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Where to go in SerbiaPlaces I saw and recommend in Serbia: Belgrade, along with the villages and countryside in the south.
The big boys of BelgradeWhen the train jolted to a stop, I woke up in Belgrade. Surveying the city map, I was surprised to see that Belgrade didn’t rename its Kennedy Boulevard after the US bombed the city. That’s remarkable, considering that Croatia quickly changed several key street names after its independence. Maybe Serbians aren’t as nationalistic as some think. Starting from the Trg Republike (Republic Square), I walked down Knez Mihailova (Prince Michael), a pedestrian street filled with fancy stores, big men, and beautiful women whose legs never seem to end. Although Belgrade has many splendid buildings, what’s even more impressive is the number of giants walking around. Serbian men are enormous, which explains why they produce an army of world-class athletes. Meanwhile, watching Serbian women is like observing a ballet of supermodels. I hadn’t seen so many high heels and head-turning babes since the Baltic.
The pedestrian zone ends at the Kalemegdan Citadel, the site of 115 battles over the last 2,300 years. Score: 71 home-team wins and 44 losses. Its strategic location at the confluence of the Danube and Sava Rivers makes it a tempting target. The last battle in Belgrade wasn’t a traditional fight. No foreign troops stormed the city. Instead, NATO informed Serbia where and when it would drop their laser-guided bombs. A few smart bombs stupidly hit the wrong target, including a hospital. Below is a photo I took of Belgrade's former Ministry of Defense in 2010. Even though the NATO bombing happened 10 years ago, the buildlings are still in this state in 2011.
This is an excerpt of The Hidden Europe: What Eastern Europeans Can Teach Us. You should also download and listen to my WanderLearn podcast about Serbia. You might want to read about when I first visited Serbia in 2004. And read Serb comments about the chapter on Serbia. Recommended reading
Travel deals to SerbiaCheck my favorite travel sites: Interactive map of SerbiaView Larger Map
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Would you like see my 40-minute video of Traversing Spain Twice for free? Or how about getting four chapters of The Hidden Europe? And chapter 2 of Hike Your Own Hike? Get them all when you sign up for my bi-monthly newsletter below! I won't share your email with anyone. I hate spam too, so you can easily unsubscribe.
