There is a ski slope in Belgrade, in the Košutnjak forest, on which I have been many times, but never during the winter, when there is snow on the slope.
Although I love the snow and the scenes of the winter idyll created by the white snow that covers the city (which can only really be called Beo-grad, White City, at that moment), I do not ski and have never been involved in winter recreational sports.
It is possible that I earned my aversion to snow sports one winter day, when as a five-year-old I lay semi-conscious for ten minutes on an icy track, on which slightly older children were sledding, with a slight concussion due to falling from improvised skis and hitting the back of my head on the ice.
Since then, it never occurred to me to put on skis again, so it's understandable why I avoid the ski slopes.
But I regularly visit this ski slope, on the slopes of Košutnjak, when it's too hot in Belgrade and when I enjoy the beautiful view.
At the top of the trail, there are several interesting cafe bars and restaurants.
They are built like wooden mountain homes, and mountain houses, and I believe that the atmosphere in them is really pleasant on cold winter days.
I could imagine myself, wrapped in a scarf, sitting next to a fireplace in the middle of a space-warming restaurant, while drinking hot chocolate or tea.
But in order not to go out on the snow and get on my skis, I don't want to make a fuss and disturb those who came to the ski slope for skiing reasons, so I don't go there in winter.
But I have no reason to imagine myself on the ski slope on a warm summer day, as today is, while, bringing my #wednesdaywalk to an end, I look for a free table in the garden of the cafe.
The break I take here, near the forest and the 300m long downhill, down which children and adults descend on skis and sleds in the winter, is not with the idea of refreshing myself with coffee and some juice, but to enjoy the clean, slightly fresher air (and not the 40°C air, which is in the city center, among tall glass buildings) and to enjoy the panoramic view of Belgrade.
Because from this position, from the garden of the restaurant on the ski slope, you can see a good part of Belgrade.
In the foreground, there is the Ada Bridge (which had its own show on National Geographic as a megastructure), next to the bridge there is an old shipbuilder's building, you can see part of New Belgrade and the beginning of Zemun.
The Hippodrome is at the bottom of the ski slope, and on the opposite side of Zemun, in front of the construction site of the new office building, is the famous congress Sava Center, with a recognizable glass facade.
On the hill opposite the ski slope is the settlement of the rich, Senjak, and from here you can see some of the villas and houses of wealthy Belgraders.
Behind Senjak, you can see the new tower of Belgrade on the water and the tall solitaires in its vicinity, and as you look further across the panorama of the city, in the distance you can see the red and white chimney of the heating plant on Dorćol, the new building complex Sky City, the tallest building in Belgrade, the popular Beogradjanka, the floodlights of the Red Star Stadium, the so-called Maracana, and the dome of St. Mark's Church.
A truly wonderful view of Belgrade.
When I freshened up a bit, drank my espresso and bitter lemon and rested my eyes looking at the green trees and blue sky, I took a walk around the complex in order to show you this place in the best possible way and to recommend you to visit it if you are in Belgrade on warm summer days.
If you are a skier, you could also visit it in winter, when this track is a training ground for skiing, but I can't recommend it.
But I would recommend coming here and enjoying the view, the pleasant shade, as well as the restaurant offer.
Whoever comes here with children, whether the trail is covered with snow or it's a grassy slope like today, should not worry, there is a part where children can have fun, and I find this improvised amphitheater with tree stumps instead of chairs, a big stage (which is currently set up as a restaurant) and a panorama of Belgrade as a background.
That this is part of the ski slope, can be concluded by these two-seater metal chairs.
I hope that you liked my presentation of the Belgrade ski slope in the middle of summer and that if you are staying in Belgrade, you will take a few moments, come to Košutnjak, look for this location on the #worldmappin map and find one of these free chairs or benches of restaurants and cafes from which you can enjoy the view of Belgrade.
