On My Last Full Day Here, I Took a Tour to Serbia's Second Largest City and Two Monasteries.....

.....It was expensive--probably too expensive--but, on the theory I'll probably never get back here, I decided to get out of Belgrade for a day.  Overall, it was a good change of pace.  We drove through some small villages and stopped at this 15th Century monastery which was particularly interesting because they were having a service when we were there (it was Sunday morning).  They were taking Communion when we were there and since I was with a Serbian guide, I didn't feel too out-of-place being there but didn't take any photos.

The next monastery was newer--17th Century--and was named Krusedol.  This area is hilly--not really mountainous--but very good for growing grapes and there are about twenty old, historical monasteries in the area.

From there we drove to a larger town called Sremski Karlovci where I wanted to buy a bottle of red wine that is only found in this region.  The town was beautiful, the weather perfect, I did a wine-tasting and bought a bottle.  Now I have to check my luggage to get it back into the US--and the added stress of hoping I don't have a broken bottle when I get there.  My guide, Bosko, is in the photo below.  Seemed a pretty good guy.

From there we went to Novi Sad, which was the main point of the day's tour.  It is the second largest city in Serbia and is very, very old.  Located on the banks of the Danube, it faces another ancient fortress across the river--the Petrovaradin Fortress

Unlike the Belgrade Fortress, this one has been developed more as a tourist spot with restaurants and street vendors.  The weather was absolutely perfect for a visit.

The Old City is located at the base of the fortress but isn't really promoted as a tourist attraction.  The "newer" city--if three hundred years old can be called newer--is across the river (Novi means "new" in Serbian.)

One unusual feature of the fortress was the old clock tower.  It is unusual  because the hands are reversed--the large hand shows the hour and the small the minutes.,  The time in the photo is actually twenty minutes until one.  They did this so the riverboat captains on the Danube below could see the hands better.  I really don't get it but it seemed to work for them

There are three bridges going from the fortress to the city.  All three were bombed out during the 1999 war with NATO.  All three have been rebuilt but the one in the photo below was relocated--the only remaining reminders of the war here.

The people of Novi Sad never understood why they were singled out for bombing during the war.  Administratively, the region was antagonistic toward the President, Slobodan Milosevik, whom most of the world saw as a war criminal plus they were located clear across Serbia from Kosovo geographically.  The bridges were bombed out, fuel storage tanks destroyed and the power plant for the city was knocked out.  And they still today aren't sure why.  But at least the old, Baroque buildings and churches across the river were left intact.

It was a good day and very relaxing--particularly after the excitement of the soccer match the night before.

Serbia was a good choice for this trip.  Several people questioned why I would want to come here, but I really enjoyed it.

I'll be home Monday night around midnight.

The Hellgrade Derby (for those interested in soccer).....

.....after having a ticket opportunity fall through yesterday, I just took a taxi to the stadium this morning and was surprised to find tickets were available.

The match tonight is known simply as "The Derby" and is considered one of the ten most intense rivalries in world soccer.  Both clubs--the Red Star and the Partisans--were products of the World War II resistance to the German Occupation of Yugoslavia.  There were two Yugoslav partisan groups--completely opposed in political ideology but united in their opposition to the Germans.  In post-war Yugoslavia the old political divisions resurfaced in every way--including these two football clubs.

Both clubs date back to 1945 but they have never, ever gotten along,  The 1989 Derby was particularly violent with a riot injuring over 200 and 54 stab wounds.  A life-sized painting of a Red Star supporter brandishing a club is positioned just outside the front office today.

One graffiti outside the stadium has a picture of a knife with the "prohibited" circle and bar across it. The security guard noticed me photographing it and came over and told me in perfect English that the words below the sign said "Knives are for pussies."

I stood in line with a group that looked like a Serbian skin-head version of the Hell's Angels  When I got to the front of the line, I couldn't communicate with the lady selling tickets behind the window and one of them told me she was asking for my passport.  To get a ticket for the Derby, you must show identification and each ticket and seat are recorded with the purchaser's name and identification.  I had my ticket but I was now in the "database."

I walked around the outside of the stadium after getting my ticket and it seemed every inch of wall had some kind of graffiti painted on it--much of it related to 1989.

I went into the team store and bought a club scarf--which I'll leave at the hotel tonight.  They sell just about anything you can think of related to Red Star.  1989 shirts with the hooded supporter were everywhere and they even have their own wine brand.

One thing I noticed in the morning is that once the supporters get their tickets,  all bets are off.  I didn't see a single turnstile in the stadium that hadn't been destroyed.

