Connie already had a plan for our first day in Belgrade, the capitol of the former Republic of Yugoslavia, but she kept it a secret. After we checked into an overpriced hostel less than a block from the Moskova Hotel, a really overpriced one, she led me to the Nikola Tesla museum, a tribute to the inventor. Tesla invented both radio and the electric generator and motor but was overshadowed by Edison and Marconi, who most people associate with electricity and the radio. There were some interesting demonstrations of his inventions, complete with sparks and sizzles. One comment we read said that if there was no Tesla we would have had to invent him!
This morning's rain caught everyone by surprise and I shivered in the cold wind. Connie, always prepared, had on a hat and gloves as she led us towards Kalemegdan Fortress, which has guarded the confluence of Sava and Danube Rivers for thousands of years under different occupiers. Then we searched out the Orthodox Church and the Palace of Princess Ljubica and enjoyed Belgrade's neo-classical architecture and street sculpture.
We waited out the rain over lunch then explored Shadarlija Street, the old bohemian quarter. It was a gathering point for Belgrade's creative community in the early 20th Century but, sadly, we aren't familiar with any of the artists or writers. Then it was off to "?" - the oldest pub in Belgrade for a Serbian beer. The name has changed so many times over the years that "?" seems just right. I could almost make out some interesting characters through the cigarette smoke, but it didn't seem right to take photos.
