It was a quick week at home after I got back on Monday, but I managed to get through the school and work week without too much trouble. The days are getting shorter fast, and we’re now heading off to work and school in the dark. The weather is getting chillier, too, so it definitely feels like fall is here.
Wednesday after work, I went to a Halloween Bunco party at a friend’s house. She lives in a nearly 500-year-old house with a pretty interesting history. The house is called Hexensprung, which translates to “witch’s jump,” and is rumored to be haunted. According to the story, witches sentenced to death were held in the attic before being burned at the stake at the fountain outside the house in the 1500s. Some supposedly tried to escape by jumping from the house, and a few even survived. With all of my friend’s Halloween decorations up, it was the perfect setting for a party. I had never played Bunco before, but it was pretty easy to learn. We finished the night with a game of Left Right Center, which I ended up winning. Not a bad way to wrap up the evening!
Thursday marked the end of Ryan’s first quarter, so there was a lot of last-minute scrambling to finish assignments and get everything turned in on time. Thankfully, he got it all done!
Thursday was also Matt’s last day at his current job. His coworkers took him out to lunch, and when they returned to the school, the entire faculty surprised him with a going-away party. More than 70 people showed up, which says a lot about how much he is appreciated by his colleagues. Matt has really loved this job and has always given it his best, so it was wonderful to see how much that effort has meant to the people around him. He was genuinely moved by the surprise and came home with lots of gifts and thank-you cards. It was a really nice send-off from a job that has meant a lot to him.
Friday morning, we got up early and said goodbye to Ryan before heading to Memmingen Airport. There was no school that day, and Ryan was heading out on a camping trip with the Scouts. Matt was burning some leave, so we decided to take advantage of the long weekend and spend a couple of days in Belgrade, Serbia, where I had found some cheap flights. We arrived around noon, took a taxi to the hotel, checked in, and headed out to explore the city.
We started by taking a walking tour which started at Republic Square, the main gathering place in central Belgrade. The square is surrounded by some of the city’s most important cultural buildings, including the National Museum and National Theatre, and features a prominent statue of Prince Mihailo on horseback. It was a good starting point for exploring the historic city center.
From there, we made our way to Skadarska Street, also known as Skadarlija, Belgrade’s old bohemian quarter. The cobblestone street is lined with traditional restaurants, outdoor seating, and historic buildings. It’s particularly known for its kafanas, traditional Serbian taverns that have long served as gathering places for food, drinks, live music, and conversation. We learned that kafanas have played an important role in Serbian social and cultural life for generations, and many still embrace that old-fashioned atmosphere. Luckily, we already had a reservation at one for dinner that night.
We continued exploring the city center before making our way to Belgrade Fortress. Sitting above the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, the fortress has been a strategic stronghold for centuries. Its history reflects the many empires that fought over Belgrade, and today the grounds feature historic walls, monuments, walking paths, and great views of the rivers. The surrounding Kalemegdan Park is also a popular place to stroll and take in the scenery.
Afterward, we wandered along Knez Mihailova Street, the main pedestrian shopping district. The street is lined with shops, cafes, restaurants, and impressive historic buildings, and it was lively with people out enjoying the afternoon. This street actually reminded me a lot of Vienna thanks to its beautiful architecture. Eventually, we headed back to the hotel for a nap before our 8:00 PM dinner reservation.
For dinner, we went to Dva Jelena, a well-known traditional Serbian kafana in Skadarlija. The restaurant is famous for its Serbian cuisine, rustic atmosphere, and live tamburaši music, a traditional style of folk music played on stringed instruments and accordions. We enjoyed classic Serbian dishes while listening to the lively music, which added to the atmosphere and made the evening feel like an authentic local experience. It was a great way to end our first day in Belgrade before heading back to the hotel for the night.
Saturday morning, we decided to venture outside the city center to visit the Church of Saint Sava and the Nikola Tesla Museum. We planned to take the bus since public transportation is free in Belgrade, but we had a surprisingly difficult time finding the right bus stop. Since we couldn’t use the excuse of having to pay for transportation to justify giving up and taking a taxi, we kept looking until we finally figured it out.
