Shot/Seen

There are many strikingly attractive women in Belgrade. They work hard at it, according to Katharina, my informant on Serbian matters. They have to, because there are three (or four or five) women for every man here. Looking good is competitive.

(In Banja Luka, the capital of Republika Srbska in poor, divided Bosnia, the ratio is apparently 7:1, but I didn’t go there so cannot attest to the beauty of Bosnian Serb women.)

It’s not just the young women in their tight jeans and stiletto heels, though. Genetics are at play: there are also many beautiful older Serbian women on the streets and in the cafes of Belgrade.

I have no comment on the beauty of the men. The young ones, of which there are many, are still in the process of being formed. As for the older men, I was distracted by the women with them. When it comes to the men of Serbia, you’ll have to go look for yourself.

(This is the first in what I hope will be a series of short essays, written as the result of four weeks of travelling through southeast Europe.)