Passage To Eastern Europe Viking River Cruise
Sunday, November 06, 2022 - Belgrade, Serbia
The day's statistics:
- Weather: rainy morning, mid-50s and overcast the rest of the day
- Steps: 12,823 Linda; 15,074 Steve
Breakfast was with Ron and Joan from NY.
We ate a lighter breakfast - moreso me than Linda - due to last night's buffet overload.
Today's excursion was "Panaramic Belgrade" - a combined bus ride and walking tour of the city.
After breakfast, we boarded our bus at 8:30 for departure.
Our driver was Sasha, and our guide was Lijba.
We drove down "Embassy Road" - where there were a lot of embassies - but we didn't get too many pictures
due to the speed and that some were on the other side of the bus. But we still saw some sights, including
a couple goverment buildings such as the Prime Minister's office, and some churches.
Our first major stop was at Saint Stephen's Cathedral, the largest church in Belgrade, and southeast Europe.
When we arrived, it was 11:00 AM, and the church's 49 bells, made in a town in Ensbrook, were tolling.
Because it was rainy, the dome was a little covered with fog.
On our way to the cathedral, we passed the national library.
We were getting closer. The largest cross, on the top of the dome, is 12 meters (40 feet) tall and weighs 12 tons.
The dome was constructed on the ground, then raised to the top of the church in 8cm (2 inch) increments. It took a
year to raise it all the way.
Some close-ups of the outside, starting on the side and making our way to the front.
It was busy at the church - but that was because it was Sunday morning and people were heading to service.
This "side church" was used while the cathedral was being built.
Above the entry doors are mosaics of Saint Savas, Jesus, and Saint Savas' father.
We finally entered.
Since there was a service taking place, I put the camera on silent shutter so as to not disturb anyone.
The chandelier is huge - 10, 12, 15 meters across.
Those attending service - like in most, if not all - in an Orthodox church stand for the duration of the service and
they do not sit down, or kneel.
Since service was underway, there was some singing taking place.
Looking up at the inside of the dome, regular, and then a couple zoom-ins to show details. Notice that
the four angels around the center appear to be holding up the sphere that Jesus is sitting in.
Some more sights of / from inside the church.
A shot of the altar area - which is actually behind the front "wall".
These last ones are special because of how they were created (not the image, the work of art...). The technique was
to place gold leaf between two plates of glass, heat it, press it, break it, and form a mosaic.
We finished our time inside and headed out. The doors in the middle were probably 20 feet tall. All the
doors had prayers on them and the doors on the left had a prayer written in eight languages. The last
image is a stitch of one of the middle doors.
We started our walk back to the bus. We passed a monument to Nicolai Tesla, and a small seating area next to it.
After a convenience stop, we boarded the bus, and headed to our next destination.
This fountain in the middle of a roundabout was turned off for two reasons. 1) It was late in the season and would
have been turned off regardless of the the second reason. 2) There is a growing energy crisis in the region, primarily
due to the war in Ukraine, and it was shut off to save energy.
Some other sights.
This building - the Military Academy Building - being hit by a Tomahawk missle, was left as a reminder of the war.
And more sights.
Our bus stopped a block away from the pedestrian street where there was a lot of shops.
We walked from the stop to the street. We came across a marker in the street.
The pedestrian street.
Our guide took us a little way up the street, then all the way almost to the end, near a vertical mall.
We were given about 45 minutes to spend on our own.
Near where we were to meet was a Starbucks and David stopped in to get his souvenir city coffee cup.
In Romania, they were called "Mega Image". In Serbia, "Maxi". Regardless, they are Food Lion.
Linda and I walked the length of the street again, stopped for our shot glass, postcard, and a pen, at a location
at the far end, and made our way back to the mall.
In addition to gas prices, we sometimes capture pictures of
the golden arches menu because it is rather standard. There was an arches in this mall.
Here, a 6 piece nuggets is 450 Dinar, or $3.87 at the time of our trip.
When the mall was being build, there were some Roman ruins uncovered. After the experts were brought in,
it was determined it was safe to continue building the mall. Rather than destroy the ruins, a plexiglass
cover was put over them to allow them to be viewed.
