Farewell Subotica, Serbia

After a year, we are packing up our life in Subotica, Serbia. 

This packing disaster looks strangely familiar to me. Exactly one year ago, we were unpacking those very same boxes and beginning to arrange our new life in Subotica, Serbia. Luckily, our Serbian apartment was fully furnished; so only 30 boxes of personal items made the trip across the ocean with us. As Chris worked, I initially filled my days with unpacking and Serbian language studies. I self-taught myself by writing common Serbian phrases on post-it-notes and carrying those little, yellow helpers all over town.

Shortly after we moved, we met Marko, Lela, Sanela, Darko, Zoran, Sladjana, Danijela, and Nikola. They were warm, inviting and interested in our story; because of their acceptance, we started to feel more like friends than foreigners. Eventually, I started teaching private English lessons, and that provided me with some structure as well as flexibility in my schedule. With my first paycheck, I bought a juicer, and that juicer started every day with me. When Chris was able to take time off of work, we traveled! It's our dream to see as much of the world as possible, and we tried to make the most of our first year in Europe.

After a year, we had friends, we could communicate and we were generally comfortable in Subotica, and then - just like that, we were back to square one. Chris' company decided to transfer him to Belgium, so with that decision, our dusty packing boxes found their way out from under our bed. For a month, we sorted and packed and cleaned and said tearful goodbyes over many cups of coffee. As I reflect on our year in Serbia, I have to say that I'm glad it was hard for us to say goodbye; those emotions prove that we deeply invested in Subotica. We were more than two strangers passing through; for a year, we were immersed in the Serbian culture and we fell in love with Her people. This is the adventure that we signed up for, so while we're excited to call another country "home,"we will always have a special place in our heart for our first European home - Subotica, Serbia.

Just a few pictures of our last couple days in Subotica:

My Serbian bike is making the trek to Belgium - numbered and ready to go!

Last dinner with our awesome friends in Subotica (we are missing Danijela).

In front of the Subotica library. 

My last palacinke (crepe) at Boss Caffe. This was my favorite dessert. 

A sweet goodbye gift from our friends.

Wearing our American flare for the final farewell. 

We will miss you so much!! You are all invited to Belgium!

Last glimpse of Subotica's City Hall. 

When we moved to Serbia, we had no idea what to expect. A lot of people grimaced when we mentioned where we were moving, and even more people asked us to point Serbia out on a map. Chris and I moved without any judgements or expectations and we decided to make the most of our time in Serbia. I found a quote by Aldous Huxley that touches a cord in my heart, "To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries." 

Next stop on our little adventure: BELGIUM!!

Thanks for reading!!

A Quiet Weekend

. . . Our First in a Long Time. 


Chris' schedule seems to have him hanging out in Serbia for the foreseeable future. Of course things may change, but for now, rest is in our forecast. Two weeks ago, Chris flew to the Netherlands for a few meetings, then turned around and traveled to Ukraine for two quick days. I didn't accompany him on either trip, but I sure did miss him while he was gone. 


After all of that time on a plane, I think Chris is ready for a little time on solid ground, and I am happy to have him home. 


We decided to stay put over the weekend so that we could get a little rest and spend some time with new friends. I got an email from The Real Housewife of Belgrade (my favorite fellow blogger) asking if her and her hubby could meet us in Subotica for coffee on Saturday afternoon. I was excited to meet them and ask them a billion questions about their expat experience in Serbia. Before they arrived, Chris and I grabbed a quick lunch at Pizzeria Denis.

Remember this little gem of a restaurant? I try to get here as often as possible because it makes me feel like I sitting by the ocean in some exotic coastal city. 

We sat in the secluded back patio area so that I could be in the direct sun. Poor Chris in his long sleeve shirt. He eventually took it off once the sunshine became too intense. It is October in Serbia and it is still sunny! I love it!

This is the little back patio, and we were it's only guests for lunch. Very peaceful and beautiful. Can you see why I love this place so much!?

I cannot get enough sunshine! The Real Housewife of Belgrade and I were joking that our skin stays so dark in Serbia. Both of the boys looked at each other and said, "because you're never in an office like we are these days. You both spend your afternoons blogging away in outdoor cafes. Of course you are going to be tan!" Well, hey, get the sun when and where you can.

We met The Real Housewife of Belgrade and her hubby for coffee at Cafe Boss, and we sat and talked in true Serbian style. By that I mean that we nursed our one cup of coffee for about two hours, enjoyed each others company, laughed, shared experiences, and didn't feel pressured to pay and get out so that other customers could have our table. It was lovely to get to know them, and they have such positive and adventurous attitudes. We are going to try to plan a time to visit them in Belgrade soon!

Subotica seems to have a festival for everything! I love it! This weekend was all about the festival of honey.  

There were about 20 vendors selling nothing but . . . you guessed it. . .  honey. One of Chris' coworkers sent Chris home with a jar of his own homemade honey, and we still have not opened it! I hear Serbian honey is pretty amazing; so I will have to crack that jar open soon to see if all this honey hype is true. 

The last stop with our visiting friends was St. Theresa's Catholic Basilica. Check out The Real Housewife of Belgrade's blog and you can read more about this stunning church. She writes a Sunday section dedicated to the discovery of European churches. For almost a year, she has visited a church and written about it in her Sunday blog entry. Pretty great idea!

You Just Have to Laugh . . .

. . . at Yourself.

Living in a new country definitely comes with it challenges and advantages. I find that I am constantly laughing at myself – when I butcher the language – trip over safety hazards (usually I just cannot read the warning signs) – or my credit card is not accepted – and I forget how to properly weigh my produce... The Serbians probably think I’m a crazy person - always laughing by myself!

Then on the other hand, living overseas does have its advantages. We are forced to stretch and grow as people and as a couple - we are meeting new and interesting people every day - we're seeing more of the world - food and drinks are relatively cheap for us - and we are enjoying the laid back and social atmosphere of a small European city.

I wanted to post a few more pictures of our home, and I also wanted to relay a few of the things that we have learned or found out about our new home.

This is Hotel Galleria - a very nice hotel in Subotica, Serbia. I found a gym in this hotel and I joined it on Thursday! Interestingly enough, I met a very nice lady in the locker room today - Olja - and she spent a year of high school in Portland, Oregon! I was floored! Hopefully Chris and I can take her out to coffee in the future.

The little silver car is ours! It is an Opel Astra! Chris drives her to and from work every day, so I am left to using my legs to walk around the city. Maybe I will invest in a bike soon. It seems that everyone bikes here.

On our way to dinner the other day, we walked down this street in search of a new place to try for dinner. I just found it charming, so I took a picture!

Although we tried to find another place, we were again drawn to Cafe Boss. The place was crowded and we had to wait to get a table on their patio. We shared a Chinese dish and then had a local dessert: a crepe with home-made-chocolate ice-cream-filling and heavy whip cream. Yummy, but not for every day consumption!

This is the town hall at night! Every window has a story and apparently on certain days you can walk up into the clock tower. I will figure out when we can get up there. Beautiful!

Last weekend, when Chris and I were at the grocery store, we met a lovely girl named Aleksandra who spoke almost perfect English. As we walked away, Chris said, "Lana, you should get her information and find her on Facebook, maybe you will make your first friend in Subotica." I am so glad that I took his urging because on Thursday, Aleksandra took me to Pizzeria Denis. This is the Pizzeria that I kept seeing on YouTube whenever I searched Subotica, Serbia. It is even more beautiful in person! I instantly fell in love with this place!

This is Aleksandra. Thank you so much for spending time with me and welcoming me to your country! I truly had a wonderful time!

This is the meal that we had at Pizzeria Denis. I cannot remember the Serbian explanation of this dish, but it tasted almost like Chicken Marsala stuffed with Prosciutto and cheese. I learned that when there are mushrooms in a dish, the exact name of the mushroom is listed, not just the general term "mushroom."

Looking in on Pizzeria Denis. It's like a spa that you can have lunch and dinner at.

Welcome to Subotica, Serbia - Our New Home!

Chris and I and our four suitcases left Lexington, Kentucky on July 25th. We traveled from Lexington -> Charlotte -> Munich -> Budapest. In Budapest we were picked up and driven two hours south to Subotica, Serbia.

Of course we will write a whole lot more about Serbia, but I wanted to post some pictures of our first impressions of our new home.

Chris had already spent a significant amount of time in Serbia, so this was not new to him, but above is a picture of my first glimpse of home. The climate is very mild and cool, and the land reminds me a lot of Oregon. We live in their "bread basket region" so there is a lot of farmland.

We arrived in Serbia on the afternoon of the 25th, so we spent our first evening dining at Cafe Boss. It is a stunning cafe/restaurant with loads of outdoor seating. The weather is so agreeable in this season that people rarely sit in-doors. This place reminds me a lot of Azur Restaurant and Patio in Lexington, KY. I think this will quickly become a favorite for us.

Here is Chris at Cafe Boss! Look how nice their patio seating is?! Every cafe here has fancy patio furniture. I think Chris is getting sick of me commenting on every piece of furniture that I see!

Cafe Boss has a good selection of wines, and we have been learning that Hungarian red wines are some of the best ones around! We have a lot to learn, but it will not be painful learning!

Our first meal in Serbia. My pizza had ham, broccoli, mushrooms and either sour cream or cheese sauce of some sort. Chris had pasta in a gorgonzola sauce.

The following day, Chris headed into work, and I decided to figure out my surroundings. Chris had told me where to find a supermarket, and I accidentally walked in the wrong direction. I eventually found the IDEA Market after an hour long walk. It is a huge grocery store with almost everything. I needed loads of stuff for the house, but I didn't buy much because I didn't want to lug it on my hour long walk home.

On Sunday, Chris and I took the car, headed in the opposite direction, and found another grocery store called Roda. This store was even bigger than the IDEA Market, and it was hard to not get overwhelmed with the language barrier. We laughed because we had no idea what we were buying most of the time. In this picture, Chris is trying to decide which cheese to get.

I wish I had captured this glorious moment! The woman was pushing the car while the old man was steering and trying to get the car started. Chris said that it is pretty common to see cars getting a "push start" in Serbia. I just had to giggle!

Just exploring. 

A typical afternoon for me these days. Every cafe and restaurant serves cappuccinos and Lattes and Espresso. I love the cappuccinos, and they only cost about $1.25! The crazy thing is that beer and wine is about the same price!

The public square. On Saturday there were three weddings be photographed here at the same time. The weather has been so lovely since we've arrived.

I am always shocked to see graffiti in beautiful places. All of Europe has its share of graffiti, and there is almost a certain charm to it.

We live very close to this square. That is a huge fountain that is under construction. Hopefully it is completed before summer ends!