Aug 23, 2010 | Belgrade

Most people don't go to Belgrade for the architecture, but I couldn't take my eyes off it. The mishmash of styles plus the decay and ubiquitous graffiti are so ugly they become beautiful with each passing day. I spent well over a week here, even though I planned on only 2 or 3 days. A big surprise was the friendliness and warmth of Belgraders. They don't get much credit for that, perhaps because they're still having to live down what happened in the 1990s. But this city ranks high among my favorite places of the past 8 months.