Belgrade is a big and imposing city where art nouveau and baroque buildings are interspersed by concrete towers while modern glass buildings squeeze in between. Add to this the Sava river joining the Danube in flowing through the city plus a big fortress and you have the makings of a proper capital.
The fort is a good place to start your city wanderings and the centre has been turned into a big park and socialising centre for the locals. There are numerous gates, towers and concentric walls as well as a few good spots to look out over the city.
The Military Museum is also within the fortress walls with a few old tanks standing outside. The apporopriately named "Tankette" I think I could probably have put in my pocket and walked off with. As for the musuem, there is a lot to see but the timeline stops short around the 1990's, I wonder why?
Almost right outside the hostel are the beautiful Parliament building and the big St Marko Church containing the tomb of Emperor Dusan. Both of these look tiny in comparison to the Sveti Sava church though. This titanic building is the largest church in the world but on the inside there is nothing to see except the huge concrete dome and a lot of scaffolding as the building is currently getting renovated (again).
Elsewhere in the city, there are a few bits which are worth a look. The Saborna Church with it's ornate tower and the period Palace Of Princess Ljubica are both reasonable while right in between is a cool little bar/restaurant simply known as "?". Inside, you sit on tiny wooden stools at low tables like at primary school and I eventually plucked up the courage to try their "White Kidneys" - that's bulls testicles to you and me! Perhaps it was a good thing when I found out that they weren't available at the time.
Belgrade has some good nightlife but wasn't really a very appealing city to me and I left a day early to visit Novi Sad about an hour north of the city - a place I immediately enjoyed a lot more.
The buildings are stunning from the worn old shop fronts in the old quarter to the bright and clean classical architecture of the town centre while the Danube slices right through the middle and provides some sandy beaches for the summer months. Up on top of the hill by the river is the Petrovaradin Citadel, a labyrinth of walls, tunnels, grassy verges and viewpoints of the Danube.
The centre of town is much less manic than Belgrade too and the skyline is punctuated by the big Catholic church with it's huge spire and patterned tile roof. Facing the church across the main square is the equally impressive Town Hall while a short walk down the street brings you out at the wonderful Bishop's Palace and the Orthodox church.
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