În Ceasescu's footsteps: Switzerland, Serbia and Romania via SQ346/345

[RedEyeflight]

Headed to Belgrade Fortress.

[RedEyeflight]

Bus stop in Belgrade. All public transport in the city is free of charge.

[RedEyeflight]

Breakfast in Zemun in a local square, consisting of a cheese omelette and haloumi salad.





Walk around Zemun.




Views of the Danube that runs through the city.

[RedEyeflight]

The next morning I hopped on a city bus and went to the district of Zemun. A picturesque neighbourhood in the city, it was once a separate town from Belgrade.

[RedEyeflight]

I headed back to the hotel for a break. With most of the city shut off, it was impossible to move around, and I was hoping the protests would clear in a few hours.

I set off for the Church of Saint Sava, the city's main orthodox church, in the evening.



Unfortunately, the protests were still well underway and there was virtually no public transport in the city centre. That meant a 40 minute walk to the church on the other side of town.

The church was built in phases through the 20th century and opened in the early 2000s.





As I left the church, there were still closed off streets and no public transport. So I hailed a taxi back to the old town where I wanted to have dinner. Uber is not available in Serbia. The cabbie assured me that everything would clear the next day.

The taxi couldn't bring me directly to the restaurant, which was a blessing in disguise as it allowed me to explore the old town on foot.

St Michael's cathedral. Opened in 1840, the building was designed by Austrian architect Friedrich Kwerfeld. The cathedral was commissioned by Prince Milos Obrenovic who led Serbia through an uprising against the Ottomans in 1815.





Serbian Academy of Arts and Sciences. Some lads playing street soccer outside.



At Restoran Vuk for dinner. Started with a grilled eggplant starter.



Had a chicken main with peas which really just looked like prison food?



The show stopper tonight was the desert. Caramelised pear in syrup with ice-cream.



It was then a quick walk past some cute city squares and cafes back to my hotel.

[RedEyeflight]

After the walking tour, headed back to the city centre on the bus. Passed by the abandoned headquarters of the Serbian military in the city. Part of the complex is bombed out and stands as a symbol of defiance against NATO military involvement in the Balkans in the 1990s. Throughout the city, one can find anti-EU and anti-Nato graffiti alluding to the situation in Kosovo. Serbia has been an EU candidate since 2009 but talks remain at a standstill because of Kosovo and the country's alignment with Russia.





It was a pleasant walk to lunch.



Had lunch at Zavicaj Balkanska.

Haloumi starter.



For my main, it was Cevapi, a skinless sausage found in many Balkan countries. It can contain minced beef, pork or lamb or a combination of meats depending on the country.

[RedEyeflight]

Since most of the city centre is shut off, the rest of the tour takes place at the Yugoslavia Museum, a sprawling museum located on the former residence of Josef Tito. We walk a few blocks to catch a substitute bus route given that most public transport has been shut down. One thing I've noticed in both Serbia and Romania, and likely the case in other parts of Eastern Europe, are the long distances between public transport stops. We walk several blocks past the US embassy and wait for the bus. Luckily it shows up. If not it would have been a 30 minute walk.



The museum houses the burial site of Josef Tito. Tito was the founding president of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. He was a Croat-Slovene whose political acumen was instrumental in keeping Yugoslavia united. Once he passed away in 1980, the country fell into a period of ethnic and political tensions, which eventually led to its breakup in the 1990s.



Images of Ttio's funeral, attended by both Communist and Western leaders given Yugoslavia's split with the Soviet Union and role in the Non-Aligned Movement.







Yugoslavia was the product of World War I. Initially ruled by a monarchy, Nazi Germany overran the country in World War II. The communists would emerge as the main resistance against the Germans and would proclaim a socialist republic after the war. Like the Soviet Union, which comprised constituent republics, the country was broken into six republics: Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Macedonia, as well as 2 special autonomous regions located within Serbia of Vojvodina and Kosovo.


A museum building from the exterior.

[RedEyeflight]

We then passed the Dom Sindikata or House of the Worker's Union a Yugoslav-era building built in 1957 that is now a concert venue. In front of the building is Nikola Pasic Square that houses the statue of Prime Minister Nikola Pasic. Pasic was the Prime Minister of Serbia in the 1890s and early 1900s and later Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, the precursor to the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. He was a major architect in the unification of the southern slavic lands into Yugoslavia. The statue was erected in 1998.