TURNSTILES???  WE DON'T NEED NO STINKIN' TURNSTILES

Reading earlier, I knew that alcohol sales are stopped four hours before the match in a 3 km radius around the stadium.  They literally took a map and compass to draw a circle and force the bars to close until after the game.

I visited the team museum and the guy in charge spoke excellent English and was really surprised to find an American who was into soccer.  The team must have close to a thousand trophies over the years and he pointed one out where they beat the Chicago Mustangs in 1968.  I didn't tell him I'd never heard of the Chicago Mustangs but the museum was constructed like a shrine--which I guess, in a sense, it is.

Looking closer at my ticket, I discovered the match was being played at Partisan--no problem, the stadium is only about 200 yards away.  I get to see two stadiums (stadia?) this way.

I take a taxi to the stadium in the evening and the place is literally crawling in police.

If somebody would tell me there were 1,000 police officers there, I wouldn't be surprised.  Inside the stadium, security was even tighter.  Both clubs supporter sections were packed--probably AT LEAST 3,000 in each section--both competing to drown each other out to the point I couldn't hear anybody around me talking for nearly two hours.  My seat ended up being right on fence with the Red Star supporters.

The match finally started and the Red Star supporters opened by igniting flares and smoke bombs.

It's kind of a cheap shot the way they do it--they ignite smoke until there is no visibility then they throw flares and fireworks at the police.  I wasn't able to see any soccer on the field until the third minute.  During this period, several Red Star supporters jumped the barrier and tried to do a pitch invasion.

As soon as that had cleared, the Partisan supporters opened up their smoke and flares.

The wind was behind them and the referee had to halt the match for almost five minutes--the players couldn't even see the goal, much less shoot against it.  It would be the first of two halts in play this evening.

Partisan scored the winning goal in the 75th minute and the stadium (their home pitch) erupted.

I got everything I'd hoped for with this match.  Chants, smoke, flares and a pitch invasion.  Fights started breaking out in the stands and I left during stoppage time to get away from it all.

Before I came here, I had thought about bringing my Dynamo jersey and wearing it but decided against it.  In retrospect, it was a prudent decision.

Tomorrow I go to Navi Sad, an old Sixth Century city and a nearby monastery.

Weather Held On My Second Full Day Here.....

.....but it was overcast and trying to rain for most of the day.

I slept in, had breakfast, and headed back to the Fortress which was closed yesterday.  I got in today and it was well worth the second effort.  The Old Clock Tower is at the entrance of the museum and the museum itself consists of two floors of military history dating back to some old Roman relics.  I've visited a lot of military museums around the world and this was one of the best.

There is so much military history here--Belgrade has been occupied by enemy armies 28 times and destroyed several times only to rise up again.    The Ottoman--Hapsburg Wars were very well exhibited and World War I was really featured--of course the war started very near Belgrade.

The museum had thousands of weapons from Swords to flags, uniforms and all kinds of weapons.  World War II and the German Occupation were also covered on one whole floor as well as exhibits from the 1999 NATO bombing campaign here.

You might remember our stealth technology was brand new back then and they shot down one of our F-117 stealth fighters--which was really a big thing at the time.  Part of the wing is on display at the museum.

One odd moment occurred at the exit.  After spending an hour or so wandering around taking--according to my camera--86 photos, I found at the exit a sign posted saying "No photography".  Oh well, wasn't going to delete them.

Since I've been here, I've noticed I hadn't seen one of the characteristic "General on Horseback" statues that is so common in European--especially Eastern European--capitols.  Finally found one today.

Came across the famous Hotel Moskva (Moscow) during my wandering today.  I had heard of the hotel before but wasn't familiar with its history.  Opened by the King of Serbia in 1908, it has been known as a world-class hotel ever since and was filled with priceless artifacts and paintings.  The Germans occupied Belgrade during WWII and the Gestapo used the hotel as their headquarters--even digging a water well inside so the locals couldn't poison their supply.  It was the last building bombed in Belgrade before the end of the war and of course all the art and artifacts had already been looted.

A walk around the streets today revealed a much different Belgrade than the drab buildings I had seen coming into the city on the first day.  This is what I had imagined Belgrade to look like.

I made a long hike over to the Church of St. Sava which has--like so much here--a sad and turbulent history.  In 1594 the Serbs rose up against the Muslim Ottoman Empire occupiers and fought under a flag featuring St. Sava.  When the rebellion was put down, the Turks raided a nearby monastery containing the Sarcophagus and remains of St. Sava as well as many ancient and priceless artifacts and manuscripts.  These were brought to this location in Belgrade and the Serb population were forced to watch as his remains and all the religious manuscripts, paintings and crosses were burned.

