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Sunday, August 9, 2015

Belgrade, Serbia - A Complex History

Nikola Grujin was the guest speaker at the educational presentation this morning. He covered the history of Serbia and the multitudes of "rulers & conquerors" over the decades. I didn't know what to expect from our tour but knew that it would be interesting. 

We started the morning with a tour of the fort on top of the hill. 


We went to the public square with the only "man on horseback" statue. 

The local technical school had a contest for the best robot statue. Reminds me of "transformers".  (I have several other examples!!)

We walked on the pedestrian walkway with cafes and shops to the Magestic Hotel for a drink. 

We also visited a church under construction. This was fascinating to see. It is expected to be completed in 20 years. 

The main interior area. 

In comparison the growth, rebuilding and recovery, we also saw the remains of a targeted bombing. At some point this will be torn down and new buildings will replace it. For now, it is a grim reminder of former conflict. 


The city is a contrast landscape of results of Hun and Turk invasions, World War I, World War II, organization and reorganization. Our guide was intelligent and witty, providing personal insight and historical details. This was a good stop. We had to take our passports with us as we were now out of the EU. The vendors accepted Euros and I understand that the country would like to enter the EU. Best wishes to all as we were treated well. 

Ladee

"There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign."
Robert Louis Stevenson

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