Beograd - A Real Capital

Getting to Belgrade (Beograd) was a bit more difficult than planned as the 7:30 am bus from Jajce to Banja Luka was cancelled and we had to hop on an 8:00 am combi headed to Zagreb via Banja Luka instead. And although we were dropped off 500 meters from the Banja Luka bus staion at 9:24, we caught the 9:30 bus to Belgrade, flagging it down as it pulled out of the station. Whew!

From Banja Luka we headed northeast across the Sava River plain and into Croatia. Being Saturday there was lots of roadside Spring planting activity; with shovels in household vegetable gardens and with tractors in larger fields - we even saw one horse-drawn plow.

While the combi drove through a gorge with the occasional white water kayaking course in the river below, the bus shot along a modern limited access highway, getting us into Serbia and Belgrade on time at 3:30 pm. The border controls were painless. Our feet never touched the ground in Croatia; however, we have entry and exit stamps in our passports.

Belgrade is not an easy city to navigate but we found a nice room with a kitchenette before it started raining. And then made it up to Kalemegdan Park and Fortress in a drizzling dusk for some great views.

Being a real capital, Belgrade has wide boulevards, great architecture, plenty of public transport, spacious public spaces, both up-and-coming and gentrified neighborhoods, a Changing of the Guard ceremony, and more than one McDonald's. [The single vegetarian restaurant appears (we did not eat there) to be mainly for tourists.]

On our first full day in Belgrade we rode bus #84 over the Sava River to the suburb of Zemun (zeh-moon) on the Danube River, checked out the Old Town and the amazing Art Deco former Air Force Head Quarters building, then walked the ~6 kms back to Belgrade Center following the promenades, quays, and paths along the Danube and Sava ending up at Kalemegdan Park and Fortress.

The next day we checked out some of the  main sights in Belgrade: churches, government buildings, parks, monuments, and of course returned to Kalemegdan Park.

Walking to Kalemegdan Park on our first evening in Belgrade.


The French Embassy near Kalemegdan Park.


View of the Sava River from Kalemegdan Park.


The Victor Monument.


View from the Zemun Fortress back to Belgrade.


Several photos of the very cool Art Deco airplane-shaped Air Force Headquarters, bombed by NATO in 1999.






Icarus up close.



Swans and boats on the Danube.


Here are two of the many floating cafes, restaurants, bars and hostels along the Danube and Sava.




Cyclists.


Looking across the Sava to Old Belgrade.




Sun-Ling's boots atop the fortress wall.


Looking across Kalemegdan Park to the confluence of the Sava and Danube.


Architonic murals on Skadarlija Street. We stayed on this street and can report that currently the evening music scene consists solely of acoustic folk quartets working for tips in the restaurants...Look closely at the mural - it's all in the same plane.


Republic Square - the heart of the Old Town.


Looking towards Albania Palace; at one time the tallest building in the Balkans.


The very low key guard changing.


Looking down Tasmadan Park to St Mark's Church.


Buying and eating lunch at Toma Pekara (Bakery).


Trams and buses near Slavija Square roundabout.


St Sava Temple - a very large Serbian Orthodox church. It's got dome.


The Train Station.


Our last stroll along the rivers.