Danas nam je divan dan...

I have always wanted to write a really hackneyed and over the top travelogue about being in Serbia. One in which I overuse trite phrases like "land of contrasts," "majestic," "customary," and "cuisine." Perhaps one day I will get around to it, but until then, Natalija's cousin Roby had a birthday yesterday. He in fact had his 15th birthday yesterday, and there was of course a majestic celebration, with delightful offerings from the local cuisine, as is customary for such occasions in this land of contrasts. (Nailed it!). Here are some pictures:

Here is the whole spread, just as everyone was getting settled. Vesna bought I don't know how many kilos of roštilj (Serbian BBQ), but it was enough to feed about 25 hungry Eastern Europeans and still have plenty left over.... that is to say, it was a whole hell of a lot!

Danny enjoying himself immensely in the company of Stiv ("Steve) and Jotsa. In his heart, Danny is really a good 'ole boy from Surčin.

And here we have Lela and Nata looking sweet. Hard to tell that they both worked all day cleaning and cooking.

 Obligatory Natavid photo. For us, the party was mostly a spectator sport. Jotsa played guitar and the elder crowd enjoyed themselves immensely as they drank and sang into the night.

 Baba Kosa, Vesna, Jelica, and Nataljia. Four beautiful ladies making stuff happen in the world! Each of them incredible and tough as nails in their own way.

 In the movie, the role of Baba Kosa will be played by this actress... Kidding, that is Bisa, one of Vesna's closest friends.

And finally, we see the guest of honor emerge from the back room where he was allowed to hang out with his friends instead of having to endure the old folks singing old folks' tunes. His patience paid off, as he was released into the night shortly after this photo....

 ....But not before he had to stand there looking embarrassed for his friends' benefit while we all sang Happy Birthday to him.

 The kids left and the party went on just fine without them! More roštilj! More pivo! More of those delicious home-grown tomatoes! Idemo dalje!



So, there you have it. Roby is 15. We love him. We showed our love by throwing him a party and then giving him the best birthday present any normal 15 year boy could ask for: We let him leave the party his family threw for him and go hang out with his friends!

In case you are wondering any of the usual stuff, we had an excellent trip over. We just started sleeping normally last night, and everyone is healthy and doing well for the most part. It is so great to be here and to be enjoying so many comforts of home (or second home in my case)! Be well and stay in touch!