My husband, Dragan, who is a native Serb, our 11 year old son, Aleks and I have embarked on an adventure, by moving to Belgrade from England for 8 months. These are excerpts from my diary.
Our time in Belgrade is nearly coming to an end, but my blog will continue when we travel to Sicily, the USA and Canada in a few weeks time. And of course we plan to return to Belgrade to stay with family as often as we can after that.
Kalemegdan Park & Belgrade Fortress
A must see at any time of the year are Kalemegdan Park and Belgrade's Fortress, which offer stunning views of the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers. Quickly retreat from the hustle and bustle of Belgrade's city centre to formal gardens, restaurants, souvenir stalls, sculptures and stacks of history.
One evening, as the sun was setting over New Belgrade, I visited Kalemegdan Park and was pleased to discover some sculptures and activities that I was not aware of before then.
Sculpture of Despot Stefan, Belgrade's Fortress (can you spot someone scaling the wall in the background?)
The fortress is not so impenetrable these days!
Art Gallery at Kalemegdan
Archery Lessons with 'Belgrade Archery' from 11am to 11pm, Kalemegdan
Ružica & St. Petka, Two Little Churches in Kalemegdan
Cascading down the side of the Fortress are two gorgeous churches, one above the other amongst pretty gardens with roses and greenery. A lovely place to watch the sunset.
View of the Sava River from the gardens of Ružica Church, Kalemegdan
Ružica Church (little rose church), Kalemegdan
Ružica Church, Kalemegdan
Interior of Ružica Church
Fresco, Ružica Church
St Petka's Church, Kalemegdan
Mosaics adorn the interior of St Petka's Church
Enjoy some holy water as you admire the mosaics in St Petka's Church
The mosaics are full of life in St Petka's Church
Visiting one of Belgrade's many Fruit & Vegetable Market
Recently I made a Serbian conserve called 'Slatko' for the first time. Actually that was not the intention. I planned to make good old fashioned strawberry jam, because strawberries are abundant in May and June in Serbia. But my plan was thwarted, as the jam wouldn't set. Dragan, however was really chuffed with the result and said 'no worries, it's Slatko!' (a Serbian fruit conserve that doesn't set and preserves the integrity of the fruit)
Woman selling fruit & vegetables at the open air market.
Swimming in the lake at Ada Ciganlija
It's been pretty hot for weeks now and I guessed the water at Belgrade's 'Beach' may be warm enough to swim in. I caught the bus to Ada Ciganlija and went for a dip. The water was cool, but so refreshing. The lake has plenty of great restaurants, cafes, food outlets and more along its shores and I sat under a parasol and enjoyed an iced coffee close to the water's edge. It's possible to hire bikes, go water skiing and travel around the lake on a small train. There are many other activities to enjoy at Ada. It comes well recommended.
Belgradians swimming in Ada lake
One of the many cafes and restaurants lining the shores of Belgrade's 'Beach'
There's one more blog from Serbia to come, as there are still a whole lot of things we need to see before we leave! See you soon!