Perfect Sunday at the Kalemegdan Fortress

The Guardian of old town of Belgrade

Kalemegdan, the fortress that survived centuries of turbulent times, is still guarding the old town of Belgrade, formerly known as Singidunum. Its rich history is testified by its name, kale meaning the fortress and megdan meaning the battlefield. Today, it is the most visitied tourist attraction in Belgrade, and my favorite childhood spot. This gorgeous monument that is now also a park, with numerous manifestations, sport events, galery exhibitions, festivals and parties, has a lot to offer. So, what are you waiting for? Join me on this amazing journey and let's return to the old times.

When I was a little girl, Kalemegdan Fortress was definitely the place I always wanted to come back to. Sundays were my favorite, as that was the day reserved only for my father and I. Despite the fact that he was working a lot, spending this day at this glorious Belgrade spot was our thing. From early on in the morning, I would rise and shine, getting dressed in my prettiest dress, and impatiently waiting for us to leave and spend the day at Kalemegdan.

After passing Balkanska street, and taking a slow stroll through Knez Mihailova, usually stopping by to get some ice cream or feed the pigeons at the fountain, we would finally arrive to Kalemegdan. While waiting to cross the street and reach our destination, I would jump out of happiness. You could already see the beautiful greenery of the park, with smiley people passing by, children playing and even squirrels running around. It is like you have come to a different city, and even better, like you have travelled back to time to a nirvana-like place and nothing has changed.

Upon arriving at Kalemegdan Park, I would never know where to go first. The exicitement was rising as I was an energetic child who wanted to explore everything, all at once. That is the reason why I was so much in love with Kalemegdan, and still am; it can offer a little bit of everything for everyone. Be it that you came there to relax with your family and make a small picninc, or you came with the loved one to enjoy the view and spend hours and hours of kissing, or that you, like my father, came with your child, and really want to make them tired before lunch time. In Kalemegdan, you will see all this, beautifuly mixed with happy people selling things from souvenirs to balloons and popcorns, and you will really feel like this is the place isolated from all the struggles of the real world where time simply stops.

Besides many kilometers of numerous hideouts through the park and fantastic playgrounds for the kids, there are incountable gorgeous spots for the elderly, who come to play chess on a regular basis and a great wall which is a favorite spot for teens and youth with spectacular and often romantic views of sunsets, storms or other beauties of nature. In winter, I used to go skiing and sleigh riding on the slopes near the Zoo.

After I was done with running around at the playground, climbing the old preserved parts of the fortress, my father could catch a break and perhaps have a coffee at one of the many beautiful places with a view on the rivers *Sava* and Danube. Enjoying in a nice and relaxing view is something that I very much enjoy even today, and I always love to come back to that spot where the monument of Pobednik (Victory Man) is located. Even now, I like to take a ride or two at the most famous amusement park in the area. I believe the park kept its authenticity since the 190s, with naturally renovated machines. The most famous one is called Panorama, known as the the Ferris wheel. From there you can actually have a panoramic view of the whole Belgrade.

And there you have it! An overview of what I see as the perfect Sunday. Bit of walking, running, playing, hiking and chilling at the restaurant, Kalemegdan surely gives a lot of choice to its international visitors. And to me, it will always be the place where I have spend the best weekends with my father, the place where I learned how to ride a bike and the spot to which I always dearly come back to, no matter where I go. There are so many more things to this place, so stay tuned for more inspiratios.