Belgrade, Serbia | Where We Be

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Belgrade, Serbia

"Three days in Belgrade?" the guy at our hotel
front desk said, "That should be plenty. You'll
see." Despite his dour and somewhat amusing
take on his own country's capital, we enjoyed
our time here and found three days to be just
about right. It gave us plenty of time to see the
"big three" in Belgrade:

1) Belgrade Fortress: The city's most famous
landmark. Overlooking the confluence of the
Sava and Danube rivers, it provides views from
on high. Its parklike grounds make for pleasant
strolling. There are benches galore, along with
trees and ruins and turrets and statues and
stone walls and tunnels -- and even a dinosaur
display! Tiny St. Petka’s Chapel with its faded
mosaics is tucked away inside the grounds.

2) Knez Mihailova: A vibrant pedestrian area in
the historic part of the city that serves as the
main shopping zone in Belgrade.

3) Temple of St. Sava: The main cathedral of the
Serbian Orthodox Church. An architectural gem
inside and out, clearly modeled on the Aya
Sophia in Istanbul.

The Temple of St. Sava sits at the very center
of Belgrade and is impressive inside and out

The vibe here is a bit more funky, as befits the Bohemian quarter

Here you'll find plenty of outroor cafes where you can enjoy a pleasant meal

We took our time and enjoyed all of the sights -- natural and manmade -- along the way

It took us about two hours to see Belgrade Fortress
and the surrounding grounds in a leisurely manner

Eventually we wound our way through the fortress grounds and arrived at tiny St. Petka's chapel.
The murals inside were faded (on purpose?) despite having been painted between 1975 and 1982.

Crumbling walls, towers, turrets -- and some modern buildings peeking out from behind

This is more what we expected -- a fortress with moat and twin turrets

One thing we definitely didn't expect to see
was a dinosaur park near the castle walls!

The signs at the bottom of the stairs highlighted
amazing castles and churches all around Serbia

The entire area is car-free and quiet and makes for a relaxing stroll

Eventually we reached a high plateau offering fine views of the confluence
of the Danube and Sava Rivers. Benches galore line this whole stretch.

As we made our way to the fortress, we passed through
Kalemegdan Park, with its tree-lined paths and statues

This is more than just a fortress -- it's a park with an array of attractions

Belgrade Fortress

We continued on to nearby Skadarlija with its cobblestone streets.
This is the popular Bohemian quarter, boasting lots of cafes and bars.

Knez Mihaelova eventually opens up onto Republic Square.
The red-brick building is the National Museum of Serbia.

We love the pedestrian-only vibe at the historic centers of most European cities --
great architecture, no fumes from cars or buses, just people going about their day

We picked our hotel, the Capital Hotel, in part because of its close location
to Knez Mihaelova, the main pedestrian and shopping street in Belgrade

Or a collection of tanks and missiles and military equipment...

Knez Mihaelova

We saved the Temple of St. Sava for our last day, since it's located outside the historic district,
in the very center of Belgrade, and requires a good 35-minute walk to get there -- but it's worth it

The Temple of St. Sava was modeled on the Aya Sophia in Istanbul --
and what a beautiful job the Serbs have done with it -- just beautiful!

Later on, for dinner, we visited super-popular Curry Souls for some Sri Lankan food -- dal soup
at left, and Kotthu (their signature dish) at right, with melted cheese on top for good measure

We opted for a Serbian (and Balkan) specialty -- burek, which is a
pastry filled with feta or potato or meat or some other kind of filling