Belgrade

This is the most developed, most western and cleanest of the places visited so far. Even the dogs appear to be domesticated rather than feral. The shops, including familiar names such as Zara, were all open despite it being Sunday.

The tour started at 8:00, perhaps to avoid some of the crowds from the 8 other ships parked in the city – TSH and Diva had to walk through another ship to reach the quayside.

A walk round the fort provided panoramic views over the city and the two rivers which meet there. (Danube and Sava) This area had a small exhibition of large dinosaur models.

The Orthodox cathedral is still under construction and the only part currently open to visitors is the crypt, which is completely covered with magnificent frescoes. The dome is said to be amongst the largest in the world – TSH and Diva have seen many such spectacular domes with great claims to world-wide fame.

A statue of Tesla honoured the local man who worked on the theories of electromagnetism and alternating current – ironic that the cars which currently bear his name run on direct current.

There were a lot of brides in the city centre – it turned out to be the day when wedding fees were waived for a mass wedding at a public building in the city centre.

Serbia in general, and Belgrade in particular, have been fought over for centuries and the country has changed its name many times. The guide explained that by the age of 23 she had lived in 4 countries without ever moving out of Belgrade.  She also provided the Serbian narrative about the Kosovo troubles of the late 20^th century – a one-sided account.

The evening meal was a buffet with local dishes, enlivened by a performance from local singers and dancers and an overhead thunderstorm with hailstones.