Three hundred years later--1895--the independent Serbs decided to build a cathedral on the spot where the saint's remains were burned.  Several wars have interrupted the construction and the interior today is not complete by any means but it is the the largest Orthodox church in the world and one of the ten largest churches anywhere.

I was fortunate to be there around noon when they rang the huge bells.  The interior is fashioned much like the Hagia Sophia which I visited in Istanbul last fall.

Since the train station is directly across the street from my hotel, I walked over and had a look.  I've always had an admiration for European trains and stations--they are still such a part of daily life over here.  I used trains a lot when I was in Germany in the army and in England going to grad school.  The one here is very typical with a restaurant and hotel located above the waiting terminal.

I remember in 1970 going from Austria through Venice to Zagreb (then part of Yugoslavia) by train and the last segment--the one in Yugoslavia--being on an old coal-fired steam engine probably very similar to this old 1943 model.

I didn't have any luck getting tickets for tomorrow night's soccer game but will keep trying tomorrow.

It Was Pouring Rain When I Woke Up This Morning But I Headed Out Anyway......

.....and the day turned out to be beautiful.

The hotel had a pretty good breakfast and I went back to the room until about 10:00 when the rain slowed and I grabbed my umbrella and headed back up toward the Kalemegdan Fortress which sits high above the city at the confluence of the Sava and Danube Rivers.

The fortress is really old.  It's thought the Celts were the first to fortify this bluff before they moved on to France and eventually Scotland and Ireland.  The fortress is also huge and has been occupied by Romans, Turks, Hungarians, Austrians, Germans and the Soviets over the centuries.  It did avoid being bombed by NATO IN 1999.

A couple of the several fortified gates into the complex.

The views of the rivers and modern-day Belgrade are really nice.

For two thousand years, various occupying armies have been fortifying and adding to the fortress walls.

One of the few remaining Turkish monuments and remains of the Muslim occupation years--a memorial to a Turkish sultan.

I spent probably three hours prowling around the massive fortifications.  The military museum was closed but I'll probably return tomorrow or at least before I return home.

The Church of St. Petka is located within the fortress over a spring that is considered to have miraculous powers.  The entrance is distinguished by the life-size figures of a Turkish soldier and a Crusader.

The Rose Church of Our Lady is relatively new--the original church was destroyed by the occupying Muslim armies during the Ottoman Period.  Originally designed as a military chapel, the newer building is characterized inside by ornate and beautiful tile mosaics of Christ.  Again, no photos were allowed.

I headed back into town in early afternoon and visited the Knez Mihailova--a street that has been turned into a pedestrian mall with boutique shops and outdoor restaurants.  I had lunch there then walked around just looking mostly at the buildings.  This area of Belgrade is so much nicer that the area I saw around the train station yesterday.

Bought a couple of souvenirs and headed back to the hotel.  Turned out to be a pretty good day.

Found My Hotel Fairly Easily After a Relatively Problem-Free Trip Over Here......

.....everything I've read warned of taxi scams at the airport--prices of up to $40 to the city center, so I researched and found the A1 Line bus stopped across the street from my hotel and only cost $3.12 so I left the airport, found the bus immediately, and got off at my stop downtown.  I had to look a little for my hotel which was maybe 100 yards away but they don't have street signs here.

I was hoping for the best with my hotel and it worked out fine.  I booked it online and my reservation was waiting for me but they seemed a little surprised to see me walk in with a backpack.  It's a really nice, clean room--completely refurbished--with breakfast and Internet and around $66 a night.  The Internet is a little sketchy but works really well in the elevator lobby on my floor and they have couches there.

Belgrade City Hotel

I unpacked and took a quick walk along the Sava River--Belgrade is at the confluence of the Sava and Danube Rivers--to the old fortress but it started raining and was getting dark so I just basically started getting my bearings around the Old Town.  I'll explore more tomorrow.

Belgrade so far is nothing like Zagreb.  The city has seen better days with lots of what I call old Soviet-style architecture--much of it bare concrete.  And many of the painted buildings were painted concrete-grey--which in overcast weather does look kind of dreary.

It was raining pretty hard when I got to the Belgrade Cathedral when I got there so I spent a little time inside.  They don't allow photographs inside and I try to respect those requests, but it is, as you'd imagine, very ornate and beautiful inside with lots of gold-tint.  The Serbian Orthodox Church places a lot of emphasis on the Saints, so the artwork inside was very icon-oriented.

A urban monastery is located across the street.

I changed into dry clothing at the hotel and ate at the restaurant there which I thought was amazingly good and very reasonable although almost deserted when I was in there.

Serbian beer has a reputation as being very good and I found that to be true tonight.

Tomorrow I'll start over with the Old City and hope for better weather (I did bring an umbrella with me).