From Zemun looking toward Belgrade

No fear--I will soon be posting photos from Belgrade itself, but want you to get a feel for what surrounds the city. This is another picture of Zemun. During WWI in 1914, Zemun changed hands between Serbia and the Austro-Hungarian empire, finally ending up in Serbia in 1918 and became part of the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats, and Slovenes, and then later Yugoslavia. So if you had visited Zemun from Belgrade prior to 1914, you'd have been abroad in just a short trip. This photo is taking from a hill above Zemun. Yesterday's photo would be a bit down the Danube to the left, and the city you can just see in the distance the actual city of Belgrade. We're getting closer! Belgrade offers excellent river tours, too. I love to go at sunset.

Sunset in Zemun

Here's another one of Belgrade's 17 municipalities, situated along the right bank of the Danube on marshy land, with its main settlements built further from the river. Zemun (ZAY-moon) itself was built right on the bank, 100 meters above sea level. It's wonderful to walk in just about any season along the river (sidewalks being upgraded into an even lovelier riverside walk). You can enjoy the view, have coffee, a drink, lunch or dinner at one of numerous cafes and restaurants (outdoor terraces are open as much as possible!) There are several great fish restaurants in particular.

New Belgrade Skyline

Here's a twilight view now from one of my windows looking toward part of New Belgrade. New Belgrade, or Novi Beograd, sprang up around 1952, and is the most populous of the city's 17 municipalities, with with over 200 skyscrapers and 600 apartment buildings, and is a city within a city. It's Belgrade's biggest residential area as well as a place of lively economic activity, and is divided into "blokovi," or blocks, which is usually how its inhabitants refer to where they live, e.g. "I live in Blok 24."

Under Branko's Bridge at Night

Although I won't be always taking classic shots of Belgrade like those you can find by Googling, I chose this image as an introduction to my blog. It's a hand-held shot (little blurry!) of the city's second largest important bridge, Branko's Bridge, that connects old Belgrade with New Belgrade, across the Sava River. It was built in 1957, and is officially called Brotherhood and Unity Bridge. However, it's commonly referred to as Branko's Bridge because the large street it connects into on the old city's side is named for Branko Radicevic, a Serbian romantic poet. This photo was taken from New Belgrade looking toward the old center of the city, with the tower of the main church in view.