, museums... the works. But the small taste that I had was more than satisfying for my unenlightened palette.

Sunrise in Serbia (1)

Sunrise in Serbia (2)

Host pool of the Tournament, used by the Partizan Club

Serbian and Partizan Flags

Belgrade

The market we were able to explore on our last day

Market in the Park

I could have stayed in this park all day...

Iraklis Women's Water Polo :D

Margarita ,15, and Elepheria, 13; 2 of my youngest teammates

The Danube River, the 2nd largest in Europe. The tall building in the background is one of the most infamous buildings from Belgrade's Communist reign. 

The Danube from the park

Iraklis

I love you, Belgrade!