CROSSROADS OF THE WORLD
After 2 Shlivovitz, Bubs starts ordering "sleep in the ditch". Nirvana...
Serbo-Croatian is the language-with 2 alphabets- the Serbs use the Cyrillic alphabet (like Bulgarians), while the Roman Catholic Croatians use a Latin based alphabet. Bubs has learned short version Serbian- Church Divine Liturgy and all the cuss words. Of course he has taught Pleep these and now we are nervous Pleep will want to show off the wrong set of words. And by the way Bubs, did you know Einstein had a Serbian wife? Talk about relativity and lucky guy.
Historically, one of the most turbulent spots on earth. How is Serbia after the collapse of Communism these past 25 years? Renting the property vs owning the property...learning that communism didn't lead to "mecca" but neither did the implosion of the former Yugoslavia. As mentioned previously, the last time (only time) I visited "Yugoslavia" was 1972 way before Glasnost and Perestroika. I remember the "Solidarity" movement in 1979 with the Polish Pope encouraging the Poles to get up off their knees, God gave you legs! Good point "Pappa". And don't forget about Lek Volenska- wanting to improve the conditions for the labor unions....the government "let them" have their short lived campaign....the Commie's lost and Solidarity party won and the public TV reported this- 3 firsts. I remember their economy took a horrible turn for the worst. Our housekeeper was from Poland and weekly we would box up food to send to her family in Poland. Crying and crying, about her young son living there. At that time Chicago had the largest Polish population outside of Krakow, Poland. Bubs, felt he bumped into most of them when over 1 million came to see the Polish Pope (John Paul II) when he visited Chicago. The Pope is viewed a la Secret Service as the Head of State so the SS did the planning and protection, hence Bubba was busy for a year planning for the visit. The Holy Father gave them hope for their homeland.
Kinda like Tito did for the Serbs
...anyway, visiting them during King Tito aka "communist times" was quite the eye opener for Boca. I wore jeans like every American college student and the young people would beg to buy them right off my legs. So much gray, shades of BLA. "Communist country, sister" . And I would ask them, why does the toilet paper feel like cardboard? You might as well use newspaper....yes your newspaper will finally find its destiny." They enjoyed my prediction.
I so loved the people-my people. I am a second generation American of Serbian decent. All four of my grandparents were born in Lica, at that time, a part of the Austro- Hungarian Empire-now Croatia. We look forward to coming back to Serbia at the end of the Tauck River Cruise for a more in depth visit. But here's the short version....ha. Pleep was ready ready ready for his first trip to Serbia.
Belgrade Tour
We tool around town.... somethings have not changed and others have. How bout those mortar holes from the NATO bombing in 1990? Are they leaving this as a reminder? A monument? A shrine?
THE ROYAL PALACE
HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS MICHAEL AND HER ROYAL HIGHNESS KATHERINE
We have had the privilege and opportunity to meet them while they were in Florida doing their never ending fundraising and introducing the world to the new Serbia. Tauck arranges a trip to the palace and if His and Her are Home they are always gracious enough to speak with the Taucktorians. We will be going back to visit them privately next week when we go back to Belgrade and our extended Serbian stay. In the meantime the tourist tour of the palace was thorough and interesting....better not to torture HRH to drag Boca around the palace for a tour and you know Boca loves to snap a pic or 500.
Wishing to build himself a summer residence on the periphery of his capital, King Aleksandar of Yugoslavia, bought an estate at the top of Dedinje Hill in 1924. This "new" royal palace is referred to as the old palace.
Interestingly, both palaces were built from the private incomes of the dynasty. Bubs thinks this was a good idea and not quite sure of the roll of Royals today. Much to learn while we're here Bubs.
Further, Milosevic also used the palace for a time as his official residence during his time as president of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The palace complex was finally returned to the royal family in 2002 and today the grandson of King Aleksander, the Crown Prince Aleksander II resides here with HRH Katherine.
