Belgrade - The city of an open heart — Wildheart Mentor & Coach

Part 2 of 2

Pinching myself again!

As I type the next blog about Belgrade city, I am watching the news about Iceland’s volcanic activity and the imminent threat of eruption.

It’s been so surreal and upsetting to hear that the town of Grindavik has been evacuated and is awaiting its destiny in suspense. Only a few weeks ago we walked the streets of this coastal township and enjoyed the hospitality of its residents.

We left Morocco and they had a terrible earthquake, and now as we left Iceland the country declared the state of emergency. You have to wonder what’s going on?!

During our stay we have learnt that Icelandic Meteorological Office has the best equipment, data and expertise on hand. The people of Iceland are in safe hands, as best as they can be, when the Mother Nature takes charge. We hope the residents of Grindavik will be able to return to their homes soon.🤞.

As I reflect on both events, I’d like to mention that we feel immensely proud to have been able to donate a good amount of funds for the people of Morocco. A few of us from the group joined forces and our tour guide has now received the money, and has been using it to directly help families impacted by the quakes. This week, 6 families were helped with goods, food, and even were able to be given some sheep to replace livestock that had been lost. Here is a photo of one of the residents in the Atlas Mountains who received our help, and who has passed his thanks to us 🙏.

Belgrade - The city of an open heart

We stayed a few extra weeks in Belgrade, we simply love spending the time in this city. We have close relatives who live here and a number of friends we like to connect with each time we come to this side of the world.

And we love being spoiled by all of them, and in particular our amazing family.

As a young girl I loved coming to Serbia to visit our family. My cousin Miloš always looked after me, and although Miloš is a couple of years older than me, I am actually his aunty! That crazy family relationship can only exist in our family! The love and respect we hold for one another and our families is as strong as it’s ever been. Our children are now great friends and they enjoy spending the time together. Seeing them chatting along fills my heart with utmost joy, it’s so so cool to watch the next generation building strong friendships. Having the family around us is the one thing we miss the most since we’ve been living in NZ.

It is fair to say Miloš and his wife Zorica went over and above anything you can think off to ensure we together create many amazing memories during our stay in Belgrade.

They organised “Pozorištijada” - a self coned term that means we have been to so many theatre performances we could squeeze in. Each and every one was so unique, and the acting second to none! We have many talented actors and producers, so much to be proud of, but I have to say Miloš Bikoviċ and Branka Katiċ stand out big time! Yes, I admit, Mr Bikoviċ is very handsome too! 😉

Croatian, “Rebel with a cello“ ( Hauser ) concert at the Stark Arena was AMAZING! His passion to show the world the versatility of the cello was incredible to watch. And then he invited the famous tennis player Ðokoviċ (who happened to be a spectator) to jump on the stage and play a saxophone with him, what a treat!

For all our Kiwi friends Hauser is coming to NZ in April 2024, get the tickets now, you won’t regret it!

Apart from the incredible cultural life we were also indulging ourselves in the best cuisine ever!

Yes, you must be a meat lover to enjoy the food in Serbia and you must allow them to keep offering you more and more food despite you being full! That’s the tradition here, and then you’ll leave a place with hands full of more food! You will never feel hungry in this country!

Our family have a family home in a small village called Klenak, an hour drive from Belgrade towards Šabac. Getting to Šabac meant I could visit my father’s grave, something I always do when I get to Europe. And I do the same for my mother each time I visit Split. It’s a special moment and one I treasure till I come back again the next time.

Going to Klenak was so much fun, and cooking BBQ on the old fashioned wood fire BBQ meant the food was ten fold more yummy! And then the home made produce, veggies, and deserts that you can’t resist!

Thank you grandpa Pajo for all your love, hospitality, culinary excellence, rakija ( grappa) and laughter!

It would not be right to tell you about the culinarily wonders and cultural shows without telling you a little bit about the city of Belgrade!

Belgrade is the capital of Serbia. The history of Belgrade dates back to at least 5700 BC. One of the largest prehistoric cultures of Europe, the Vinča culture, evolved from the Belgrade area in the 6th millennium BC.

Belgrade is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Europe and the World.

As a strategic location, the city was battled over in 115 wars and razed to the ground 44 times, including after the recent NATO bombing in 1999. Yes, that unnecessary tragedy happened too!

Belgrade was the capital of Yugoslavia (in various forms of governments) from its creation in 1918, to its final dissolution in 2006.

If Belgrade is famous for just one thing among the travel community, I’d say the Serbian capital city is probably best known for its partying and club scene, on riverboats known as splavovi.

But, I’m glad to say there are plenty of reasons why Belgrade is worth visiting.

Remarkable architecture

Perhaps the greatest example of this variety is the Kneza Mihaila pedestrian street through the heart of the city. Along it and neighbouring Republic Square you’ll find art deco, baroque and art nouveau architecture.

If there’s a must-visit attraction in Belgrade then it has to be Belgrade Fortress. Its the most significant landmark, at the confluence of the Danube and the Sava rivers. The fort is a testament to the city’s strategic importance to the Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman, Serbian and Austrian empires, and it's now the site of several museums as well as Kalemegdan, a vast park. As well as the neighbouring Kalemegdan Park, the fortress is a popular place for locals to stroll, sit and chat. It’s particularly good spot to go in the late afternoon as the sun starts to lower.

Cafe culture is so prominent, there are hundreds of places offering a really good coffee and deserts everywhere!

Temple of St Sava

Not only is it one of the largest orthodox churches in the world, but it’s quite the stunningly beautiful place and a landmark not to miss.

The church is dedicated to the founder of the Serbian Orthodox faith, Saint Sava, and is said to be built on the site of the saint’s remains. My Dad got the name after this saint.

Skadarlija

Of the various areas in the centre of Belgrade you’re bound to come across, you’ll probably find the most tourists in the vibrant district of Skadarlija. This is meant to be Belgrade’s bohemian quarter, although it seems to be full of restaurants that cater to tourists, with live music in the evening. This cobblestone pedestrian street sits between the bright and cheerful restaurants, and you can also find some subtle street art.

Belgrade Waterfront

Tucked away by the Sava River, Belgrade Waterfront is a monumental urban revitalization project worth US$ 3 billion, creating a new city centre and a new international destination.

Belgrade Waterfront project will transform this neighborhood by implementing the principles of sustainable development, creating new public spaces, introducing benefits for moving pedestrians and bringing cultural content to the heart of Belgrade. Watch this space, this complex is only 1/3 done, 6 more years of investments between Saudi Arabian businessmen and Serbian Goverment will see this place to be something else!

Museums

There are way too many to mention! We’ve had a great weather which meant we were outdoor more than usual, and we only visited Nikola Tesla museum.

Nikola Tesla, a pioneering inventor and engineer, was born into a Serbian family of Orthodox priest in the village Smiljan in 1856. At that time the village of Smiljan ( near Gospić - today in Croatia) was in a military border zone, a special region of Habsburg Monarchy under the Emperor Franz Joseph I. Known for his contributions to the development of alternating current (AC) electrical systems, Tesla held numerous patents. Despite facing financial challenges, his visionary ideas laid the foundation for modern electrical power and wireless communication technologies. It is fair to say he was way way ahead of his time!

There is certainly a lot more to share, my advice is go and visit Belgrade, you’ll be nicely surprised and amazed, it is truly a city with an open heart😊 . We loved our time here and will definitely return!

BELGRADE Photo Album