Belgrade, Serbia-- Part 2-- MUCH Improved!

 After my initial, not terribly favorable, experience of Serbia, I am happy to report that everything DID, in fact, improve overall. 

For starters, not far from my airbnb--in fact, only a 20 minute walk--is a man-made lake called Ada Ciganlija.  I had a heavenly swim there, as well as a nice conversation (via Google translator) with a lovely Russian family (who kindly guarded my backpack for me as I took my long swim).

I figured out that I could take a local bus into the center of town, where I went on an entertaining walking tour and also explored the sites on my own... the town is full of beautiful architecture and expansive parks. 

Best of all, though, was having lunch with Mukti, husband Narayan, and son Narada. It was wonderful meeting them--spending time with this Serbian Ananda family-- and sampling some wonderful (vegetarian) Serbian food. 


Part One: Ada Ciganlija-- the lake where I swam (and had a drink in a lakeside cafe)


The shield is seen everywhere in Belgrade... not sure why... 



The beach was a strange, rocky one..not terribly pleasant to lie on, especially because it was very hot and I did not (as few people did!) have an umbrella for shade. Still... the swim in the cool, heavenly water made up for the strangeness of the beach! 


Part Two-- The Famous Belgrade Fortress -- Built in the middle ages initially (but subsequently and repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt), the fortress consists of the old citadel and Kalemegdan Park, on the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers. Located in Belgrade's municipality of Stari Grad, the fortress constitutes the historical core of the city. It was originally protected right after World War II, and was among the first officially declared cultural monuments in Serbia. It is the most visited tourist attraction in Belgrade. Since the admission is free, it is estimated that the total number of visitors (foreign, domestic, citizens of Belgrade) is over 2 million yearly.   (NOTE: as so often happens with Blogspot, there is a technical glitch...this time, one that is not allowing me to put captions on the subsequent photos...sorry!!) 


























Part Three-- historical center of town-- lots of lovely architecture!  (still not able to do captions... so hope you can simply enjoy the visuals!) 




















Below:   NOT old, at all...but iconic of the new and modern Belgrade...hidious, if you ask me! Looks like a giant screw.... !!!




Part Four-- the lovely meal with Mukti and family! (great vegetarian fare, great company!) 




Part Five--final part-- the Tesla museum: wrong timing for the English tour...so wandered on my own... only 4 small rooms...frustrating not to get explanations, and using the handles to try the presumed interactive machines was prohibited! Go figure... still, there were some interesting gizmos to look at, even if I had no clue what they were! (Tesla's ashes, by the way, are contained in the strange gold "orb" urn you see in one of the photos below...) 


                                


























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