Our first stop was the Church of Saint Sava, one of the largest Orthodox churches in the world. Its enormous white-marble-and-granite exterior dominates the surrounding neighborhood, and the central dome makes it an impressive sight from a distance.
Inside, the church is just as striking, with elaborate mosaics covering much of the interior in gold and vibrant colors. Even if you’re not particularly interested in religious architecture, it’s worth visiting just to appreciate the scale and detail.
From there, we walked to the Nikola Tesla Museum, dedicated to the life and inventions of the famous Serbian-American inventor. The museum houses personal belongings, historical documents, and demonstrations of Tesla’s work with electricity and alternating current. Visits are organized around guided tours that begin at set times, and the lines can get long. We just missed being admitted to the 11:00 AM tour, so we had to wait until noon for our turn.
The tour was interesting, especially the demonstrations that brought Tesla’s inventions to life. Rather than simply walking through rooms of displays and reading information boards, we got to see some of his electrical experiments demonstrated in person. It was a nice change from a typical museum visit and gave us a better appreciation for how groundbreaking his work was.
One of the highlights of the Nikola Tesla Museum was the electricity demonstration, where we got to see Tesla’s work brought to life. The guide demonstrated how electricity could be transmitted wirelessly using a Tesla coil, creating impressive electrical sparks and even lighting fluorescent bulbs without plugging them in. It was a fun, hands-on way to see the science behind Tesla’s inventions and learn more about the man who helped shape the modern electrical world.
After the tour, we took the bus back to the hotel for another nap. Apparently, our sightseeing style in Belgrade involved a lot of walking followed by a lot of napping.
Once we were rested, we headed back out to explore more of the shopping district and the surrounding streets. The restaurants and cafes were lively, and we spent more time wandering around the city center before returning to Belgrade Fortress to explore the grounds in greater detail.
That evening, we had booked the Turtle sunset cruise on the Sava and Danube rivers. We were shocked when we arrived at the meeting point and saw the old, rickety-looking boat.
Fortunately, the interior was surprisingly nice, so we climbed aboard and settled in for a different perspective of the city. We were looking forward to watching the sun set over Belgrade.
Unfortunately, by the time we got out on the water, it was mostly overcast, so we didn’t get much of a sunset. The sun did manage to peek through the clouds for a few minutes, though, which was better than nothing.
One of the highlights of the cruise was seeing the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers. Belgrade sits at the meeting point of these two major European rivers, a location that has played an important role in the city’s history and strategic importance. From the water, you can really appreciate how the rivers shape the city and how the historic fortress overlooks their meeting point.
After reaching the Danube, we headed back toward the Sava and continued upstream, passing the Belgrade Waterfront development and traveling beneath several of the city’s bridges. Belgrade Waterfront is a major urban redevelopment project along the Sava, featuring modern residential towers, hotels, shopping, restaurants, and promenades. The development has transformed part of the riverfront into a much more modern-looking district, and the illuminated buildings made quite an impression as darkness fell.
The tour guide may have been the best part of the entire trip. He had an extremely dry sense of humor, which made his commentary even better. At one point, he was explaining Serbia’s history and talking about all the different groups that had conquered or ruled parts of the country over the centuries, including the Romans, Ottomans, Bulgarians, and Austro-Hungarians. He joked that Serbia had been taken over by just about everybody and that they were now expecting an alien invasion because those were the only ones left who hadn’t conquered them. His delivery was perfect.
As we passed the waterfront, it was easy to see why people compare the development to Dubai. The modern towers and flashy new buildings looked very different from much of the older city, and the project has attracted significant investment from the United Arab Emirates. Seeing it all lit up from the river was probably one of the most impressive views of the evening.
By the time we got off the boat, we were absolutely starving. We walked very quickly back toward Republic Square and ended up at the Hard Rock Cafe. It was never our intention to eat there, but while we were looking for snacks the day before, I had noticed some appetizers on the menu that looked very familiar.
