Two things become immediately apparent when visiting Serbia. Firstly, food portions here are massive. Secondly smokers are everywhere and even dining alfresco is marred by cigarette pollution. Dining inside is unbearable for a non-smoker. Fortunately lunch on arrival in Belgrade was outside in a sparsely patroned restaurant. In the Old Town Skadarlia is the Bohemian quarter lined with cafes and restaurants. Sadly it is only 400 metres long.
Belgrade interestingly is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world with uninterrupted occupation going back to the 6th millenium BC. It is a modern European capitol but surprisingly light on with historical buildings and features.
We start our exploration at Republic square.
Sunset was at Belgrade fortress. Situated strategically and picturesquely above the junction of the Sava and Danube Rivers it has layers of history dating back to Celtic peoples in the 3rd century BC through the Romans and various occupying forces through the middle ages. The present structure was started by Hungary’s Bela 1 in the 11th century and extended by Lazarevic in 1402. Impressive, it is an enjoyable conclusion to our day in Belgrade.
The final attraction is the Church of St Sava built as the main cathedral of the Serbian Orthodox Church. Started in 1935 the combination of WW2 and communism meant tha it was not completed until 1984. This is one of the largest churches in the world with the dome modelled on Istanbul’s Hagia Sophis. The inside is breathtakingly beautiful.