Pleep is hoping to get invited to stay for dinner and is insisting he also have a portrait done like Prince Peter....
But his favorite place was the very cool man cave- the basement!
And his favorite spot was the movie theater.....where's the popcorn your majesty??
Hey Pops, I'm up here!
Pleep is so happy that HRH and HRH open the palace for groups to visit. He knows you will enjoy the architecture which is so calm and harmonious...nothing a wild monkey couldn't change.
Boca's fav spot was the magnificent chapel....behind the palace connected by a colonnade, is the court chapel dedicated to St. Andrew and modeled on the King's church at Studenica monastery.
Hey Bubs, is that a bullet hole in Jesus' forehead? Yep, when the commies took over they wanted to put their stamp on things...
Unreal. The iconostasis was intricate and Boca reminded Bubs to make room in the suitcases as she would be sure to go Icon shopping upon her return to Belgrade...
HRH is stunning as ever...pure love and sunshine. She has done so much charitable work ( a Greek by birth- it's their nature and in their blood to help others) and as a matter of fact her foundation HRH Princess Katherine Foundation....more about this next week when we return. We hugged and smooched and both said they looked forward to next week's visit.
For more details on her stellar foundation check out the web site: www.pkfond.rs
The House of Flowers aka TITO'S PALACE ....around the corner
Hiding behind the poetic name is the mausoleum of Tito. The "House of Flowers"was a part of a far bigger memorial complex that included the 25th of May Museum- named after his birthday and access into his residence. However during the 90's the museum was closed, many of the valuables disappeared and a part of the residence was taken over by Milosevic....the house hopper?
Take it from WWII and Communist strong-man Josip Broz Tito (part Croatian) created a united Yugoslavia, promising the possibility of neutralizing ethnic hatreds.
Yugoslavia was independent of Moscow, but had all the socio-economic woes of Communism. It came apart with Tito's death in 1980, and a decade later, a brutal war began, incited by many factions....hello Slobodan Milosevic. Of course the US news fueled the fire by not reporting accurately the start and on going fighting. So my beloved "Yugoslavia" earned a black eye in the worlds view.
A King has to have a statue....hail to the Tito.
Today the memorial is sadly barren with a white marble tomb at the center...with his wife , Jovanka, next to him. She died broke and alone last year-33 years after his death.
The early days....
His higness' Oval Office furniture...or a replica...
Quite the dapper Dan...
Even President Kennedy and Caroline got on the Tito bandwagon...
These batons were passed around the country...and they gave them to him for his birthday....Bubba can't figure out exactly why....
When Tito died, a collective presidency takes his place. Without his guidance, the republica and autonomous provinces took increasingly independent courses...to be continued.
ST. SAVA ORTHODOX CHURCH
still under construction? our Tauck tour guide said it was impossible to get into the church due to the men working. Huh? Do you think a few men are going to stop Boca-Pest from seeing this glorious cathedral? So she, Bubs and Pleep make a dash around the building to get a peek....huh. Door wide open, people going in and out, lots of candles and praying going on...so what about the construction Tauck Guide? No danger what so ever...we will be back next week but I am sorry my fellow Taucktorians didn't get a chance to see this soon to be magnificent cathedral. Well worth the 1 min. walk around the building...
Sure is colossal in size....talk about Serbian Super Size it.
The church was started in 1941 but the war then communism put a halt to it. Work resumed in 1985. Oddly, the church design is based on St. Sophia's in Istanbul- having no similarities to Serbian architecture of St Sava's time or any other for that matter. The overall structure was completed in 1989 when the large cupola was elevated using the dramatic technique of a hydraulic press. The church is called "the temple" by some of the locals due to the unlikely style. Still far from finished, the world's second largest Orthodox Church is a marvel.
Bubs thought it might be tough passing the basket on Sundays...
To top off a full day we enjoy the local folk dancing group from Belgrade on board...of course the girls were all over the Pleepster!