The top floor of the building across from the mall is the Art Institute.
As we walked to our next destination, we passed the library.
We scurried across the street and entered a park. Right at the entrance to the park was this
interesting manhole cover.
Within the park there were a number of monuments and statues
dedicated to various artists, mostly of the literary field.
Near the entrance to the fortress grounds - yes, another fortress - was this monument titled
"The Monument of Gratitude to France".
The fortress clock tower from next to the monument.
We were visiting the Kalemegdan Fortress.
Just inside the entrance was an outdoor dinosaur display / park.
We were within the inner gate and getting closer to the main grounds.
The main gate door is probably 12 to 15 feet tall, thick, and has an iron sheet coating on top of the wood.
This is a dent from a cannonball.
On display in the dry moat is some military equipment from past wars.
We were passing through the last gate, through the last wall.
At one time, the entire city was within the walls of this fortress.
Finally inside the fortress. We walked across the fortress, viewing some sights including a small chapel, to the
opposite side where we overlooked the confluence of the Sava and Danube Rivers.
There was a small mound that helped - ever so much / little - wtih seeing a little better.
Here's a stitch of the confluence. There isn't a problem with the stitch, there is actually an island
in the middle of the river.
One of the ramparts, a closer-up, though it is really included on the right end of the stitch above.
The marker for the specific spot where the Sava river meets the Danube river.
This statue is of a nude soldier, with his sword pointed down signifying victory - specifically WWI. When the
statue was first erected, it was in a more prominent location - but due to backlash of having a nude displayed
in such a manner, it was moved to the remotest part of the city that it could be. And it is facing away.
In the lea below our vantage point is where the support staff lived.
At one time, the gun powder was also stored in the area below. During one of the fights, one of the storage units
was hit causing a chain reaction of explosions that ultimately leveled the entire village - which is why there are
no ruins on display there.
Our history lesson was coming to an end and we headed back to the exit gate.
Near the gate was this large, old cannon, with the royal seal on it.
We walked back to the bus which was just a couple blocks away.
There was a gate adjacent to the bus.
Some sights on the bus ride back to the ship. Most of these are here because they looked interesting, be it aparticular design
or an architectural element, or even a church. Here, as well as elsewhere, are a couple shots of "everyday life". There were a
few sights - statues, buildings - that aren't here because of blurriness or just plain "missed it" (like more of the Embassies).
We passed back down Embassy Road, and I was able to get some shots, though we may not know what they all are.
The French Embassy.
The Serbian Embassy.
We arrived back at the ship, dropped off our coats, QuietVoices®, and the camera in the cabin, and headed
to the restaurant for lunch.
We sat with Albert and Michael from L.A. (CA), and Kent and Jennifer from PA.
The menu.
Linda had the Cream of broccoli soup, Asian coleslaw salad, and Vanilla parfait.
I had the Assorted crudité platter, Trofie alla Genovese, and Chocolate chip sundae.
We headed back to the cabin to freshen up before our next excursion.
"A most wonderful afternoon ladies and genetlemen..." Adrian started to notify the passengers of the departure for
the next excursion. We grabbed our coats, QuietVoices®, and the camera, made sure we had our room keys and
tickets, and headed out.
The 24 of us boarded at 3:00.
At the beginning of the drive we departed the city for our the destination.
As we crossed the bridge, I got a shot looking back which shows how foggy and overcast it was.
Continuing on.
A large farm.
We arrived in town.
Our destination was the Naive Art Colony and Gallery, called Kovačica. More info can be found online at
their website.
This colony was established in 1939 and brings together artists that have had no formal training in painting.
Some of the pieces are extremely well done for someone that is untrained. Today there are over 1,000 paintings and
works on display. There is a main gallery, where we started, and about a half dozen studios on the property too.
Most of the art is paintings, but not all of it.
One painter, Zuzana, was known for painting a girl in a pink dress in most of her pieces.
The girl in the pink dress was not real and Zuzana called her the "daughter of her dreams".
Some other pieces.
We had a snack of poppyseed strudel.
In the room with the snack was this large work - probably 2.5 meters by 3.75 meters (about 8 feet by 12 feet).
