Serbia: Belgrade

Belgrade, Serbia: view of belgrade from kalamegdan citadel
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We spent our first full day in Belgrade exploring the major sights in the downtown area.  Milos and Jovana dropped us off at the Temple of Saint Sava, a massive domed temple that is the largest Orthodox Church Temple currently used in the world.  It is also the seat of the Serb Orthodox Church.

There seemed to be significant construction going on inside the church, although we were able to view some beautiful artwork near the altar.  The dome is enormous and was only lifted into place in 1989.  The church, while not very old, is located on the supposed burial site of Saint Sava, who was burned in 1595 by the Turkish soldier Sinan Pasha.

Serbs and NATO don't mix

Belgrade, Serbia: government buildings bombed by NATO in 1999
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From this church we ventured down one of the main streets, admiring the hectic big city feel of the downtown.  We met up with Maja who escorted us to the Serbian War Museum, located in Belgrade's primary tourist attraction, the Kalamegdan Citadel.  We cruised, uninspired, through the War Museum since it was nearly closed.

However, the final room of the exhibit was a fascinating anti-American, anti-NATO display.  The first thing I noticed was the uniform of a captured American soldier.  Definitely the first time I've seen such a thing in an overtly anti-American setting.

Belgrade, Serbia: saint sava, seat of the serb orthodox church
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Aside from the uniform, there were various pieces of equipment, weapons, and miscellaneous items gathered from downed United States/NATO aircraft, as well as details on the destruction caused by NATO bombs.  This included stories of innocent civilians killed by the merciless bombing.  Striking indeed.

Outside of the museum we toured the grounds of the fortress, originally built around the 6th century at the juncture of the Sava and Danube rivers.  Legend has it that Atilla the Hun is buried beneath the fortress, having died near his palace on the Danube in 453.  The grounds are peaceful and quite lovely, a quiet refuge from the bustling downtown.

Belgrade, Serbia: dome of saint sava
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I bought some interesting postcards from souvenir vendors in the park, several of which make reference to the 1999 NATO bombings (e.g. "Serbia at Night" postcard featuring the bridges being blown up by NATO aircraft).

I also purchased a 500,000,000,000 dinar note (yes, that's 500 billion), one of the world's largest pieces of currency ever printed and used as valid tender during the Yugoslavian hyperinflation of the 1990s.

On our way back to Milos' apartment in Novo Beograd, we walked by several government buildings that were destroyed by the NATO bombs.  The Serbs have not repaired these structures, and instead keep them in their bombed state as a memorial.

Belgrade, Serbia: sweet downtown building
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Milos, Jovana, Maja and her boyfriend all helped prepare a fantastic dinner for Rachel and me, complete with some tasty rakija and Serbian desserts.  We then hit up the town, starting at a fascinating gypsy music bar located on a river barge.

Gypsy music is hectic and hypnotic, a furious explosion of Middle-Eastern themes and constant vibrato.  The music was loud, and, curiously, the singer would sing with his back to the crowd as he sat down at a table with his friends.  Fairly bizarre if you ask me.

Belgrade, Serbia: nato was not kind to the serbs
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I truly enjoyed the gypsy band since I'll never get a chance to experience that scene back home.  But, since this is Belgrade, we were always moving to another bigger, packed, pounding club.

We took cabs out to a manmade lake near the city, popular with locals.  Around the lake there are countless open air bars (it seems every bar/club in Belgrade is located, literally, on the water), and we persevered to 5 a.m.