Belgrade
Energetic and radiant
We arrived to Serbia's capital on a short flight from Sofia. The flag carrier, Air Serbia, was very good and punctual.
The Uber ride from the modern airport to the hotel was well symbolic of what our visit to this reconstructed, vital and nationalistic Eastern European capital would be like. In fact, the entire highway was lined with flags and national symbols. Their nationalism is understandable in their intricate history of wars, dating back to a couple of decades ago. Perhaps that makes them so vital and full of energy. Their women look stunning and their muscular men show off their athletic bodies. We don't think that's because we visited on a midsummer weekend. But we certainly noticed it much more active and advanced than other Eastern European capitals, such as Bucharest or Sofia, and even Zagreb itself, the capital of the country with which they fought so much.
We even found it very elegant, with distinguished buildings left over from the time of the Russian communist occupation, such was the case of our accommodation, the Moskva hotel.
In addition, we found it to be well advanced, perhaps because of that first impression of a modern and well-connected airport. The importance of good access...
Although their super nationalism is noticeable, we also find them open, ready to guide the tourist. Also particularly without resentment to Argentina, a country that helped its rival Croatia in the Balkan war.
“Kosovo is Serbia” is the first sign you read as soon as you leave the airport; ‘the only genocide was against Serbia’, asserted another large banner in the central square of the Republic.
The Republic of Serbia was an independent kingdom, part of the Ottoman Empire, of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia and later of the Republic, dissolving with the bloody Balkan war. In its history it is known for the dictator Josep Tito and for Slobodan Milosevic, the Butcher, who died in The Hague during his trial.
It is currently in conflict with ethnic Albanian Kosovo, which it considers its province. Among its celebrities are the eccentric Nikola Tesla, discoverer of alternating current (radio, x-rays, etc.), and the tennis player Novak Djokovic.
Its capital, Belgrade, is the White City. The city that knew how to rebuild itself on its rubble, which is why it is often ignored by tourists for its supposedly few attractions. It was burned and razed to the ground by the Ottomans in 1500, with constant insurrections until the Serbian reconquest, which demolished it again. Bombed in the First and Second World War, and in 1999 by NATO, it has breathed peace ever since. It is not yet part of the European Union, and is perhaps the city with the most nightlife on the continent.
Its currency is the Serbian dinar, but on short visits like ours, there was no need to change currency as credit cards are accepted everywhere, even with contact less.
Leaving the airport, we activated the Yandex Go app, which we already had downloaded on our phones, and ordered the car. A kind of Uber. The driver knew how to contact us in very decent English during the trip, showing his national pride.
We arrived in the area of Terazije Stari Divor, to check in at the famous Moskva Hotel. A great establishment of the year 1906, whose name honors the Russian capitals that gave it construction. It is one of the most beautiful buildings in Belgrade, with a great view of the Sava River and Novi Beograd, close to two other traditional hotels (the Balkan and Kasina). In former times it was the headquarters of the Gestapo, the Nazi secret police that with its withdrawal looted everything, paintings, furniture, crockery. Later with the reconstruction, the hotel and its famous restaurant were the center of the cultural elite.
We were assigned a two-story room overlooking the river, but soon we were ready to go for a walk and take advantage of the short time we had in the city.
We started at Terazije Square, in front of the hotel.
We passed by the Albania Palace, the first skyscraper in the country from 1940, then by the Terazije Theater. We reached the Square 9 hotel, by the brilliant architect Isay Weinfeld. We had stopped in Brasilia at the Hotel B, also of his design, so we wanted to see his work in the Serbian capital.
We walked about less than half an hour along Kneza Mihaila to get to see the sunset at Pobednik. The Kalemegdan means the fortress of the battlefield. The neat park was full of Serbs taking advantage of the nice weekend weather. In the same park is the old fortress, which offers very good viewpoints.
Especially in the area where the sculpture Pobednik, the Victor, with a dove and a sword commemorates the Serbian victories against the Turks and the Austro-Hungarian Empire in the First World War. The viewpoint offers a panoramic view of the confluence of the Sava (the longest river in the Balkans) and the Danube (the second longest in Europe, which connects it with the sea).
We return along Knez Mihailova street, a pedestrian street with lots of nightlife, to the Republic Square.
At the hotel's Tchaikovsky restaurant, a classic of the city, we tasted the Moskva Snit, famous fruit cake and its Turkish coffee in džezva.
The next day, after a great breakfast, we walked along Kraljice Natalije and Nemanjina streets towards the ruins of the Ministry of Defense, after the NATO bombing in 1999.
It is thrilling to walk through the building block of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, where the authorities have deliberately left the ruins of the old Ministry of Defense building.
Another walk took us to the gigantic St. Sava Temple, one of the main orthodox churches in the world. It has been under construction since 1935. It is named after the first archbishop of Serbia in 1200. In the interior dome, it shows the typical Christ Pantocrator, very orthodox.
Passing by the Church of St. Mark, also orthodox and rebuilt after the Nazi destruction in 1941, we met the arrival of a bride and groom. We were enchanted by the scene of musicians playing to the lovers, she a Barbie in a very suggestive dress and he a huge muscular Serbian that was scary.
After the break we headed to the National Museum, on Republic Square. It was Sunday, so admission was free. After the very interesting visit, we headed to the bohemian and gastronomic Skadarlija neighborhood, following a short walk of about ten minutes.
From there, we were tempted to visit the fashionable area, Silosi.
In the middle of that desolation, we reminded each other that if it were not for being in Europe, such a feat would be unthinkable. But the truth is that we felt absolutely no insecurity at any time. On the contrary, when we arrived that Sunday evening we were surprised by the liveliness of the place. They are old silos intervened by artists with extraordinary murals. There are bars, street food and even a cultural center that offered a complete exhibition on the history of the Olympics. People of all ages, dancing, enjoying drinks and contemplating the sunset with the extraordinary view of the river.
We had dinner at a restaurant in Skadarlija, where we tasted the best hamburger in the world according to Mr. @tripticity_, called pljeskavica, accompanied by a traditional bread stuffed with cheese and sprinkled with sesame seeds. It is undoubtedly the national dish par excellence.
We agreed on how much we had been surprised by the city and how much fun we had had, despite the long walks along its large avenues.