After 2 Shlivovitz, Bubs starts ordering "sleep in the ditch". Nirvana...
Serbo-Croatian is the language-with 2 alphabets- the Serbs use the Cyrillic alphabet (like Bulgarians), while the Roman Catholic Croatians use a Latin based alphabet. Bubs has learned short version Serbian- Church Divine Liturgy and all the cuss words. Of course he has taught Pleep these and now we are nervous Pleep will want to show off the wrong set of words. And by the way Bubs, did you know Einstein had a Serbian wife? Talk about relativity and lucky guy.
Historically, one of the most turbulent spots on earth. How is Serbia after the collapse of Communism these past 25 years? Renting the property vs owning the property...learning that communism didn't lead to "mecca" but neither did the implosion of the former Yugoslavia. As mentioned previously, the last time (only time) I visited "Yugoslavia" was 1972 way before Glasnost and Perestroika. I remember the "Solidarity" movement in 1979 with the Polish Pope encouraging the Poles to get up off their knees, God gave you legs! Good point "Pappa". And don't forget about Lek Volenska- wanting to improve the conditions for the labor unions....the government "let them" have their short lived campaign....the Commie's lost and Solidarity party won and the public TV reported this- 3 firsts. I remember their economy took a horrible turn for the worst. Our housekeeper was from Poland and weekly we would box up food to send to her family in Poland. Crying and crying, about her young son living there. At that time Chicago had the largest Polish population outside of Krakow, Poland. Bubs, felt he bumped into most of them when over 1 million came to see the Polish Pope (John Paul II) when he visited Chicago. The Pope is viewed a la Secret Service as the Head of State so the SS did the planning and protection, hence Bubba was busy for a year planning for the visit. The Holy Father gave them hope for their homeland.
Kinda like Tito did for the Serbs
...anyway, visiting them during King Tito aka "communist times" was quite the eye opener for Boca. I wore jeans like every American college student and the young people would beg to buy them right off my legs. So much gray, shades of BLA. "Communist country, sister" . And I would ask them, why does the toilet paper feel like cardboard? You might as well use newspaper....yes your newspaper will finally find its destiny." They enjoyed my prediction.
I so loved the people-my people. I am a second generation American of Serbian decent. All four of my grandparents were born in Lica, at that time, a part of the Austro- Hungarian Empire-now Croatia. We look forward to coming back to Serbia at the end of the Tauck River Cruise for a more in depth visit. But here's the short version....ha. Pleep was ready ready ready for his first trip to Serbia.
Belgrade Tour
We tool around town.... somethings have not changed and others have. How bout those mortar holes from the NATO bombing in 1990? Are they leaving this as a reminder? A monument? A shrine?
THE ROYAL PALACE
HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS MICHAEL AND HER ROYAL HIGHNESS KATHERINE
We have had the privilege and opportunity to meet them while they were in Florida doing their never ending fundraising and introducing the world to the new Serbia. Tauck arranges a trip to the palace and if His and Her are Home they are always gracious enough to speak with the Taucktorians. We will be going back to visit them privately next week when we go back to Belgrade and our extended Serbian stay. In the meantime the tourist tour of the palace was thorough and interesting....better not to torture HRH to drag Boca around the palace for a tour and you know Boca loves to snap a pic or 500.
Wishing to build himself a summer residence on the periphery of his capital, King Aleksandar of Yugoslavia, bought an estate at the top of Dedinje Hill in 1924. This "new" royal palace is referred to as the old palace.
During the construction, he decided to build another palace nearby, for his three sons, upon their coming of age. Unfortunately, he was assassinated in Marseille in 1934 and never lived to see the second palace- the White Palace. His brother finished up the White.
Interestingly, both palaces were built from the private incomes of the dynasty. Bubs thinks this was a good idea and not quite sure of the roll of Royals today. Much to learn while we're here Bubs.
