Kalemegdan Fortress

Managed to see a bit more of Belgrade today. Spent a long time in the student district, around the University, and especially in the wonderful National Ethnographic Museum, a haven for textile enthusiasts such as me. The exquisite skill and bright patterns of the embroidery, weaving, knitting and felting of the traditional costumes was utterly absorbing and there is also currently a special display of cut-work embroidery. In addition there other beautiful artefacts, such as pottery, a small selection of kelim carpets as well as wooden furniture and farm machinery. The rich designs and patterns on the clothes reminded me of the kinds of source material Kaffe Fassett and Bill Gibb were using for their knitting designs in the 1970s. They are a sharp contrast to the plain drab clothes being worn by anorexic models on the 2013 catwalks as featured on 'fashion tv', which is on a continuous loop in the hotel dining-room.)

So it was nearly dusk before I made it to Kalemegdan Fortress at the other end of Knez Mihailova Street, Belgrade's main pedestrian shopping drag. But according to the guidebook that is the time to go, when the locals are promenading. There were certainly lots of people around and it was good to be out in nature after being inside for most of a long working week. Apparently a Celtic tribe were among the first settlers here and the Romans followed on for a time. Belgrade's history is so much a part of its geography. It sits at the confluence of the Danube and Sava rivers, although the view out over the water was pretty much occluded by smog. The fortress itself made me think of the imaginary land of Ruritania. This is, I believe, the Zindan Gate - can't you see the Prisoner of Zenda here? Today, in more peaceful times, the park is a favourite spot for romance and this couple were busy taking pictures of each other and of a wedding party, the bride and her female supporters teetering across the cobblestones in fantastically high red heels...