I've landed in Belgrade, the capital city of Serbia. It is one of the oldest cities in Europe and has a history that stretches back to ancient history. Many of the locals speak English,which is good for me as I don't speak much Serbian. Belgrade sits between two rivers,the Sava and the Danube. It also sits between Europe and Asia. This location has made it home to many different peoples with many different ideas. I think that because of all these differences this city has been the site of conflict for many years. I am staying in a hotel near the site where NATO bombs landed in the city. I've never seen a bombed out building before. It is sort of creepy to think about all of the people who have died here. I've decided to focus my stay on other things.

I learned an interesting fact at breakfast today at the local cafe. Breakfast is not a typical Serbian meal. It was introduced by Europeans at the end of the 20th century. Up until then, Serbians ate only two meals a day. These were mostly stews and soups so the only eating utensil was the spoon.

Tonight I will attend the Auteur Film festival. It was established in 1994. The subject of the festival is the 'in between' or 'the half existence'. The movies shown are paradoxes of logic. Should be fun.

The Kostolac coal mine, just east of Belgrade, is my next stop tomorrow. Archaeologists have discovered a field that has at least 5 woolly mammoth remains. French and German archaeologists are helping the Serbians dig up the mammoth graveyard. They hope to learn more about the region before the last ice age. Next, another important archaeological site is this cave near Belgrade. A part of a human jaw was found here and is 250,000 years old. Archaeologists are using this bone to help may the migration of early man from Africa to Europe.

My last stop in Serbia, will be the Smederevo Fortress. It is located just north of Belgrade on the Danube river. At one point in it's history, it was to replace Belgrade as the country's capital. I like the picture in the travel brochure and I can't wait to see the inside.