Arriving in Belgrade in the dead of the night is a bit of a hazard. Especially if you do not know your way around or speak the language. Even though there is a taxi voucher system in place at the airport, it doesn’t help much when there’s no taxi in sight at midnight. When one finally showed up it quoted a ridiculous price. In the end we got lucky and shared a ride with an American Serb, back home to get his teeth fixed (that also says a lot about the American health system). That was the start to our adventure in Belgrade.
The first impression of the city the next day fared a lot better then. When we left the hotel the sun was shining and Belgrade looked impressive. We started with our discovery tour of the city on our own since there was no free walking tour on a Thursday during the winter months available. Which was really too bad. First on up on our list was the fortress, the main tourist attraction of Belgrade.
first impression of the city @Belgrade
To reach the fortress we had to cross the inner city along the pedestrian zone from one end to the other. Such a large area without cars was exciting. I really love it when you do not need to check for cars.
pedestrian zone @Belgrade
Art Deco building @Belgrade
As I have already mentioned in my previous post about the fortress, the Romans spent some time here. While the shopping mall on the main pedestrian got renovated, the remains of a Roman square and street were found. I am standing here on top of it, unfortunately there’s not much to read about it and even less to see. Still it’s remarkable that already in former time the pedestrian zone was a main street.
standing on a Roman street @Belgrade
Beside some weird helicopter like figure which pointed left and right,
figure in the Kalemegdan park @Belgrade
we also met Karl Malden. I am not sure if anyone remembers him, but ‘The Streets of San Francisco’ were once a popular TV series. Even though he was already born in Chicago, he was of Serbian descent. Hence the monument.
Karl Malden @Belgrade
The Princess Ljubica’s Residence (Konak kneginje Ljubice) we saw only in the evening and from the outside. She was the wife of Mihailo Obrenovic , a Prince of Serbia, who is buried in the St. Michael’s cathedral. Her residence was important enough to be declared a Monument of Culture of Exceptional Importance. It definitely looked great and had her likeness projected on the facade.
Princess Ljubica’s Residence @Belgrade
Fog had come up and we walked back through the park of the fortress, then sat down for one more drink before heading back to the hotel. Yours, Pollybert