What makes this special is that it took about 20 artists in all to complete it - though it looks like it could have
been done by one- one section at a time, over the course of a couple years.
We exited the main gallery and visited the first studio nearby. It was a smaller studio and the entire group
didn't even fit in it. We then headed toward one of the other studios - the one at the back in this shot.
This poster has pictures of all the artists, living and deceased, that have items on display at the community.
What was on display in this studio.
These pieces were particularly interesting because it might seem there are doves flying into the air,
but it turns out they were angels / spirits.
A poster advertisement for the colony that we passed on the way back to the bus.
Less than ten minutes down the road we paid a visit to an artisian that hand made and repaired violins, in a workshop
in his home. His name is Jan Nemcek.
A couple of the shots in this section are a little blury as the room we were in was a little small - though we
all fit in it - but I was trying not to monopolize the artisan's time by, say, taking multiple pictures of
something he held up. But the point is made nonetheless.
The front balcony and house number plate were adorned with violin silhouette.
We walked through the gate and to the door in the back of the house. It was a nicely appointed property.
He and his family have been involved in the violin industry since 1945. Our host was the second generation, and
he was training his son, who would be third.
His violins are made from maple, either tiger skin or birds eye, and spruce.
The wood is cut, then shaped, chiseled with an ash handled mallet, planed with a small plane,
planed with a tiny plane, then, finally, sandpapered.
The final wood piece is between 2 and 6 millimeters (0.08 to 0.25 inches) thick.
There are 10 layers of varnish applied to each instrument. It takes 200 hours (about 200 hours...) to finish a violin
after the sanding is done, most of that time due to the application of the varnish which is done over the course of
a ten month period of time.
The violin strings don't actually produce the sound - the sound comes from the wood itself. That makes getting a
quality piece of wood very important.
Violins are made to order, and payment is not made until the musician is satisfy with the final product.
When a repairperson fixes an instrument, they put their name on the inside as a record, along with the maker. We
were shown an older sample that had five names on the inside.
Some of the instruments he has repaired include one from 1510 - the oldest - and another from 1687. Some
instruments being repaired, and others being made.
This instrument had a unique end on the fret (a little blury).
This instrument had some artwork on the back of it.
The smaller instruments are made for younger musicians, such as those aged 6 through 11 as these examples show.
Every once in a while an especially small sample is made. The collage also shows, in separate photos, the three
generations of violin makers.
Most of the maker's work is with violins, but he also does work with violas. His wife actually did the embellishment
on this sample.
The maker played a brief tune for us (autofocus isn't perfect...).
During our visit, Lijba, asked if any knew how to play the violin. Someone may have [mistakenly?] raised their
hand... while this musician may not be as good as the maker, he was at least able to play some of Twinkle Twinkle
Little Star. There is no video, but that is clearly NOT my fault!
If I knew I was going to be asked to play, I'd've practiced...
The visit was over, and on the way out, we passed this old sewing maching being used as a lamp table.
We had another less than ten minute drive to the next stop.
This brief stop was at the memorial house of one of the painters from the naive colony, Martin Jonas. At age 21,
he started painting and became a highly decorated artist. He was one of the founders of the gallery.
The house was set up as it was from the period not that long ago. The small five room home had a lot of artwork
on the walls, and one wall had a large number of painted plates on it.
The quick visit was over and it was time to get back on the bus.
The sun had already set and it was rapidly getting dark. Near the Jonas house was this church that I tried to get
an artsy sort of shot - that didn't really work.
After the evening's port talk, we went to the restaurant for dinner.
Tonight we ate with Michelle and Marty.
First, the menu.
Linda had Cevapeici & ajvar, Karadjordje schnitzel, and Walnut carmel cake.
I had Cevapeici & ajvar, Karadjordje schnitzel, and Cupavci.
We sat and chatted for a little bit and then headed to our cabin.
After dinner and hanging out in the room for a little, I went up to the top deck for a couple pictures.
A church's clock tower amonst the evening mist.
Across the river from the ship is this - we were told at the fortress earlier - party boat.
The bridge is lit up in the colors of the contry's flag.
Fun fact:
- They say "good evening" after the sun sets, not after 6:00 PM like we do in the U.S.