In our defense, we had never actually been to a Hard Rock Cafe before, so we figured we were due for the experience. Between being incredibly hungry and having the opportunity to eat all our favorite American comfort foods, including mozzarella sticks, wings, bang bang shrimp, and smash burgers, it turned out to be a delicious meal. I even had a margarita with a salted rim, which I hadn’t had in ages, and we walked back to the hotel feeling very satisfied.
We had an early departure the next morning, so we planned on an early bedtime. Unfortunately, we got sucked into watching About Time on the BBC. It’s an older movie, but it was so cute that we ended up loving it. So much for that early bedtime!
After spending less than 48 hours in Belgrade, I have mixed feelings about the city. On the positive side, it seemed really clean, and I didn’t see many homeless people. Of course, we mostly stuck to the tourist areas, so that may have influenced our impression. One thing I couldn’t help noticing, though, was the surveillance cameras. They were everywhere. I mean everywhere. It seemed like every few feet, there was a pole with four or five cameras attached to it. How anyone could possibly monitor all of them at once, I have no idea. Despite all the cameras, the city felt safe to walk around, even in the evening.
Architecturally, Belgrade is a bit of a hodgepodge. Some areas have beautiful historic buildings and elegant architecture, while others are dominated by aging concrete apartment blocks and more utilitarian buildings from the socialist era. Then there are the newer developments, which look like they belong in an entirely different city. The contrast makes the city interesting to look at, even if it doesn’t always feel cohesive.
To be honest, I didn’t find that there was a whole lot to do in Belgrade as a tourist. We managed to see the main sights, visit the Tesla Museum, take a river cruise, enjoy a traditional Serbian dinner, and still have time for naps during our short stay. I can see the potential for tourism, but it doesn’t quite feel like the city has fully developed into a major tourist destination yet.
I was also surprised by the prices. With the average Serbian monthly salary around €1,000, I expected restaurants and drinks to be noticeably cheaper than in Germany. Instead, many of the places we visited were priced similarly to what we would pay at home. I expected a much bigger difference, especially when it came to food and drinks.
On the other hand, public transportation being free was a nice surprise. We also took several taxis during our stay, and not once did a driver try to overcharge us or pull any of the scams that seem to be becoming increasingly common in some European tourist destinations. That was a refreshing change.
I do feel a little bad admitting that I found Belgrade somewhat boring. Serbia has spent centuries caught between powerful empires and competing political forces, and its history has been shaped by the many people who invaded, occupied, and ruled the region. After hearing so much about the different groups that controlled the area, I found myself wishing there were more opportunities to learn about Serbia’s own cultural identity and history beyond that of its conquerors. Of course, there is much more to Serbian culture than what we experienced, and spending just two days in the capital barely scratches the surface of an entire country.
Overall, I’m glad we visited and enjoyed seeing somewhere new. Belgrade just wasn’t a city that left us wishing we had more time there. We saw what we wanted to see, and 48 hours felt like plenty.
Sunday morning, our alarms went off at 2:30 AM because we needed to leave the hotel by 3:30 for our flight. We took a taxi to the airport and breezed through security, only to spend the next two hours sitting at the gate waiting for our 6:15 AM departure.
The upside of getting up at such an ungodly hour was that I was exhausted enough to sleep through the entire flight back to Memmingen. We landed around 7:45 AM and were home by 9:30, just in time for me to take another nap. At noon, I went to pick up the dogs, and we spent the rest of the day catching up on things around the house and napping.
Ryan got home from his camp out around noon and absolutely stank of campfire. It has been a cold and rainy weekend in Germany so the scouts spent a lot of time around the fire. He had to take two showers and his clothes had to be washed three times to get the smell out. He had a great time though, he really loves being outdoors.
That evening, we headed out to dinner at Gustaggio’s, an Italian restaurant where you can order pasta prepared and served in a giant cheese wheel. I’ve been wanting to try it for a long time, and it was the perfect opportunity because our friends the Collinses, who moved back to America from Stuttgart last year, were visiting.
It was nice to catch up with them and we even though we ended up closing down the restaurant, we could have kept on talking for hours. It was an amazing way to finish off the weekend with good food and good company.
