Belgrade

Mar 21-24
LH471 YYZ-FRA, LH1406 FRA-BEG, LH1411 BEG-FRA, AC841 FRA-YYZ

Looking for new countries to visit, Serbia has been on my radar for a little while. When I found a good deal on Aeroplan business class points tickets, I locked it in. Since we booked, there had been major protests against government corruption, with the largest the weekend before on March 15th. With over 100,000 protesting the previous weekend, with a strong government crowd dispersal response, we were a little anxious, but cautiously moved forward knowing there were no large planned protests while we were there.

We typically don’t fly Lufthansa over the ocean, but did for this trip, enjoying flying in the first row of the iconic 747. Unfortunately from Toronto, we don’t get Lufthansa Frist Class, so no caviar, but flying up against the nose of the plane, below and in front of the 2nd floor cockpit, is still an amazing experience.

Mar 22

Our connection in Frankfurt was relatively smooth, and we made it to our hotel before noon, having already had breakfast and showered. After check-in and a short nap, we walked from the hotel towards the city centre to explore.

Looking across the Sava river, we can Belgrade’s old city on the horizon

Monument to the Fallen Coastal Workers commemorates the dock workers who died during WWII

Elevated promenade along the Sava river

Looking up the Sava and Branko’s Bridge that we had just walked across

Betonski Brod, one of only three surviving concrete WWII ship, built in 1943 and used now as a bar and restaurant

Looking up at Belgrade Fortress that overlooks were the Sava River forks from the Danube

One the gates entering Belgrade Fort

Looking across the Sava from the Fortress

Locals enjoying the spring-like weather in the park that surrounds the fort

Scale model of the fortification

Looking down to Kalemgdanski Park and the Sava flowing into the Danube

Some of the artifacts of the Military Museum housed within the Fortress walls

Fisherman Fountain (Simeon Roksandic, 1912) in the centre of Kalemegdan Park

Enterping Knez Mihailova Street the main pedestrian thoroughfare signs remain of the protests

Sign specifically calling out the previous weekend’s protest

Making our way up the scenic pedestrian street

Going even further back, reminder that the wounds of the Yugoslav wars are still fresh for some

At the other end of the pedestrian street a temporary art installation created by students from the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts 

Terazije Fountain in Terazije Square with the Hotel Moskva in the background. 

Hotel Moskva (1908), with its Russian style, has housed many famous guests through the years

Modern Digital Clock also in Terazije Square looks down on the lower city was originally an Olympic countdown clock, repurposed with the current time

Nikola Pasic Monument - Pasic was instrumental role in the founding of Yugoslavia and served 12 years as prime minister of Serbia

Nikola Pasic Fountain, in addition to the statue is a key element of the square also named for him

National Assembly of Serbia is the seat of government

Monument to Patriarch Pavle in front of St. Mark's Serbian Orthodox church (1940)

Constitutional Court of Serbia

Stari Dvor ("Old Palace", 1942), formally Royal Residence of the Serbian Royal Family, is now the city hall of Belgrade

The standing facade remains of the Spanish House sits just below the Gazela Bridge

After making our way back to the hotel we are ready for a glass of wine and food in the hotel lounge and ready to make up for some of the lost sleep on our flight over.

Mar 23

After breakfast in the hotel, we walk back across the bridge to the city centre to complete our long weekend of Belgrade highlights.

Residence of Princess Ljubica

Cathedral of St. Michael (1840)

Interior of Cathedral of St. Michael

Palace of the Patriarchate - the administrative seat of the Serbian Orthodox Church

King Petar I Elementary School

Rajiceva Shopping Centre on a busy Sunday morning

Kosta Taušanović (a prominent Serbian politician, minister, and economist) bust in Kalemegdan Park

More machinery from the War Museum

Looking through the Defterdar Gate towards the lower town of Kalemegdan

Chapel of Saint Petka and the nearby Ružica Church

Chapel interior

Mosaic adornments of the chapel

Mosaic mural above entrance to the Chapel

Entrance to Ružica Church - one of the oldest churches in Belgrade, with origins dating back to the 15th century

Relief panel of the Virgin Mary and child on outside of Ružica Church

Zindan Gate Complex (1456) connects to the upper town in the Belgrade Fortress

One of many historic buildings on Knez Mihailova Street

#БЕОГРАД / (#BELGRADE) sign for those who read Cyrillic 

Republic Square and the National Museum of Serbia

Rear side of House of the National Assembly of Serbia

Main Post Office Palace

Back at St. Mark's Church

Interior of St. Mark's Church

Another view of St. Mark's Church

“Wounded Soldier (1943) outside the Yugoslavia Drama School

In Slavija Square, a monument to Dimitriije Tucovic, a key Serbian socialist leader and anti-war activist who died in WWI

Near lunch we found a decidedly more modern "Cryptoformer" sculpture by Serbian artist Danilo Balević

Saint Sava statue appropriately fronts the Church of Saint Sava

Interior of Saint Save is impressive. The building’s construction actually started in 1935, paused for the war, and was only finally completed between 1984-2020

The church is the largest Orthodox church in Serbia and the 5th largest in the world

The impressive 70m dome and church are modeled after Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia

Friendly neighbourhood cat greets us along the walk

Procession makes its way through the local area around the church

Borislav Pekić Monument in Flower Square - Serbian writer and political figure

Monument to Vojvoda Vuk (1936) sculpture in Park Proleće commemorated for his Chetnik military leadership

27m high Obelisk of the Non-Aligned Countries (1961) erected to commemorate the First Conference of Non-Aligned Countries

Feeling like we’d covered everything we could cram into the weekend, we headed back to the hotel to unwind from the day.

Mar 24

As spring had been late at arriving in Toronto, and I had an upcoming half-marathon to run, before breakfast I decided to take advantage of the warmer weather and go for a long run along the river. After breakfast, we headed back to the airport and checked country #111 off the list.