Day 6 – Tues. 6 – Oct. 6 – Belgrade, Serbia – This morning we woke up in Belgrade. We joined the tour of the city that stands at the intersection of the Danube and the Sava Rivers.

Belgrade, means “White Fortress,” and we saw the Kalmegdam Fortress overlooking the old town and the city gates.

We took a short drive through the city and went to visit the Square of the Republic. We took some time and walked around the area before returning to the ship.

We marveled at the ancient buildings and I wondered about the building techniques. I have worked on scaffolding often and never enjoyed it much. One is always worrying about falling instead of concentrating on the work at hand.

The stone work is always impressive on these older buildings, with the thin mortar spaces and the perfectly straight walls. I am always impressed and amazed.

I have done some stone work, and understand how difficult and challenging the work can be even today with the best tools and skills.

How they did it hundreds of years ago without the aid of modern machinery is always interesting. It obviously took much longer to put up a building than it does now with the help of electric elevators and powered mixing and cutting equipment. Man power was all they had back then.

In the afternoon, after lunch, we went out to the region of Vovoijdina. We walked through an art gallery and then visited a violin makers house where he practices his craft. He has violins of all sizes and prices.

At midnight we sail on to Vidin.