The White City

Bel meaning ‘white’ and grad meaning ‘city’ is modern Belgrade, the capital of Serbia.  The boat docked early in the port area which is unfortunately under reconstruction.  It is an election year so construction is everywhere in every country!  

We were up before seven to have breakfast and set out at 8:30 for a walking tour – in the cold rain!  We did have a bus to take us up, saving us 119 slippery stairs to the main city center where later there will be shuttle bus options.  

Follow the red umbrellas!

We started our tour by walking across the many tram tracks to the Kalemegdan Citadel and Belgrade Fortress.  The walls are about 3 miles in circumference and very well preserved.  The thick gates are tripled and the interior now, for much of the space is a park.  There is a war museum featuring weapons on the outside from WWI and WWII and the Homeland Wars.

This was maybe the most interesting entrance to a fort I have ever seen.  Ii am outside the gate.  The one entreating entry.  I would have to lay down and stick my head through the hole and hopefully be accepted as a friend and not be instantly killed!

Inside the fort walls is now a public park.  Plenty of tennis and basketball courts, playing fields, walking paths and benches..

Indoor and outdoor armory museum including weapons from WWI, WWII, and the Serbian Civil War.

 The ideal location above the confluence of the Danube River and the fast running Sava River made it much sought after and it did indeed change hands more than once.  There are, of course Roman ruins, The Ottoman Empire had a foothold here, as did the Greeks.  The overlapping histories are difficult to keep straight, especially walking with some 25 people in the rain!  I am glad that Viking guides use ‘whisperers’ which are simply listening devices so that the leader can impart lots of info without me standing next to them.  I can look around, take pictures, keep an eye on which direction we are going and enjoy the tour. When I am near the front I can ask questions, which my friends will tell you I do a lot.  I then can let the group wash pass me and see everything clearly, and if I really want to I can wait them out and get what I think are the best angles for my photos.

The confluence of the Danube and the Sava River.  To the right is an island in the Danube.

The Commander's wife had this beautiful home built for them to raise their family.  It is well within the fortress walls. Fewer windows on the first floor to provide both privacy and avoid window taxes.

After about an hour we boarded our bus.  We passed some interesting things along the way as we drove to the modern St. Sava Cathedral. 

The Federation Building has hosted many politicos in the past and is still the meeting place for country business although it is not the Parliament.  Every notable person plants a tree on the property before the meeting concludes. President Obama, Mr. Trump, years ago before he was elected, and for some reason Mick Jagger all have done so.

Serbians are very proud of Novak Djokovic.  He is not only a great tennis pro but a kind-hearted and generous sportsman.

One of Tito's homes and where he is n ow buried.

We reached the Cathedral, whose dome can be seen from most everywhere in the city, is built on the spot where it is thought that the Turks martyred St. Sava in 1595 and his remains were burned.  The one link above will take you to all the places we visited.  But seeing them in person is an amazing opportunity.  St. Sava’s has been under construction for over 100 years and may someday be completed.  The guide said no one is sure which will be done first – St. Sava or Sagrada Familia in Barcelona!  It is often told as a local joke.  But both have one thing in common, for sure.  They are built as the monies flow in.  Neither really holds any debt.  When they have the money the Master Builder, who has the job as a lifetime appointment, proceeds to whatever is deemed the next most important step.

St. Sava cathedral is far from complete.  Only the upper crypt can be entered.  The lower crypt is partially completed and does contain the relics that are sacred to this Serbian Orthodox church.

This is a description of the dome.  The distance between Christ's pupils is 12 feet!

Not St. Sava but Tesla!

This morning we were able to enter the beautiful, gigantic upper crypt.  It is used for some services now as the temple isn’t ready for regular use yet.  At some point all the decoration will be covered with mosaics which are already under construction.  They are being made as whole pieces to be transferred and there won’t be much individual tiling done.  Precious stones have been sent by Russia and our guide said that if they go into the ceiling art the people will pray with their palms raised hoping wealth will fall from it.  I wish the gleamingness of the gold would show better in the photos!

But the 49 bells already ring. Some of which are made of the silver jewelry donated by believers since other metals were unavailable.  All the bells aren’t rung at once. They have the power, if they all ring at once, to be heard 10 miles away and break windows nearby.  Popes refer to the noon ringing of bells anywhere as the Bells of Belgrade! 

The ‘patio’ or walkways around the church look nice and level as they are large modern tiles.  But they are treacherous.  You never know when you step on one if it is whole, if it has been set flat to the earth, if it will seriously rock, or crack and break.  One lady from another boat fell on the step for just such a reason.  I am glad she wasn’t seriously hurt but she will be aching tonight for sure!

An interesting custom in Serbia is Saints Days.  Each family has a Patron Saint which has been passed down to them through the centuries.  Of course, there are only so many saints so many families share the same holiday.  And it is a holiday.  Family Day is honored by employers and schools alike.  When you get a job your Family Day is put into your record so that you do not work that day but are still paid.  At home the family prepares to welcome guests.  Friends come to share a feast and a party.  If your family shares St. Sava, or St. Nicholas you can expect visitors to arrive for two or three days so that they have had the chance to visit all their friends who want to congratulate them.

