Sunday July 21, 2024

Our visit to Belgrade was incredible. It is the Serbian capital and former capital of the state of Yugoslavia, Belgrade is one of the oldest cities in Europe. Its location at the confluence of the Sava and Danube Rivers has long made it a contested region. Throughout its history, the “White City,” as its Serbian name translates, has been destroyed and rebuilt 20 times. Fortunately, the wide-reaching citadel remains, housing the Kalemegdan Fortress.

Our guide, Srdjan Ristic, was a fantastic guide with a wealth of knowledge. He also gave a presentation later this evening on board the Ullur. He shared a lot of Serbian history with us. Amazing how the five countries we visited ended their Communist leadership in the late 1980s. Srdjan is an author and shared a lot that is in his book, Yugoslavia: Utopia or Inspiration? Available thru Amazon.

We learned much about the fortress’s centuries of occupation by Turks, Ottomans, Romans to name a few. A fantastic history.

After our visit to the fortress and a little free time around town, we went to the Serbian Orthodox Church, one of the largest in the world. One of many churches we were able to visit on our cruise excursions. Most are Orthodox.