A Tree Falling: Serbia

Thursday, July 16, 2026

Eastern Europe 2026: Golubac Fortress

The morning after our visit to Belgrade we docked at Golubac Fortress, built at the widest point of the Danube as the river flows into a pass of the Carpathian Mountains.

The fortress today houses an impressive museum with impressive artifacts like Miroslav's Gospel, the oldest surviving manuscript in Serbian Cyrillic dating back to the late 12th century. The original document is actually housed at the National Museum of Serbia in Belgrade. The version on display at Golubac is a high-quality facsimile, and I'll confess that it had me fooled.

The fortress features permanent exhibitions that include medieval banners, heraldic emblems, and chivalric displays.

The stone structure rising up straight from the rocky cliffs is definitely imposing.

The fortress' strategic value is obvious, as its position allowed easy control over all roads and waterways connecting the east and the west.

A cannon tower was added when the Ottomans controlled the fortress in the late 15th century.

I love how the fortress rises right from the river. This six-story tower defended the place.

The courtyard of the fortress does have a more ancient, ruined feel. I'm not sure why this part has been left in more of its original state, but I dig it. The sprinkling of 500-year-old cannonballs strewn about is a nice touch.

If the spot where our cruise ship docked is the same place that visiting (or attacking) ships had to dock back in the day, it seems like another solid strategic choice. You could wreak a lot of destruction on an invading force before they even got to the fortress.

I would love to play a massive game of Capture the Flag here. Walking around the ramparts and towers was wonderful; running around them seems like it would be an absolute blast.

A little frame-within-a-frame view of the cannon tower.

The cannonballs caught my attention up close, as well. Not traditional garden decor, but they work here.

I'm just now realizing how many of my shots include cannonballs. Here they're honestly secondary to the little boat mooring, but they do seem to be pretty intentionally placed here.

I didn't do much "nature" photography on this trip, and I'm not sure this little man-made pond really counts. But it was at least a bit of greenery. And it did have a sign warning about the presence of venomous snakes.

The Ottoman influence was a recurring theme throughout trip. The farther east we traveled, the longer the Ottomans had held sway over the region. Mahmud Pasha, who conquered Golubac Fortress in 1458, also built a bathhouse (or hammam) on the grounds which visitors could also explore.

Golubac was the place on our trip that most exceeded my expectations. I didn't do much research on the fortress beforehand, expecting fairly nondescript ruins. The renovations and exhibits really added a lot to the overall experience!

Related Links:

Tuesday, July 14, 2026

Eastern Europe 2026: Belgrade

The next stop on our cruise down the lower Danube was Belgrade, capital of Serbia. Our only rainy day of the entire trip, and the city's mood seemed to match the weather -- gray.

Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Sava, Belgrade

We took a driving tour of the city and did visit some impressive places, the first being the Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Sava. The doors to the church were embossed with a traditional prayer to the Holy Spirit in a number of different languages. What I mistook for Latin is actually Romanian.

The interior is simply stunning. Mosaics made up of around five million tiles cover more than 161,000 square feet.

The bronze central wheel chandelier is one of the largest and heaviest in the world, with a diameter of nearly 66 feet.

In addition to tour groups, there were a number of worshipers as well. But I was uncomfortable including any of the people in my photos here, so I waited for a moment when the space appeared empty. In hindsight, I wish I'd chosen differently.

We also visited Kalemegdan Park, an odd mix of ancient fortress, gardens, military equipment, a dinosaur park for kids, and even a carousel.

Coca-Cola Machine, Kalemegdan Fortress, Belgrade

Graffiti was pretty noticeable at all of our stops, but nowhere as much as Belgrade. This poor Coke machine never stood a chance.

Even the welcome sign where our boat docked didn't escape. The palm trees in the background were admittedly unexpected.

The plates mounted on the exterior of this small eatery along the river caught my eye. I wish I'd made note of its name; Google Maps was surprisingly unhelpful in this effort.

In the afternoon I joined a bike tour to the district of Zemun. The skies really opened up when we arrived, and I spent more time protecting my camera than using it. I did manage to capture some long exposure shots of people walking by this covered alley, of which this is my favorite.

A small flower shop was the only business open in a small covered commercial area, adding a welcome splash of color to the otherwise somber setting.

Related Links: