Eastern Europe and the Black Sea: Serbia

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Belgrade, Serbia

· This morning we awoke to a very foggy day. We looked out our window and could not see beyond our balcony. After breakfast, we boarded our buses and had a tour of the city of Belgrade. We stopped first at a church that was orthodox, and it was filled with beautiful frescos. Then we went to the Sava Orthodox Cathedral--the world's largest Orthodox Cathedral, just a few steps away, that has been under construction for the past 180 years. It is completely funded by the people of Serbia. As we drove through the city, we could still see the buildings that were bombed in 1991 that have never been refurbished.

· Next we stopped at the Tito memorial. Tito was the head of Yugoslavia from 1945 to 1980. After he died, the country was split into 6 countries. Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia-Hersegovnia, and Macedonia (Not Kosovo). At his memorial, they had a hall of gifts, that people from all over the world sent to Tito.

· Next we went to the Kalemegdan Castle, a fortress that was medieval. It was located in the center of Belgrade. From there you can see the Sava and the Danube converging.

· After lunch on board, we went back to the walking (pedestrian) street in Belgrade, and spent about an hour enjoying the city.

· After a short rest, we went to the lounge to hear a candid discussion with Serbian students. We then enjoyed a wonderful dinner of halibut followed by a fabulous dessert and entertainment in the lounge by folk dancers.

Belgrade, Serbia

Settled many centuries ago along import and East-West trade routes, Belgrade--Serbia's largest city and one of Europe's oldest--was used as a gateway to Western Europe from the Balkans. Today the historic capital is emerging from years of repressive rule. It boasts impressive parks, squares, monuments and architecture such as old Town Hall, St. Sava Orthodox Cathedral--the world's largest Orthodox Cathedral--and Kalemegdan Castle, as well as a pedestrian zone and arts and cultural scene.