We had some free time ‘to shop’ so Carol and I wandered down the pedestrian street.  We are not shoppers so get along well in these moments.  We saw some pretty buildings and ducked into a courtyard where there is even a Vegan store, or restaurant.  On another back street there were market stalls.  Carol actually found a pretty magnet that featured a Serbian couple painted on glass.  She chose one that also had grapes painted in the corners. Because the friends she got it for like wine.  She tries to take them a little something every time because they will meet her at the Orlando Airport and take her home to Cocoa Beach.  Carol was going to get herself one and then pictured it being knocked off her fridge onto the condo’s tile floor!  No Thanks.

Ceiling of the court yard entrance.  Look carefully and you can see the rails of the different floors.  Glass below and glass above.

The very famous Moscow Hotel.  This must be where the Moscow cake we ate earlier in our trip originated. Agatha Christie used to stay here.

As we were approaching the port our guide pointed out a Yugo.  Then told us jokes such as: if you see a Yugo at the top of a hill what do you call it?  A miracle.  If you see two, what is it?  A mirage!

As we got back on board, Katija collected our passports.  We were required to carry them with us today.   Passports are valuable to pickpockets as we were repeatedly warned so I am glad my jacket has an inside zipper pocket.  Marigold, our guide, said that when Tito was in power the Yugoslav passport was the top one to have.  Neither the Eastern countries nor the western ones required a VISA for Yugoslavs.  Tito successfully stayed in good relations with both sides.  She said that now, if she dropped it on the sidewalk no one would even pick it up.  Marigold called it expensive toilet paper.

We got back just in time for lunch and ate in the lounge.  I didn’t see anything I really liked so had bread and salad but dessert was delicious.  Perfectly prepared PLUM CAKE!  I even put a piece in our fridge for a late night snack.

During the afternoon we opted not to go back out in the rain.  Then the rain stopped so Carol, Lori, and Janet went for a walk about and even ducked into a church for part of a wedding!  Elva didn’t feel up to another walk so we just visited with several of our fellow travelers.  I watched a young man fish in the narrow space between our ship’s floating dock and the wall.  He lost a couple of lures but was persistent for quite a long time.  Then he gave up and walked away whistling.

We had a speaker come on board to tell us the history of Serbia and the Serbian side of the Homeland Wars.  We learned that without Serbia we would all be speaking Turkish.  How the Serbian assassin of Archduke Ferdinand wasn’t really responsible for WWI. Also that Tito was a hero and without Serbia could not have succeeded.  He confirmed what we heard earlier today which is that I was mistaken if in an earlier post I indicated that Nickola Tesla was born anywhere but here! 

Note:  The previous link will confirm that he was born in Croatia!  The joint but split pride is because Croatia has a large Serbian population.  Also because Serbia controlled Croatia for a period of time.  National pride is wrapped up in politics.  And politics warps national pride!

Interesting that there is beginning to be a discussion about currents again!  Edison vs. Tesla!

When our speaker finished his one and a half hour presentation which did include Power Point slides and some brief videos, I went to the dining room to save us a table for the big Balkan Buffet.  The room was decorated with cheerful red and white tablecloths and napkins and dinner was served family style.  Carol and I went to the buffet to check out the options while the rest ordered from the blackboards to have a sample of everything.  The composed plates looked very nice.  I liked picking what I wanted because I really only needed pork roast, potatoes and naked salad.  By choosing I did not have either stuffed peppers or stuffed cabbage.  No rice, no composed and dressed salads.  Also I had delicious cherry strudel for dessert and then a scoop of strawberry ice cream with fresh raspberries and whipped cream.

Just as the bread, the cheese plates, and the charcuterie were on the table for everyone to share, after dinner the Rakija were brought to us.  A pear on was very strong so we asked for Slivovitz for Carol, Virginia and I! Much smoother, this also ended up with a few extras of each on the table and they all disappeared.

At the end of the meal Dani asked if we wanted to tour the galley.  Carol had not done that before and was surprised how it compares to ocean liners.  On the river the kitchens are amazingly small, modern, and efficient.  Chef Marcus answered all our questions and showed he had great pride in his staff and their ability to provide all the food: including snacks, specialty events, and a nice menu choice three meals a day for nearly 200 hundred guests plus the entire crew!  Interesting that the crew, including cook staff, eat an hour and a half before guests.  I also know from previous experience that it isn’t all left overs but nothing goes to waste which gives the crew lots of choices at meal time.

Quite a spice rack!

Chef Marcus was funny.  He gave us his Gordon Ramsey impression.  He also explained how if he acted like he does on his TV shows Chef Marcus would have no kitchen crew!  And the cooks are limited.  Two for each station!

Our Chef Marcus explaining the ordering system.  With the help of the e-ordering by the waiters he can track when they might be running out of something and get more going quickly.

We were the last to leave the dining room.  Carol land I spent a long time talking with Florina at the desk.  She used to be on Azamara and Royal Caribbean in positions that were also at the guest Relations.  She moved to the river because she is from Romania and her mom became ill.  Here she works six weeks on and gets two weeks off.  Once up the river and the return to Romania.  Florina commented that everyone, even in the back office has been so supportive of her family situation.  She does not think it will intervene into her ability to move up to Program Director.  There will be cross training and then when a space on a new ship opens up she will be ready.  We gave her a helpful tip. Do not go on and on when delivering information.  Don’t repeat and then repeat again and then sum it up.  Tell the guests what they need for the time being and know that it is all in the Viking Daily which is waiting for them on their beds every evening!

Elva was sleeping when I got back to the room.  I quietly got ready for bed and read on my phone for a while so that I did not have to turn on the light.