Theme: European Christmas Holiday  Country: Serbia  Languages: Serbian  Unit of Currency: Serbian dinar  Locations: Belgrade & Novi Pazar  Year: 2011 & 2013  Bucket list: Photographing the Temple of Saint Sava

 

 

DO:  TREK AROUND THE CITY TO FIND TEMPLE OF SAINT SAVA

Belgrade:

• Walking downtown and photographing a temple in the middle of the city and one of the largest Orthodox churches in the world

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Tasting white hot chocolate while overlooking the local paint artists sketching the city landscapes and landmarks

 

Journey into Serbia:

1) Belgrade Fortress and Kalemegdan Park overlooked the old town and mouth of the Sava River. The fortress is the largest and most significant monument in Belgrade, with well-preserved walls, moats, and towers. Some kids were free running up these walls (wall flipping off of castle’s side and back tuck off of statue). The entrance of fortress was Kalemegdan Park, with views of the Danube from its terrace.

2) The Temple of Saint Sava was absolutely gorgeous! From the center of the city the temple was clearly Belgrade’s cityscapes, and was one of my favorite buildings in the city. The smoothing chimes were heard all over the city every hour illuminating this magnificent structure. The Temple of Saint Sava is the largest Orthodox Church currently used in Belgrade. The church is dedicated to Saint Sava, founder of the Serbian church and a significant figure in medieval Serbia.

3) Popcorn stands were located everywhere! The toppings were chili, butter, salt, garlic, curry, chicken, etc and were a favorite amongst the locals. The popcorn was made from an old school popcorn machine and it was, indeed, the best popcorn that I have had! It even beat your traditional movie theatre popcorn! Some of you may know how much I look forward to my visits in the states, complete with movie nights and movie theatre popcorn!

4) Christmas celebration was definitely in the atmosphere. The city lights that stretched for miles within Skadarilla Street were beautiful; they mixed well with the delicious smell of roasted chestnuts in the air. Skadarilla Street was a great example of why Belgrade was so unique – with the traditional Serbian scene, including strolling gypsy musicians mingling with artists and local revelers and artists creating masterpieces in front of your eyes.

Next stop: Budapest, Hungary!