Day 109
Location 19: Belgrade, Serbia
Feb. 17, 2023
Everybody makes mistakes. Everybody has those days.
In addition to being the opening lyrics to a great Hannah Montana song, those words are also true. Today, I encountered or committed a few mistakes. Let's examine them:
1. Absolut-ly Wrong
While sitting in a nice cocktail lounge, I'm impressed by the free alcohol placed on the table. "Maybe it's their house tequila" I wonder to myself while admiring it's rich, golden-brown tint and classy, yet understated bottle design.
The Mistake: this was not tequila, or rum, or alcohol of any kind. It was extra-virgin olive oil.
2. Cheesy Misunderstanding
Succumbing to a hankering for Mexican food, I had a burrito delivered to my hostel. But during the online order process, I came to a linguistic crossroads.
A section labeled "Odaberi Sir" Google-translated to "Cheese Selection".
My options were (1) Kačkavalj and (2) Ne, hvala.
The latter, as you might have guessed, means "No, thanks". The English translation of the former is brutally honest about the havoc this burrito will wreak on my bowels:
The Mistake: I left out a 'č' when translating "kačkavalj". The correct English translation is, simply, "cheese".
The Mistake #2: I should have heeded the initial translation's warning, because—to put it in terms of the original translation—boy, did I.
To put it delicately, a physiological process typically comparable to a soft-serve machine was—on this day—more akin to a soda fountain.
3. Dancing on Water
There is a famous Belgrade club, Freestyler, that was constructed on the water. Its location made it preferable for fans of sunset ocean views, the cool breeze of the sea, and (more recently) late-night swimming. I say "more recently" because:
The Mistake: On New Year's Eve of 2022, the nightclub showed off its best Titanic impression and sank into the water below.
Unlike the real Titanic, this shipwreck had no casualties and did have video evidence. Overall, I give the impression a 4/10.
Left: My video of the club today. | Right: A patron's video of the club during the sinking.