Today we entered Serbia to visit Belgrade which is one of
Europe’s oldest cities. I was surprised
at how modern and lively the city was with modern shopping centres and the street
lined with cafés. Our guide Izabela made
no mention of the Croatian War of Independence.
Our coach took us through tree lined streets to the Karadjordjevic Dynasty Palace and through the palace’s spacious grounds. Serbia’s royal family, which is related to most of Europe’s royalty, has a strictly honorary position in modern day democratic Serbia however Crown Prince Alexander and his family still live in this palaces. Izabela showed us some of the public rooms of the palace followed by the adjacent chapel.
Nikola Tesla was a Serbian born engineer
and inventor known for his contributions to the design of the modern
alternating current (AC) electricity supply system. There was a bust of Tesla int the Karadjordjevic Dynasty Palace library.
We then visited Belgrade Fortress. Ancient Romans built the first fortress here
the successive conquerors and defenders (Slavs, Byzantines, Ottomans and
Habsburgs) continued to build and destroy fortifications on this site for
another 1,500 years.
From the grounds of Belgrade Fortress there is a view of the confluence of the Danube and Sava rivers on which modern Belgrade stands.
Before dinner we were treated to some local folk dancing in the ship's lounge.
No comments:
Post a Comment