Described as: "Farthest East of the West and Farthest West of the East", it's easy to see that Belgrade has always held great strategic importance. So much so that, between the Turks and the Austrians, they've had to use all the ingenuity they have to preserve their culture. This they have done and they are very(!) proud of the fact. Apparently over the city's 2,300 years of history it has been destroyed no less than 40 times.
  
In spite of all the chaos and ongoing struggles with the region of Kosovo (populated by mostly Islamics who want to separate from this Orthodox country) there is a serene beauty in this city with lots of green parks and beautiful vistas overlooking the Sava and Danube Rivers. On this sunny Sunday there are lots of families walking together and teenagers hanging out at Republic Square not far from the obligatory McDonalds and a number of high end clothing shops.  

 So hard to imagine that as recently as 1999, NATO bombed many areas of Belgrade in an effort to stop 'ethnic cleansing'. Our tour guide seemed to be quite confused by that action saying that there were atrocities committed on both sides and they really didn't deserve to be bombed especially when you consider the majority of the people in Belgrade hadn't voted for the president anyway. 

As the tour bus slowly went by two bombed buildings (that will be left as a reminder) everyone was silent. I was thinking back to our experience years ago at the Hiroshima Memorial with the shell of a building silently left to remind the world of the devastation of war. What is the use of intervention when the blame game is still going on? Were there any lessons learned here or do they just want to forget?
  
Massive demonstrations against Slobodan Milosevic in 1991, against election fraud in 1996 and 1997 and again after the 2000 elections (over half a million people showed up for that one) seem to show continued unrest. Kosovo declared it's independence in 2008 without Serbia's approval. In fact Serbia still wants to get back the once deeply Orthodox area and get rid of the Muslim population in spite of the fact that 93 members of the United Nations agree Kosovo should stand alone. The Serbs will say how important Kosovo is to their history in one breath and then, in the next, admit that very few people attend church any more.

Though they don't go to church it hasn't stopped them from building the Cathedral of Saint Sava, the largest Orthodox Church in the world. It will be some years before it is actually completed on the inside but that doesn't really matter. The small Orthodox church next door is plenty big enough for the congregation.

On the hill overlooking the Danube and Sava Rivers stands the once mighty Kalemegdan Fortress. As it says in our tour brochure: "It has been expanded, destroyed, rebuilt and modified." That translates as a beautiful expansive park with some newish walls thrown in for effect. Still, standing at the top of the hill, you can imagine the centuries of history beneath your feet. From the Vinca culture in the 6th millennium BC, then the Celts, the Romans, the Slavs and, of course the Ottoman Turks. There were a few other neighbouring conquerers but I thought I'd just throw in the ones from afar. On one of the hills are bunkers left over from the first and second world wars. At the most scenic part of the park there is a statue called "Victory Monument" raised to commemorate a WW1 victory. Basically a naked man on a pedestal that is placed so close to the edge you can only get a view of his back side. Apparently that makes him quite the tourist attraction. 

I can't leave this blog on Belgrade without mentioning Tito. He was not born here but he is buried here as a hero. On our tour it was mentioned that Tito took no salary as leader and, when he died, he left little money for his family. The country decided to put his wife under house arrest accusing her of treason. This was later rescinded but it meant she spent 20 years of her life in poverty. When we were in Serbia she was near the end of her life and pleading with the government to be buried next to her husband. The matter had not been decided. When I got home I found she had indeed passed away and was granted her wish. I only hope she was told before she died. Such a sad way to end that chapter in the life of Serbia.  
Well..... back on the boat. Shane and Larry are heading off on a bike tour while Ruth and I enjoy some R&R.