Trips

Wed., 5/30/18 - Nis to Belgrade, Serbia

We had a long day in the van so Milan talked more about his country. Among other things, Serbia grows a lot of tobacco. Philip Morris is here to make cigarettes and sell them in Europe and China (to cover their losses in the US?). Serbia passed a law recently that allows people to smoke inside as well as outside restaurants.

Grain elevators
Serbian train	Mining
St. George's Cross in Kragujevac, Serbia	Farmland
We visited the town of Topola where Karadjordje, the man who led the Serbian uprising against Turkish rule in 1804, lived. First we stopped at the Royal winery created for income for the royal family in 1931. The original building, steam press, and some barrels are still there. They make limited editions of two white and two red wines and sell them locally. The money supports the royal foundation for other royal buildings.	Winery Sign
Winery	Bottle corking machine
Aging the wine	Next stop was the house of Black George Petrovic (Karadjordje) who created the royal dynasty and was a tall (6’2”) left handed warrior of the Serbian rebellion of 1804-1813. An interesting item in his house was a single string Gusle played with a bow.
Impossible language	Black George Petrovic
Single String Gusle	Single String Gusle
Next we went to King Peter’s summer house and the five domed “church” of St. George and mausoleum with local marble outside and in columns inside and magnificent “vibrant” mosaics inside. It was built in 1913 with gold leaf and glass and ceramic small tiles. The work was bright and intricate. The chandelier and hanging lights were made from melted down ammo and weapons. The royal tombs are in the catacombs below the main floor. There were at least two kings by the name of Peter and two Alexanders. I could not follow the lineage.	King Peter’s summer house
Church of St. George	Dome
	Mosaic
Mosaics	Mosaics
We ate lunch outside in the town of Arandjelovac. It was more salad, grilled zucchini, and two kinds of meat. We eventually arrived in Belgrade at 4:30 and walked to the hotel Envoy.	Lunch
Thurs., 5/31/18 - Belgrade, Serbia This morning our van drove us to a large outdoor market across the Danube in Zemun where Milan bought some bread for us to feed swans on the Danube. Before feeding the swans, however, we walked through the typical market. Vendors were selling just about every vegetable, etc. that you can think of. (My camera went wild as it always does in markets!)
Cable-stayed bridge in Belgrade	Cute sign
The Beautiful Blue (not) Danube	Church steeple
Graffiti	We wandered through the market in Zemun.
Feeding the swans on the Danube

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