In 1945, the new communist rulers of Yugoslavia dethroned the dynasty, and the royal complex was taken away from its owners becoming the property of "the state and the people".
Bubba prays Boca does not notice the grand Old Imari vase which matches her china...
In fact the palace became one of the many residences of Marshal Tito-the totalitarian ruler of commie Yugo.
Pleep is hoping to get invited to stay for dinner and is insisting he also have a portrait done like Prince Peter....
Pool table, smoking room, card room, fountains...requisite wine cellar
Hey Pops, I'm up here!
Pleep is so happy that HRH and HRH open the palace for groups to visit. He knows you will enjoy the architecture which is so calm and harmonious...nothing a wild monkey couldn't change.
Boca's fav spot was the magnificent chapel....behind the palace connected by a colonnade, is the court chapel dedicated to St. Andrew and modeled on the King's church at Studenica monastery.
Hey Bubs, is that a bullet hole in Jesus' forehead? Yep, when the commies took over they wanted to put their stamp on things...
Unreal. The iconostasis was intricate and Boca reminded Bubs to make room in the suitcases as she would be sure to go Icon shopping upon her return to Belgrade...
HRH is stunning as ever...pure love and sunshine. She has done so much charitable work ( a Greek by birth- it's their nature and in their blood to help others) and as a matter of fact her foundation HRH Princess Katherine Foundation....more about this next week when we return. We hugged and smooched and both said they looked forward to next week's visit.
For more details on her stellar foundation check out the web site: www.pkfond.rs
The House of Flowers aka TITO'S PALACE ....around the corner
Hiding behind the poetic name is the mausoleum of Tito. The "House of Flowers"was a part of a far bigger memorial complex that included the 25th of May Museum- named after his birthday and access into his residence. However during the 90's the museum was closed, many of the valuables disappeared and a part of the residence was taken over by Milosevic....the house hopper?
Take it from WWII and Communist strong-man Josip Broz Tito (part Croatian) created a united Yugoslavia, promising the possibility of neutralizing ethnic hatreds.
Yugoslavia was independent of Moscow, but had all the socio-economic woes of Communism. It came apart with Tito's death in 1980, and a decade later, a brutal war began, incited by many factions....hello Slobodan Milosevic. Of course the US news fueled the fire by not reporting accurately the start and on going fighting. So my beloved "Yugoslavia" earned a black eye in the worlds view.
A King has to have a statue....hail to the Tito.
Today the memorial is sadly barren with a white marble tomb at the center...with his wife , Jovanka, next to him. She died broke and alone last year-33 years after his death.
His higness' Oval Office furniture...or a replica...
Quite the dapper Dan...
Even President Kennedy and Caroline got on the Tito bandwagon...
These batons were passed around the country...and they gave them to him for his birthday....Bubba can't figure out exactly why....
ST. SAVA ORTHODOX CHURCH
still under construction? our Tauck tour guide said it was impossible to get into the church due to the men working. Huh? Do you think a few men are going to stop Boca-Pest from seeing this glorious cathedral? So she, Bubs and Pleep make a dash around the building to get a peek....huh. Door wide open, people going in and out, lots of candles and praying going on...so what about the construction Tauck Guide? No danger what so ever...we will be back next week but I am sorry my fellow Taucktorians didn't get a chance to see this soon to be magnificent cathedral. Well worth the 1 min. walk around the building...
Sure is colossal in size....talk about Serbian Super Size it.
The church was started in 1941 but the war then communism put a halt to it. Work resumed in 1985. Oddly, the church design is based on St. Sophia's in Istanbul- having no similarities to Serbian architecture of St Sava's time or any other for that matter. The overall structure was completed in 1989 when the large cupola was elevated using the dramatic technique of a hydraulic press. The church is called "the temple" by some of the locals due to the unlikely style. Still far from finished, the world's second largest Orthodox Church is a marvel.
Bubs thought it might be tough passing the basket on Sundays...
