Belgrade Reflections

18-5-11 @ 11:15

Hotel Royal, Belgrade

We planned to have a bike tour today, but our guide canceled on us.  He thought it was going to rain.  It’s a shame, because it was a beautiful day…but it was probably for the better.  After last night, not everyone is the brightest shining star that they could be. 

It was warm and sunny today.  I was reminded of Minnesota summers, sitting at the edge of the water and just meditating on nature…it was a great half-hour we spent outside the bike store.  We decided to walk along the river and back through Kalemegdan to get to the Hotel.

As we entered from the base of Kalemegdan, we walked up a large set of stairs we had seen on our tour with Katie the day previous.  We passed near the old church, which I will have to return to someday soon.  I hear it is absolutely beautiful inside.  Briana, Lucas, Keegan, and I broke from the rest of the group and explored more of the castle. 

We went near the military exhibit and looked at the tanks and artillery…I didn’t enjoy that part.  The older I get, the more I don’t understand violence and war.  These are machines that are built for one purpose and one purpose only – to destroy.  Lives, buildings, and other machines or whatever – they are built solely to destroy.  I don’t know, maybe I’m just one for creation but I can’t wrap my head around it.

We finished in Kalemegdan and walked a small way on to Kneza Mihaila before coming to a gyro shop – Gyropolis.  We decided to have lunch there.  We bought our food and headed back into Kalemegdan to eat it.  Absolutely delicious.  After lunch in the park we headed back to the Hotel.  There was some talk by people of seeing the new Pirates of the Caribbean later, I wasn’t really interested.  I ended up taking a nap for the afternoon…or I planned to take one.  I ended up sleeping most of the night away.  C’est la vie. 

Time for a beer and then bed.