We passed several embassies on our way to the Kelemegdan Fortress. The embassies are impressive and beautiful, as are many buildings in Belgrade. We walked through the Fortress, moving backward in time. This point of land at the confluence of the Danube and Sava Rivers has been a crossroads and strategically important location for millennia. Consequently, its history is blood-soaked. The views and fortress itself, though, are wonderful.
We then drove to Republic Square and walked through pedestrian streets to a hotel for a soft drink, then back to the bus.
It's a bustling city for sure, with many signs of growing prosperity. However, we also saw some pretty grim residential areas, and a lot of damage remaining from the NATO bombing 11 years ago.
Traffic is pretty heavy and in many places has out-stripped the capacity of the streets.
Our last morning stop was the church of St. Sava. It is simply awesome! Huge and white, with the largest open area I've ever seen in a church, under a huge, high graceful dome. At noon the bells in the bell-tower all rang out.
After lunch on-board, we got back on the buses to visit the town of Kovacica. It is north of the Danube and so not on the Balkan Peninsula. It sits in the midst of a vast, flat, fertile plain. It is the home of many "naive" style artists. At the main gallery, we saw much of their work and had it explained.
As well we enjoyed a performance by a small local orchestra and ate really delicious strudels.
We also visited the home and workshop of a famous violin maker, Jan Nemcek, who showed us how he selects wood and many of the violins he has created. Quite amazing!
On return to the ship we decided not to eat in the dining room, but just to snack in our cabin.
The evening entertainment was a Serbian folk dancing group who amazed us with their energy - to say nothing of their many costume changes!
[ Before the entertainment a historical expert lectured on Serbia today. There was pretty good history but when he got to the last 10 years his comments where very Serbia-serving on issues such as Kosovo and Bosnian war. Tomorrow there will be another point of view from the Croatian as he pointed out. ]
We then drove to Republic Square and walked through pedestrian streets to a hotel for a soft drink, then back to the bus.
It's a bustling city for sure, with many signs of growing prosperity. However, we also saw some pretty grim residential areas, and a lot of damage remaining from the NATO bombing 11 years ago.
Traffic is pretty heavy and in many places has out-stripped the capacity of the streets.
Our last morning stop was the church of St. Sava. It is simply awesome! Huge and white, with the largest open area I've ever seen in a church, under a huge, high graceful dome. At noon the bells in the bell-tower all rang out.
After lunch on-board, we got back on the buses to visit the town of Kovacica. It is north of the Danube and so not on the Balkan Peninsula. It sits in the midst of a vast, flat, fertile plain. It is the home of many "naive" style artists. At the main gallery, we saw much of their work and had it explained.
As well we enjoyed a performance by a small local orchestra and ate really delicious strudels.
We also visited the home and workshop of a famous violin maker, Jan Nemcek, who showed us how he selects wood and many of the violins he has created. Quite amazing!
On return to the ship we decided not to eat in the dining room, but just to snack in our cabin.
The evening entertainment was a Serbian folk dancing group who amazed us with their energy - to say nothing of their many costume changes!
[ Before the entertainment a historical expert lectured on Serbia today. There was pretty good history but when he got to the last 10 years his comments where very Serbia-serving on issues such as Kosovo and Bosnian war. Tomorrow there will be another point of view from the Croatian as he pointed out. ]
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