Belgrade, 2000
These are pictures from Belgrade in 2000. We moved back as soon as we could get a visa, just days after Milosevic lost power. Continue reading Belgrade, 2000
Category: Europe
Belgrade, Tito’s Grave, Yugo Nostalgia.
This is from an April 2009 letter: When I picked up my teacup a few mornings ago, the one with Tito, I noticed that my fingers were black. I don’t know if Tito is rubbing off on me. But the cup is a bit less stark than it once was. On Saturday I went to an exhibit “The Tito Effect” at the museum near his tomb. It explores the charisma that held Yugoslavia together after the Second World War. At the entrance a youth choir was singing. The group was backed up by a bass, guitar, and drum. They … Continue reading Belgrade, Tito’s Grave, Yugo Nostalgia.
Belgrade Street Life
There is always activity on Belgrade’s streets, good food and a festival of free entertainment. Continue reading Belgrade Street Life
Belgrade, St. Sava Temple
The Serbs claim this is the largest Orthodox Church in the world. The Georgians contest this, but it is big. I have actually attended a wedding in one of the chapels here. St. Sava dominates a part of Belgrade. Continue reading Belgrade, St. Sava Temple
Belgrade, NATO Bombing Sites.
This is from an October 2000 letter from Belgrade, on my first visit to the city after Milosevic lost power– and my first visit since the NATO bombing. When someone asks “do you want to see the sights” he really means “sites,” the places hit during the NATO bombing. Like in Pristina, the tour points out how accurate the bombing really was. People mark time “before bombing, after bombing” always pronouncing the second “b” in bombing. And when people ask “how has Belgrade changed” they expect me to cite the most visible of the sites, the tall building next … Continue reading Belgrade, NATO Bombing Sites.
Belgrade Nights
Belgrade is a night city. It is party center in Europe, but it also has stately buildings and grand evening walks. Continue reading Belgrade Nights
Belgrade, Hotel Moskva
These paragraphs are from a 2012 letter. We returned to the Moskva Hotel, where we had stayed so many nights in the 1990s. When we came back we stayed where we started, at the Moskva. The deskman knew us after a decade of absence from the hotel. The Moskva is one of my top three emotional picks for hotels in the world. We spent hundreds of nights here in the 1990s and early 2000s, sometimes staying for a month at a time. I watched the massive demonstrations against Milosevic from the Moskva’s windows. In 1997 Ljiljana chose the Moskva for … Continue reading Belgrade, Hotel Moskva
Belgrade, Kalemegdan: Where the Danube and Sava Rivers Meet.
Kalemegdan is where the Danube and Sava Rivers meet. It is a fortified site that has been held by the Celts, Romans, Byzantines, Serbs, Turks, Austrians, Germans, Yugoslavs and the Serbs again. It is a park, fort, and the place where Belgrade spends weekend afternoons. The pictures are from Kalemegdan and other places mentioned in the letter. These are excerpts from an March 2009 letter. On Sunday in Belgrade the parks came alive. Today Belgrade’s walking street was full of strollers eating ice cream and popcorn, stopping for an iced coffee at one of the cafes and strolling on … Continue reading Belgrade, Kalemegdan: Where the Danube and Sava Rivers Meet.
Beograd, The White City (Belgrade in the winter.)
Some winter pictures of Belgrade. Belgrade has very good snow removal allowing you to walk without slipping very soon after a snowfall. Continue reading Beograd, The White City (Belgrade in the winter.)
Belgrade
We lived in Belgrade for almost four years at two different times. We have been working there for longer, with many trips to work with local radio and TV stations and with B92. We love the city and want to … Continue reading Belgrade
Serbia
Suzi and I first came to Serbia in Jan 1997 to do an assessment of local radio for IREX. We have been working in Serbia, on and off, since then, including living in Serbia in 2000 and 2001 and between … Continue reading Serbia
Ulcinj
Ulcinj is an ethnic Albanian town on the isthmus between Lake Skadar and the sea. It has a very long and fine sandy beach and a smaller beach near the citadel. Rivers running into the sea near Ulcinj have numerous fish traps. Continue reading Ulcinj
Albanian Border Lands
The border between Albania and Montenegro is a wild and beautiful place. These pictures are from the Montenegrin side, although the people are ethnic Albania. This area is north of Tuzi. Continue reading Albanian Border Lands
Sandzak
The Sandzak is a district between Montenegro and Serbia, bordering Kosovo and Bosnia. The pictures from Plevlja are in the northern Sandzak near Bosnia and Serbia. These pictures are mostly taken in the part of the Sandzak that borders Kosovo and Serbia. Continue reading Sandzak
Risan
Risan is at the head of another arm of Boka Kotor. It was the final redoubt of the Illyrian Queen Teuta. It has wonderful Roman mosaics. Risan was the site of the first IREX Kotor Jourmalism Summer School in June 1998. Continue reading Risan
Rijeka Crnojevica
Rijeka Crnojevica is a village on a river that flows into Lake Skadar. But to get to it you have to either take a winding road over a mountain from the lake, and then down again, or an equally winding road down to the valley from Centinje. The drive is worth it. Continue reading Rijeka Crnojevica
Przno Swimming
We loved swimming out from the beach at Przno. The water was clear an there were rocks and sea caves to explore, all an easy swim from the beach. It actually motivated us to acquire a “submersible” camera. We could also swim out for a great view of Sv. Stefan. Continue reading Przno Swimming
Przno
Przno is a former fishing town that still does a little fishing but welcomes a lot of visitors. In the summers of 2009 – 2011 we stayed, either in an apartment right on the water or in a hotel up the hill, which was run by a Canadian college as a training ground for hotel and restaurant employees. The beach is nice, the water very clean (note the fish), and it is sited for great sunsets. We had our favorite cafes on the water. Continue reading Przno
Precanj
This is another village along the Boka, It was a nice walk from the Summer School at Muo. Continue reading Precanj
Plevja, Mosques and Monasteries.
Plevja is in Northern Montenegro where Bosnia, Serbia and Montenegro meet. It is a multi ethnic area that saw a large influx of refugees during the Bosnian war. It is part of the Sanzak region which was part of the Ottoman empire, administered by Austria, and when Austria withdrew Serbia and Montenegro split the district. The “Holy Trinity” Monastery is just outside town. The Mosque is typical of the Balkans. The clock tower is a hold over from Ottoman times. The Ottomans put up clock towers in most of their towns. Continue reading Plevja, Mosques and Monasteries.
Piva Valley
We first drove through the Piva Valley in 1972 on our way from Sarajevo to Titograd (now called Podgorica.) It is a beautiful mountain drive north of Niksic. Continue reading Piva Valley
Muo
Muo is a town just up the fjord from Kotor. From 2000 until 2004 we held the IREX Journalism Summer School here. The building where we held the school is an old harbormaster’s house for the port of Kotor. Continue reading Muo
Moraca Canyon
This Canyon runs North from Podgorica. The main road and railroad from Podgorica to Northern Montenegro, and Belgrade, runs through this canyon. We drove it once a month in a “commute” between Montenegro and Kosovo in 1999 and 2000. … Continue reading Moraca Canyon
Coastal Monastery
There are lots of little Monasteries in the hills overlooking the coast. This is one of them. Continue reading Coastal Monastery