Alex and Jelena's Serbian Wedding Celebration in BELGRADE, Serbia

On Saturday, August 1, Jelena's relative Sanja Manojlovic (daughter of Zorica's Uncle), parents and friends organized a glorious fest for approximately 70 guests who had not been at the Sonoma, CA wedding.  The people of Belgrade like to celebrate their big events on board of large dining boats anchored on the Danube in the shadow of Belgrade, and so we, too, celebrated on such entertainment ship, called The Amsterdam, starting with a delicious sit-down dinner and followed by dancing to live tunes played by a young and energetic band. 

Sania, the gracious organizer

 

Awaiting the guests:



 

 

Those of us who cannot speak Serbian conversed in English and with hand and feet. Jelena's sister Mila did a great job translating.  A Serbian-Orthodox priest, a family friend, who had married Jelena's brother Baco and his wife Tatiana and given Jelena's Grandfather the last rites, had specially flown in from Milwaukee, WI to bless the newly-weds.  To the surprise of all guests, Alex gave a speech in Serbian.  Another highlight was the appearance of a live Serbian brass band.  Bill was so smitten that he asked one of the trumpeters if he could borrow his trumpet to play along... Later Alex and Jelena cut the wedding cake, the best wedding cake ever! 

 

 

 

With Jelena's brother Blagoje and his wife Tatiana who had gotten married in Boston in February (the reason for two wedding cakes!):

 

 

 

The dancing:

 

 

                                                                                                          Jelena's cousin Marco

 

 

 

 

 Bill playing with the Serbian Band

 

Vasa and Dragana

 

 

 

 

The speeches:

 

                                  Thank you, Mila, for translating!

 

 

 

 

 

With some of the Serbian family members:

 

 

Thank you, Sanja!

 

 



 

Visiting Belgrade:
Those of you who have never been to Belgrade, get ready for a pleasant
surprise.  The old city of Belgrade is beautiful. It is located on a high bluff between the Danube and the Sava which joins the Danube below the huge Belgrade fortress, a mighty reminder of Serbia's history.  The oldest part of the fortress dates back to Roman times.  It gave the city its name (Beli Grad means "White City". The city's Romanized Celtic name was Singidunum.)

 

Within the castle walls, on the right a restaurant (see the umbrellas?)







Belgrade has many lovely 19th century buildings, small interesting museums, shady public parks, and several ancient sites. It also has its share of funky Communist architecture which spreads
down into the suburbs in the plains surrounding the city.
Our hotel was in the bustling pedestrian zone on Knez Mihailova, an elegant street lined with shops and restaurants.  The real scene starts in the afternoon and lasts through the wee hours when local inhabitants mix with tourists in the cafes and bistros which are set up in the middle of the street.  

When you visit Belgrade I highly recommend you choose one of the many walking tours, the best of which are found under www.belgradewalkingtours.com.  Jelena had booked a tour with Zelko,  one of the most entertaining guides I have ever encountered.  He showed us some of the important sights of the old town, including the huge fortress with its views over Belgrade, the rivers Danube and Sava, the re-built bridges, and the northern plains.   As if we tourists hadn't been animated enough by his lively talking:  in the artsy/craftsy area of Skardalija he offered little glasses of Rakija (Shlivowitza), the national Serbian drink.... Later on he gave his tour participants outdated Dinara banknotes used during the 1993 inflation, with the advice that The Bank of Serbia would print our pictures on fake money, provided we went to the bank and asked.  Zelko's antiques were a great advertisement for his city and country.

Here some photos of Knez Mihailova taken in the morning when things are still quiet:

 

 

 

Belgrade is also the main seat of the Serbian-Orthodox Church. Together with Zoran and Zorica, Jelena's parents, we looked at Sveti Sava, (Saint Sava Cathedral) which has been built for the past 100 years and whose interior is still waiting for completion.  When finished it will be this religion's largest and most important building.

 

A visit to the countryside:  One day our generous hosts, Zoran and Zorica, showed us a few of the monuments that are located within an hours drive north of Belgrade.  On the way to Novi Sad and the fortress Petrovaradin we stopped by a beautiful church and Krushedol monastery, both inspired by Austrian-Baroque and Byzantine architecture:

 

 

 

Petrovaradin, Europe's second largest fortress:  For many centuries Petrovaradin, also called "the Gibraltar on the Danube", was of great historic and military importance.  Like Belgrade surrounded by fertile land and extensive waterways, it has seen its share of enemy armies -- Celts, Romans, Byzantines, Ottomans, Turks and others.  Today it is a favorite tourist site with a hotel and restaurant and a fabulous view of the Danube, the plains and Novi Sad, the picturesque, modern city below the fortress.

 

View of one of the Novi Sad bridges over the Danube which was destroyed in the 1998/9 war:

 





The market place of Novi Sad: