.:Belgrade, Serbia:.
We flew from Vancouver, via Amsterdam, on KLM and connect to JAT, (the national airline). We landed in Belgrade late in the evening.
Belgrade is the capital city of Serbia. About 1 ½ million people live there. It is in the southeaster par of Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula.
The Sava and Danube rivers flow through it. It is one of the oldest cities in Europe.
It is a city that is a fortress. The name Belgrade means ''white fort''.
The History:
Ancient people lived near Belgrade, 7,000 years ago. In a stone pit and some caves, they found human remains of the Neanderthals. This means this area was inhabited since the Stone Age.
The archaeological excavations in the upper town have found evidence that they people were farming during the Bronze and Metal ages.
Our Hotel:
One of Dragna's uncle's drove us the Hyatt Regency. It is about a kilometre for the centre of the city. Our son was staying with us and we paid 170 EUR per night. This included the room, hotel taxes and an American Breakfast.
The hotel has a modern architecture, and the outside looked like it was covered in glass.
We were here in June and it was very warm and humid, so we were happy to see our room had air-conditioning.
There was no balcony, but our room was above a beautiful garden. The closet was large, and decided in half,(for hanging clothing and folded cloths). There was a safe at the back of it.
We had a queen sized bed and a sofa, that made into a bed. Beside each bed was a nigh table. On one table there was a telephone and on the other was an alarm clock/radio.
There was a coffee table and two chairs, a satellite TV and a mini-bar. There was a desk with a telephone and beside it there was a plug for internet access.
The bathroom was quite small. It had blue and white tiles on the floor and the walls. There was a tub, that had a shower head attacked to the back of the nozzle. There was a toilet, a sink, that was put into a small cabinet. On top of the cabinet was a basket filled with soap, bubble bath, a shampoo/condition and some body lotion. Above the counter there was a mirror, (that had shelves behind it).
We had breakfast every morning in their Café. Our son used the fitness centre, but we walked for our exercise.
What We Saw:
We often walked along Kneza Mihalia Boulevard where there are a lot of cafes and shops. It is pedestrian boulevard so there are no cars.
On our walks we say there were still many bombed out buildings. It's depressing to see what a dictator will resort to, to save his ''skin''. I felt so sorry for the people, who had lost their homes.
Once there were a lot of bridges that crosses the Danube River, now there is only one.
We took a bus tour to the Belgrade Fortress, where we saw the Art Pavilion, the Fortress, the Military Museum, a monument to Poednik, the Observator and a Russian Church. We went through the Emperor Charles Gate to walk through the Kalemedan Park.
We went to see the oldest Russian Orthodox Church. Inside the compound was the Saint Petka Chapel, the Rakovica and Vavedenje Monasteries, the Patriarch's home,
One day we walked through the Old Urban area. We saw the Nukleus Orthodox Cathedral, the Patriarchy, and we visited to the Princess Ljubica Manor.
Botanical Gardens were beautiful and we enjoyed seeing all the plants, flowers and trees that grow in Serbia.
We went to the Old Zemun district to see the Sports Centre, Zemun Town Museum and the Sveti Sava Library. We had lunch at the Saran Restaurant.
We went to see the Muslim tombs and then had a Turkish Steam Bath. If you have every had one, you'll know it's the best type of steam bath in the World.
The pretties park is Ada Ciganlija. It is on an island on the Sava River. You can swim there and eat or drink at one of the cafes.
Food:
The best place to eat are at one of the cafes in Kneza Milhaila or the Bohemian Quarter.
You can get every type of European food in the restaunts or cafes. We like to eat local food, so we ate a lot of grilled meats, sausages,(that were grilled with red pepper),fish, stretched meal balls, variety of thick grained bread,(I liked the black rye breads the best), baklava and a variety of tortes.
We tried a plumb brandy called Sljivovica, and a clear white grape brandy. The beer was cool and refreshing. I liked the Ari, Smadny Mnich, (which means Thirsty Monk) and the Radegast the best.
While you are eating you will have Podgy Musicians come to your table, and play folk music. Some restaunts have gypsy bands, and I love their music, so when they say me swaying, I was invited to play the tambourine and dance with them.
Shopping:
I didn't shop a lot, but I did buy a hand carved wooden bear, (I collect bears), a small water coloured painting of Belgrade, (from a street vendor) and an amber necklace.
.:What You Should Know:
People who live in Countries that don't belong to the European Union need a passport and a visa.
Since the war the healthcare is not great, so remember to buy heath insurance.
You are expected to tip in restaurants, cafes and hotels.
.:My Final Thoughts:.
Belgrave was an interesting place to visit once.
If you want to know more about travelling in Serbia the link is:
https://budgettravel.com/serbia.htm
Thanks for reading my review.
©LL2004
