We woke up again to a beautiful and warm morning and in another Eastern European city along the Danube river. The Viking longship moored in the port of Belgrade which was the former capital of Yugoslavia and now, Serbia's capital. Belgrade is one of the oldest cities in Europe and strategically located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of Eastern and a Western Europe. Owing to its location, It has been historically a magnet to marauding armies. The city has been ravaged and rebuilt 20 times deserving the title of most resilient city in Europe. Serbia is one of six republics that comprise the former Yugoslavia. Even Kosovo has recently declared independence from Serbia.
With everything that is happening in the Philippines, we can not help thinking that this breakup of countries may just happen likewise to the Philippines in our life time. It is not a remote possibility that sooner than expected, there will be the Republics of Bangsa Moro, Ilocandia, Luzon, Visayas etc. Sana hindi naman but federalization may put us closer to an eventual break up.
We took a city tour of Belgrade in the morning. It lasted 4 hours and showcased the unique architecture of the many monuments that lined the streets of Belgrade. The 1st stop was at the Kalemegdan Fortress located at the hilly part of the city surrounded by a parkland. The fortress reflects the history of Belgrade as it has been fought over 115 times and razed 44 times to the ground. It has been occupied during the Celtic time and dates back to the 18th century. The hillside part gives a nice view of the whole city, with the Danube river below.
Next stop was the Church of Saint Sava. It is one of the largest orthodox churches in the world. It was dedicated to Saint Sava, the founder of the Serbian Orthodox Church whose remains were burned at the site by the Ottomans in 1595. The Byzantine inspired church structure is huge and inside, renovations are ongoing.
The last stop was at the city centre, where the Prince Michael statue on a horse stands. This square is the most used meeting place of Belgraders, as they would just refer to the "horse" when they set a meeting/assembly point. The city centre is bustling with activities and with 6 Longships on dock, the city centre was a circus...excellent for tourism and revenue for the merchants. To use the washroom, we ordered sherbets at one of the cafes in the square. Butch was disappointed with the ice cream he ordered, a few scoops of sour sorbet with loads of whipped cream. There were plenty of high-end stores as well as native merchandises and we were just happy to get some shot glasses for my collection and kaleidoscope for apo Braeden.
Another exhausting day but I endured the walking tour. We decided we were done for the day and needed to rest my tired legs and knees for tomorrow 's onward cruise to Croatia where we are visiting 2 major Croatian cities, Osijek and Vukovar.
Comments