Belgrade, Serbia

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Belgrade is a very urban city. I find it to be quite a lot like most US cities--function over form. People seem to work hard and play hard. The city is famous for its nightlife and there are indeed so many restaurants open 24 hours and cafes and bars closing very late. But the city is also full of parks and has some nice historical sites.

One of the best things about this city is that two rivers meet here, the Danube and the Sava. All along these rivers are barges that serve as restaurants or nightclubs. There are also islands that are recreation areas.

One surprising thing is that the city has a botanical garden with a beautiful Japanese bridge and pond. There is also a Chinese market but it very much caters to Serbian tastes. The market looks nothing like a Chinatown and you can't buy dim sum or other Chinese foods there. It's just for cheap goods that Serbians would want to buy and there are foods that are popular here like pizza and pastries.

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