N ana Li is a Concept Artist for Norde- us, Belgrade. She has been work- ing in games and animation for the last few years. Originally from China, she grew up in northern Sweden and moved to the UK to study Biomedical Engi- neering. However, it was during this time that she realised her passion was really in art. After university, she got hired to draw a graphic novel for a publisher and that’s where her creative career started. She en- joys making things and creating great ex- periences for people. When she is not work- ing, she likes to take in new things, learn and sketch from life. How long have you been in Belgrade? Did you know anything about Belgra- de/Serbia before you came here? I’ve been travelling between Belgrade and London for the last year or so but the last five months have been permanent. I didn’t know much about Serbia before coming here for my job interview. I had to read up about it on Wikipedia. I grew up in the 90’s and sadly the only thing I knew about Ser- bia were vague impressions of the conflict from back then. Are there any similarities between Lon- don, Sweden and Belgrade? Belgrade reminds me of Sweden some- times. It’s quite relaxed, the roads are wide, unlike London. The pace is a lot slower, and it’s lovely to have the rivers flowing through the city. The main difference compared to Lon- don is the size. Most things in the city center are walking distance, whereas in London most things are at least half an hour to an hour away on the trains or the tube. It’s pret- ty exhausting if you’re commuting daily dur- ing rush hour. Is there anything about Belgrade that you feel is unique, that you’ve never seen anywhere else? The accessibility to so much waterfront in combination with a good climate seems to have given rise to a unique splav scene. That and the amount of cafés and bars with- in in a small area is pretty great.
Which neighborhood do you live in? What is it about that part of town you like the most? I live in the Center, between the bohemi- an area of Dorcol and Branko bridge which connects Old Belgrade to New Belgrade. What I love about the area is the accessibil- ity to everything. I don’t drive so it’s great to be close to everything and despite being in center, it’s not that busy. It’s still easy to get to quiet areas in Dorcol for a coffee and the waterfront is a short walk away. What’s the favorite dish you tried in Belgrade? I really love burek, but I have to control myself as it’s pretty rich. It’s special treat or the occasional hangover cure. Did you make any new friends here? I haven’t been great at meeting peo- ple from outside of work. Part of that is be- cause I’m not the most social person outside of work. I tend to value my personal time. We’re pretty social at work so whenever I do go out I tend to hang out mostly with those guys. A colleague of mine is starting a Belgrade drink and draw so I’m hoping to meet some new people there. Did you learn any Serbian phrases? “Dobar dan”, “hvala” and “molim” seems to get you around pretty well. Most peo- ple I’ve met speak pretty good English. It would be helpful to learn numbers so that I could communicate better with cashiers and taxi drivers. Have you visited any other destinati- ons in Serbia? I went on a hike to Gradac gorge and to a ranch in Fruska Gora. Both are only about an hour’s drive or so away. I definitely enjoyed being able to get out of the city and into nature so easily. I’m used to London where it’s always a pain in the neck to escape the big city bustle. What do you think Belgrade should improve? An indoors smoking ban would be great. As a non-smoker coming from countries with smoking bans, it’s pretty hard to get used to how smoky bars and restaurants can get.
5 TOP NANIN IZBOR NANA’S CHOICE 1 Smokvica: A lovely place for a light lunch or brunch. Food in Belgrade can often be quite meaty and rich so I’ve bookmarked places that offer lighter options. They have a pretty varied menu with some world food options, the food is always great and they have a nice outdoors area. Smokvica : Divno mesto za lagani ručak ili branč. Hrana u Beogradu često može da bude teška, a porcije obilne, tako da sam obeležila mesta koja nude i laganije opcije. Ovde imaju raznovrstan meni, hrana je uvek ukusna, a i imaju lep deo na otvorenom.
Waterfront: The waterfront is a great place to spend a weekend. The endless options of splavs make for plenty of rest spots. Ušće: Ušće je odlično mesto na kom možete da provedete vikend. Ima beskrajno mnogo splavova gde se možete odmoriti. Dorcol: I love to go to cafés on weekends to chat, think or do some drawing. The bohemian area of Dorcol has plenty of choice for cafés, bars and restaurants. Dorćol: Volim slobodno vreme vikendom da provodim po kafićima, da ćaskam, da razmišljam ili da crtam. Ovaj boemski kraj ima dosta kafića, barova i restorana. Shangri La: Another option for lighter food in Belgrade. This is a Chinese restaurant in New Belgrade that does, by my standards, pretty authentic Chinese food. Shangri-La : Još jedan izbor za laganiju hranu u Beogradu. Ovo je kineski restoran na Novom Beogradu gde prave, po mojim standardima, prilično autentičnu kinesku hranu.
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Drugstore : Magacin klub sa pravom urbanom atmosferom. Odlično mesto ako želite da izađete.
Drugstore: A warehouse club with a real and gritty
atmosphere. Great place if you want to get down.
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