Sights of Belgrade

Solo exploration

It was a little cool as I ventured out for some sightseeing.  The forecast was for extreme weather of up to 27 degC, which is unseasonally hot for late October.

I called past Trg Slavija to find the airport bus, this time successfully, before continuing to the St Sava church.  Ground-breaking for the church took place in 1935 but work stopped during the Communist era and the NATO bombing in 1999.  The church appears to have been completed in 2018.

It is truly a stunning church and the gold mosaics reminded me of the Ayasofya in Istanbul.  I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

Below ground level, the crypt was stunning as well.  Normally crypts are dark and spartan but this one was rather glorious.

Exiting the church, I found a small church of the same name to the side.  This appears to be the original temporary church which was shifted to accommodate the new one.  I took a peek inside the small dark church and left it at that.

Continuing my walk, I found the St George Church and the tiny mosque-like Holy Trinity Church close to the bombed-out Radio Television of Serbia (RTS) building.  Sixteen staff were killed when a NATO missile hit the building in 1999.

I saw the historic Moskva Hotel before reporting for my free walking tour at Republic Square at 1030.

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Walking Tour

It was an intimate group of five people only today.  Our guided walk started in the direction of Skadarlija.  This part of town was the Bohemian quarter with lots of artists and musicians living here.  It’s now the touristy part of town with lots of cafes and dining.

We saw the only working mosque that’s left in Belgrade.  I asked about refugees that I’ve seen through the country.  The guide confirmed that it’s a problem because there’s so many of them sometimes sleeping in parks.  There are help centres but not enough of them.

There’s also a problem with Ukrainian refugees and disenfranchised Russians, paying top-dollar for rental accommodation and ruining the market for local Serbs.

We continued to the Belgrade Fortress.  The guide explained that the fortress was built and added on over many centuries.  The white stones are mainly from the Ottoman era while the red bricks from the Austro-Hungarian.

The view of the Belgrade area and the Danube was perfect today.  Standing over us was the statue of naked Victor, who was placed here as he was too risqué back then, in the centre of town.

Leaving the fortress, we walked along Knez Mihailova, the commercial hub of the city with plenty of outdoor dining.  We finished up at the Cathedral Church of St. Michael the Archangel.  Near here was a row of buildings which can be quite typical of Belgrade:  a Turkish era building, an Austrian one and a Communist one all in a row.

As for the Cathedral, I took a peek from the outside.  Having zipped-off the lower part of my pants into shorts, I couldn’t be bothered putting them back on for a church visit.

The guided walking tour was OK but not great.  The guide today was full of information but not over-flowing.

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What I did take away was the fact that Serbs are very resilient in today’s tumultuous times, with the Ukraine war, fuel price et.  Serbs have seen Turkish and Austrian colonisation, two world wars, NATO bombardment, sanctions, rations etc.  She grew up in an era where even having money didn’t help as there the markets and store shelves may be bare.

I guess Serbia is still rebuilding from those times.  Eg. there are some crumbling graffitied buildings here and there, the trams/buses are antiquated.

When I asked how Serbians feel about the Ukraine war, she said that there are people who take the Western and the Russian sides.  The government is neutral for now but whichever side it takes, it will be the wrong side.

Belgrade Waterfront

In the afternoon, I wanted to go to Decathlon, something we don’t have in New Zealand.  I go whenever possible in Malaysia or Europe.

Up-to-date information suggests that I can buy single tickets at kiosks or on the bus.  Both proved to be untrue and I didn’t feel like investing in a transport card for just one day.

The buses were overcrowded, the bus stops full of people waiting for buses that didn’t come.  I gave up and took a walk to the Belgrade waterfront instead.

I first reached the large construction area for apartments which are away from the Danube bank but still carry the waterfront name.   Continuing on, I found the actual promenade which was very long.  It stretched from the first bridge to the third bridge and beyond.

Belgrade Waterfront.

There were some completed apartments closer to the river and plenty of restaurants as well.  Once completed, this will be an awesome addition to the city.  But I hope some of the city’s historic architectural gems will be spruced up too.

Walking back to the hotel I passed a park near the bus station that had lots of refugees.  I couldn’t work out where they were from.  They don’t look Arab, despite the huge variations in appearances that Arabs can have from Lebanon to Sudan.  They have a hint of the Subcontinent in their appearance but I just couldn’t work it out.

Finishing up

As Skadarlija is supposed to be the most visited part of the city, I felt like my quick foray on the walking tour was inadequate.  I decided to take a walk there in case I could take dinner there.  I have some spare money which could buy more than the usual gyro from my nearby shop.

Unfortunately, at Skadarlija, restaurant prices were 3-4x of a simple meal.  I couldn’t justify it, took a quick walkaround and returned to my local gyro.  I finished my remaining money at the supermarket with cut fresh fruit instead of ice cream or dessert.

Skadarlija by night.