belgrade: it’s… complicated
okay, so i just got back from belgrade. and honestly? it’s a lot. like, a lot a lot. i’m still trying to process it, and i’m pretty sure my brain is now 50% ancient roman ruins and 50% surprisingly modern architecture. it’s… intense. i just checked and it's...there right now, hope you like that kind of thing. the weather’s actually pretty decent, 981 pressure, 67 humidity, feels like 9.82, which is… fine, i guess.
seriously, the location is insane. it’s right where the sava and danube meet, which apparently made it a huge deal back in the day. they call it beograd, which means ‘white city’ - i don’t know why, it’s mostly grey and brown, but i’m sure there were white buildings at some point. it’s at, like, 117 meters above sea level, which is… not high. but it’s in the middle of everywhere, which is probably why it’s been important for centuries. someone told me that it’s been inhabited for 7000 years, which is wild. like, seriously, who’s been living there that long?
and the history? don’t even get me started. it’s been destroyed and rebuilt, like, a million times. it’s been a fortress, a gateway to the balkans, ruled by everyone from celts to ottomans to serbs. it’s a chaotic mess of influences, which is kind of amazing, actually. new belgrade was built after world war ii, which is… well, you can imagine. it’s a sprawling place, 360 square kilometers of urban area and 3223 square kilometers of metro area. there are hills - seriously, hills - and rivers, and islands. like, 16 islands! one of them, ada ciganlija, is apparently a huge recreation spot. i didn’t get a chance to go, but i heard it’s nice.
and the neighbors? if you get bored, novi sad is just a short drive away - it’s the second-biggest city in serbia. zemun and new belgrade are basically part of the city, and then there’s pančevo, which is all industrial. krnjača, borča, and kotež are… well, they’re just nearby. and it’s only about 60 miles from romania and 75 miles from bosnia. it’s a weirdly central location.
kalemegdan fortress is a must-see. it’s this huge fortress on the river, and it’s now a park. it’s supposed to symbolize the city’s ‘white ridge’ origins, which, again, doesn’t really match the reality. knez mihailova street is the main shopping street, and it’s pretty cool. ada ciganlija is good for chilling by the river. new belgrade is… well, it’s new belgrade. it’s a contrast to the old city, which is interesting.
seriously, the whole place feels like it’s constantly rebuilding itself. it’s a resilient city, i guess. and the population? 1.197 million in the city proper, 1.298 million in the urban area, and 1.683 million in the metro area. it’s a huge hub for southeast europe. someone told me that it’s a ‘cradle of cultures,’ which is a fancy way of saying it’s been influenced by everyone. it’s a bit overwhelming, but in a good way, i think.
just a heads up: it’s hilly. like, really hilly. and the riverbanks are… incomplete. it’s a weird mix of ancient and modern, and it’s definitely not for the faint of heart. it’s a beautiful, chaotic, complicated place. i’m still trying to figure it out.
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