Belgrade, Serbia

 

Yugoslavia. What happened to Yugoslavia? I knew my mind was still a bit muddled from being sick but I was certain I had studied the country in history and geography. In sixty years, that history and geography had changed. Serbia had been a part of Yugoslavia as well as Croatia, Slovenia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovenia and a couple other small countries when it was part of the USSR which was still in effect when I was in school. A lot has happened since then and when the USSR broke apart, the countries fought for and established independence. To my mind it's all a bit complicated, frightening to think of those who had to live through it, but it is not my history and my brain is too old to take it all in and sort it out. With that, I tried to focus on the beauty of the Serbian countryside and the city of Belgrade and the magnificent palace we were to see.

Belgrade sits near the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers. We actually dock on the Sava river. When it was time for our tour, we took a short bus ride to the Royal Palace. This is where the family of King Alexander I lived before and after his assassination in 1934. It was built between 1924 and 1929.

The palace is surrounded by a peaceful serene park and the terraced view looks out to a mountain and forest.

Inside, the detailing of the decor, the painted walls, the tapestry, are intriguing and reveal much history that was made throughout the rooms including that of the Communist regime. 

Josip Broz Tito became a communist when captured in WWI by the Russians. He became the leader of the anti-facist resistance movement, the Yugoslav Partisans, who fought the German and Italian occupiers. Following the war, he became the head of government and then president of Yugoslavia, leading it for three decades. 

Tito, our guide quipped, was a nickname befitting him as "ti" meant you and "to" meant that and when he pointed to you and that it meant you better get it done. He did not live in the Royal Palace but he did use it to entertain. There was a movie room where he would seat his guests to watch his favorite westerns and he would watch them from a small balcony or hallway slightly above the room. From there he could observe who would be allied with whom and it would help him strategically as he dealt with others.

There was evidence the communist era tried to erase as much history of the past of Serbia as they could. Places where symbols of the country existed pre-communism had tried to be painted over. Our guide smiled slightly. "Of course they used an inferior paint and the two headed eagle is still a shadow that shows through."

As much as possible the palace has tried to be restored but it is difficult when records of the original artifacts are impossible to find. The lower rooms were unbelievable in the color and detailing of the paintings, the arches and the way one room leads into another. I have seen some impressive places. This was one of the best.

Along the way, we discovered that the palace is only open to groups who book a tour. Individual tours are not available so we felt very privileged to have seen it. When we finished the palace tour, we were taken to the huge fortress of Belgrade. It went on forever. The city has made much of it into a park with tennis courts, basketball and other recreational opportunities as well as just a place to sit and relax and enjoy the view of the river or take a leisurely stroll.

The Belgrade fortress was first built in 279 BC and has been destroyed and rebuilt several times throughout history. We walked through a good bit of the park but did not go into the main gate. There however, we did stop and our guide explained that in her lifetime (she looked to be mid 30s perhaps) she had been a citizen of four different nations, held four different passports, and had never moved from her home once. That statement helped to make us understand the turmoil this area of the world has experienced just in recent history alone. 

View of where the Sava and the Danube meet

After her profound statement (I found it profound), as we walked I wondered why I didn't realize all that was going on. It was my lifetime, my adult lifetime. Wasn't I paying attention? And then I remembered how it was said Nazi Germany had moved forward with their persecution of the Jews and there were those in our country who had no clue until it had gone too far. Was I that oblivious as well to what had been happening in these countries as they fought for freedom? I guess I have to admit my head was buried in trying to raise five children and put out my own fires at home, small as they were in comparison.

Well, that was a lot. But when you travel, you get a whole new perspective of the world and it is a big world with so much going on everywhere.