People and architecture around Belgrade

Hotel Dristar dock

Silistra Bulgaria

добър вечер dobŭr vecher = Good Evening

It is 8:30 pm and it has been a long day. We left Ruse at 8:30 am, made a quick stop for water at a restaurant dock, and arrived at Silistra about 4:30. We relaxed at the hotel restaurant patio and then hiked off for the grocery store. Rick vaguely remembered from 3 years ago where the market was, but it must have moved as we didn’t find it. But a school kid on a bike lead us part of the way and then two “older ladies: were tickled at the question when they understood and pointed us further along. No one understood supermarket or grocery store but when I asked for Lidl they all knew what we wanted. Lidl was “an arms wave far away” but they did point us to a Kaufland which I like better than Lidl. I had a half dozen people helping me get my cucumbers “do it yourself” weighed and stickered but the авокадо no one could find among the fruit and vegetable images on the scale. Finally I looked at the авокадо bin and guessed it was by piece and not weight and that’s what one woman told me in Bulgarian and a man told me in German and I understood both because I knew what they must be saying. Guess what авокадо is? They are green and the base for guacamole.

This email is the next to last of the Belgrade series. But they are mostly photos and very little text.

I had no preconceived notions about Serbian people, or Eastern European people in general. My impression is that I like them though the meetings were very brief. Usually tour guides, some Belgrade friends of Rick’s or Emilia in Vidin.

In the Fortress and Kalemegdan Park

Pals taking a double selfie on the Fortress wall overlooking the Sava River.

Readers in the park.

Chess tables were set up in the park

Ping pong table too.

Smiling at my camera?

Tending the roses in the park

Knez Mihailova Street : Prince Michael Street

The place to go if you want to shop. We didn’t, so didn’t spend much time there. We basically walked through on our way to Republic Square for the start of our walking tours. I do wish they’d had a tour of Knez Mihailova Street because the building architecture overshadowed by all of the shop windows and advertisements were lovely.

“Prince Michael Street is the main walking street in Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is a pedestrian zone and shopping center, protected by law as one of the oldest and most valuable landmarks of the city. It has a large number of impressive buildings and mansions built at the end of the 1870s

Today Knez Mihailova is a common meeting point for Belgraders. The street has been named one of the most beautiful pedestrian zones in Eastern Europe and is a constant buzz of people and tourists. Thousands of people stroll along the street every day as it is the shortest path from Terazije to Kalemegdan park and fortress.

History of Area : The street follows the central grid layout of the Roman city of Singidunum. During the time of Turks, there were gardens, drinking-fountains and mosques along its lengths. In the middle of the 19th century, the upper part of the street bordered the garden of Knez Aleksandar Karađorđević. After the implementation of the regulation plan of Belgrade (1867), by Emilijan Josimović, the street soon gained its current look and architecture. Houses were built there by the most influential and wealthiest families of Belgrade society. In 1870, city authorities officially named this street – Ulica Kneza Mihaila (Prince Michael Street).”

http://www.balkansgeotourism.travel/

Remember that great youtube video when everyone comes out to join the street musicians? That didn’t happen here, but lots of people stopped to listen.