If you've been following the news, Serbia is in the midst of a protest movement to unseat incumbent president Aleksandar Vucic over corruption. There have been major protests in Belgrade on some weekends, but it just so happened that this was the case on the day that I was there. Serbia is still a safe country to visit so long as you avoid protests areas, go on a walking tour or visit on days when there are no protests like Sundays.

Part of the strategy of the protest movement has been to show backing from farmers and rural Serbs. Rows of tractors with Serbian flags.



Some of these tractors bore 'Made in Yugoslavia'.



Ministry of Economics and Regional Development, an example of an inter-war building in Belgrade.



Most of the city centre is shut down today because of the protests.



Beogradanka a skyscraper built during the communist Yugoslav era. This was a prominent building in the city housing media organisations.



Monument to Vojvoda Vuk dressed in traditional Balkan garb being blessed by an Orthodox priest.



Ministry of Finance building, Belgrade.

[RedEyeflight]

Woke up the next morning in Belgrade and googled a few places to have breakfast near the hotel. Found a cafe called Denada Cafe and chose their traditional Serbian breakfast.



A street in Belgrade.



Walked to Republic Square where my walking tour was meeting. Passed by a public bus terminal with a market and several people hawking wares.







Several buildings in the city centre still carry socialist architecture.



Knez Mihailova, which is the city's main shopping street.





I want to show utmost respect to our general love of aviation and travel. I did not photograph this for this reason but I feel I must address this given the sensitivity of the matter and in case readers have seen this before and have the expectation that I address this issue. Within the shopping district, there is a large sign that says 'The only genocide in the Balkans was committed against the Serbs'. Throughout my time in Serbia, the issue of the breakup of Yugoslavia and ensuing war and genocide came up many times. I must categorically condemn the above statement. One can only hope that current hostilities between the peoples of the former Yugoslavia ends and an enduring peace and happiness emerges.

I will continue with the trip report. Please feel free to reach out to me if you would like.

I meet my guide at Republic Square in front of the Prince of Michael statue. The Prince of Michael statue or Prince Mihailo Monument depicts Serbian Prince Mihailo on horseback who played a pivotal role in liberating cities from Ottoman rule in the 19th century. Erected in 1882, it is an important monument in the country.



My guide interestingly had studied in Indonesia and can speak Bahasa fluently, and has visited Singapore. They told me that Serbia and Indonesia enjoy close relations because of the legacy of the 'Non-Aligned Movement' under Tito and Sukarno.

The tour starts with the Hotel Moscow, a prominent hotel where important people stayed when visiting the city. There are other prominent hotels named after important cities such as Hotel Paris and Hotel Belgrade. In fact, one of the first supermarket's in the Socialist bloc opened in Belgrade in the 70s and was called London supermarket.

[RedEyeflight]

Thanks for sharing RedEyeflight. Great pics.

Thanks SQ218! Happy to bring more.

[RedEyeflight]

Thoroughly enjoying this TR so far, RedEyeflight! Lovely photos! I am now dreaming of a holiday in Switzerland!

I am a big fan of Swiss A220's. The interiors are so stylish!

Looking forward to the rest!

Thanks yflyer! Indeed, Switzerland is a great place to holiday. Such a contrast to Eastern Europe that lay off the beaten tourist path.

[SQ218]

Thanks for sharing RedEyeflight. Great pics.

[yflyer]

Thoroughly enjoying this TR so far, RedEyeflight! Lovely photos! I am now dreaming of a holiday in Switzerland!

I am a big fan of Swiss A220's. The interiors are so stylish!

Looking forward to the rest!

[RedEyeflight]

Savamala Hotel in the city centre.

[RedEyeflight]

Deplaning in BEG.



As I mentioned earlier, the airport boasted a large terminal but virtually empty terminal building. It was at least a 15 minute walk to immigration.



We were the only arriving flight and there were many immigration counters open. The immigration officer scanned my passport, but interestingly my US visa also drew attention, and that was scanned too. No questions asked, however, and I was stamped into Serbia by the officer, who, after which, threw my passport back at me.

My bag appeared when I showed up at the belt. I cleared customs and met my driver from the hotel outside.



My driver, Voxi, shows me to a Volvo and we are racing down a motorway listening to 90s pop songs. We go past several large developments that remind me of large-scale Chinese developments in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Before long, I am at my hotel in the city centre.