Sleeping under a Bridge in Serbia's Rapidly Modernizing Capital
16Welcome to Caucasus to the Crown — a travel series documenting my journey through 16 countries across Europe, from the mountains of Armenia to the streets of London.
In this episode I arrive in Belgrade, Serbia’s bustling capital city, but things don’t go quite as planned. Stranded for the night, I end up sleeping under a 400 million dollar bridge beside the Sava River. The next morning, I set out to explore the city, beginning with the historic Belgrade Fortress overlooking the confluence of the Sava and Danube. Later, I check into my hostel and spend some time resting before continuing my journey through the city. The following day, I wander through some of Belgrade’s lesser-travelled streets, stumble into abandoned buildings, and even find myself in the middle of several protests and demonstrations. Along the way, I explore parts of the redeveloped Belgrade Waterfront, with its modern mall and brand new apartments standing in contrast to the older parts of the city. As the rain sets in, I trek through the wet streets before making a last-minute dash to catch my evening bus and continue my journey further into the Balkans.