We arrived in Belgrade this morning. I was very pleased to discover that we were in a “hot spot” that was compatible with our computer, so sent off several emails. After breakfast, we had a lecture from a local historian, Slobodan, on the history of Serbia and in particular what happened here in the 1990s. When NATO bombed Belgrade, the bridges were saved because hundreds of the local people formed a “human shield” on the bridge. His views on this conflict and war generally were very interesting.
A short time later when we boarded buses for our tour, we were fortunate to have Slobodan as our guide. He pointed out some of the buildings which had been bombed and were still in ruins, but had been sold to multi-national hotel chains for millions of dollars. We went to the Belgrade fortress that surrounds the city which has seen many conflicts over the centuries because of Serbia's strategic position, including the First World War. It was sobering to learn that 6 million people have died in the area in which we stood, defending the fortress. From the top of the hill on which the fortress stands we had a beautiful view of the Danube River below and across the river on the plains below “the rest of Europe” which further confirmed Belgrade's strategic position.
Our bus then took us to the centre of the city for a short walk and a break for drinks and “comfort stop” at the Majestic Hotel. The cold drink was very welcome on this 38 deg C day. We then reboarded the bus and looked at some of the lovely residential buildings on the high side of the city, some of which were Embassies. We were told that we were not permitted to take photos of Embassies (their request) as cameras had been confiscated in the past. We stopped at St. Sava's Temple Orthodox Church which is still being built. It is beautiful inside with stunning architecture.
Slobodan told us more about Tito and his form of communism which was supported by the West by leaders like Churchill and Truman. Tito stood up to Stalin and survived and then went his own way. Slobodan pointed out the large McDonalds in the city and told us that had been there 35 years (one of the first in Europe), so that demonstrated that Tito was very different to the other communist leaders, in that he supported a form of capitalism and foreign investment of which there were many billions of dollars.
We returned to our boat for lunch and later got a shuttle bus back to the city. We had a short walk around the main shopping precinct and the fortress park before returning to the boat to escape the heat.
We had dinner with a couple, Mary and Bob, who migrated from Northern Ireland to Auckland 50 years ago, aged 20. Mary's father died 25 years ago and since then every year they have holidayed away from the three month New Zealand winter to return to Ireland to see Mary's mother, now aged 94. They combine the maternal visit with a holiday, so they came via Alaska and doing our boat trip before going to Ireland and returning home via Thailand.
After dinner, a local music and dance group, Talija Serbian Folklore Show, entertained us in the lounge. The dancers were very exuberant and had different colourful costumes throughout the show, representing different parts of Serbia, Croatia and Hungary. The musicians were amazing too, a four piece group. The clarinet player and violinist were outstanding. So we really enjoyed the show.
A short time later when we boarded buses for our tour, we were fortunate to have Slobodan as our guide. He pointed out some of the buildings which had been bombed and were still in ruins, but had been sold to multi-national hotel chains for millions of dollars. We went to the Belgrade fortress that surrounds the city which has seen many conflicts over the centuries because of Serbia's strategic position, including the First World War. It was sobering to learn that 6 million people have died in the area in which we stood, defending the fortress. From the top of the hill on which the fortress stands we had a beautiful view of the Danube River below and across the river on the plains below “the rest of Europe” which further confirmed Belgrade's strategic position.
Our bus then took us to the centre of the city for a short walk and a break for drinks and “comfort stop” at the Majestic Hotel. The cold drink was very welcome on this 38 deg C day. We then reboarded the bus and looked at some of the lovely residential buildings on the high side of the city, some of which were Embassies. We were told that we were not permitted to take photos of Embassies (their request) as cameras had been confiscated in the past. We stopped at St. Sava's Temple Orthodox Church which is still being built. It is beautiful inside with stunning architecture.
Slobodan told us more about Tito and his form of communism which was supported by the West by leaders like Churchill and Truman. Tito stood up to Stalin and survived and then went his own way. Slobodan pointed out the large McDonalds in the city and told us that had been there 35 years (one of the first in Europe), so that demonstrated that Tito was very different to the other communist leaders, in that he supported a form of capitalism and foreign investment of which there were many billions of dollars.
We returned to our boat for lunch and later got a shuttle bus back to the city. We had a short walk around the main shopping precinct and the fortress park before returning to the boat to escape the heat.
We had dinner with a couple, Mary and Bob, who migrated from Northern Ireland to Auckland 50 years ago, aged 20. Mary's father died 25 years ago and since then every year they have holidayed away from the three month New Zealand winter to return to Ireland to see Mary's mother, now aged 94. They combine the maternal visit with a holiday, so they came via Alaska and doing our boat trip before going to Ireland and returning home via Thailand.
After dinner, a local music and dance group, Talija Serbian Folklore Show, entertained us in the lounge. The dancers were very exuberant and had different colourful costumes throughout the show, representing different parts of Serbia, Croatia and Hungary. The musicians were amazing too, a four piece group. The clarinet player and violinist were outstanding. So we really enjoyed the show.
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