Belgrade, Serbia

October 2, 2016

Today we arrived at Belgrade, Serbia.  It is interesting because in listening to our guides in other countries, Serbia was an agressor in the wars, yet when we listened to the Serbian guides they just glossed over the questions related to war almost as if it all didn't happen.  It may have just been the guides we had, I don't know, but it was a uniquely different point of view.

Serbia, like the other Eastern European countries, was also somewhat stark.  Our tour took us to the Royal Grounds of Karadjordjevic Palace.  Like so many places in Serbia, the property and buildings are owned by the state, but the state doesn't have money to restore them, so they sit and wait until there is money.  Since the Palace is owned by the state our guide told us the royal family could not use their money to help restore it.  We all thought it odd that the country would turn down the opportunity to restore things with someone else's money.  I'm sure they have a reason but on the surface it didn't seem to make sense.

The Royal compound is covered with parks of the English garden type (free growing) then closer to the two palaces (White Palace and Winter Palace), there are "French" gardens with flowers, bushes and trees that have neatly shaped forms and are planted in a geometrical order.

The Royal Palace is a grand stucco villa in the Serbo-Byzantine style by architect Živojin Nikolić and assisted by Russian immigrant architects Nikolai Krasnov and Victor Lukomsky, was built from 1924 to 1929 as an ideal home for King Alexander I and Queen Maria. The King thought that it would be a nice and quiet place, away from the city noise and curious public eyes.

Visitors are able to see: The formal entrance hall with details taken from Serbian medieval art, Blue Salon, Royal Dining Room, Royal Library, Atrium, the Salon of the Wedding gifts or Palma il Vecchio Salon – and The King’s Office. The palace's basement features a unique leisure room with a cinema theatre and billiard tables.  I called the basement the royal "man cave".

Our guide told us that many of the pictures including that of the king as a boy (pictured below) were rounded up and taken away during WWII.  They were found by scouring through estate sales, auctions and consignment stores.  and recovered at auctions, estate sales, etc.  The picture of the king was found I think he said in a second hand store.

There is a chapel attached to the Royal palace.  It is small inside but very ornate and very beautiful.