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The Serbian capital Belgrade has seen many changes in recent years, not least the collapse of communism and the breakup of Yugoslavia. Today, the country's trying to establish a modern democracy and a market economy. You can see some signs of change. Shopping malls and supermarkets look just like those in the West, even if many Serbs are unable to afford the big Western brands. But there are also visible reminders of the city's history from the fortress once occupied by the Romans and the Ottomans to the ruins of the Defence Ministry bombed by NATO in the Kosovo War of 1999. Andrew Grey has found a place where you can't just see but also smell something of Belgrade's history.
I hesitate before the deep maroon shopfront. The shop, in a cobbled street in central Belgrade, looks like it hasn't changed in decades. Little bottles of scent and old black-and-white photos decorate the window. A sign in gold lettering says "Parfumerie Sava". I don't think I've ever been inside a perfume shop in my life. But today, curiosity pushes me over the threshold.
The interior is tiny. Large jars of clear and brown glass fill the shelves. Behind the counter, stands a tanned man with a shock of grey hair, wearing a white coat. His name is Nenat. I tell him I'd like to know more about the shop. Soon story after story comes tumbling out.
"A few months ago," Nenat tells me, "the shop was part of a special event when Belgrade's museums stay open late into the night." | 
发表于 2016-12-26 22:15:47