The last thing I needed to explore in Belgrade was the Austrian outpost of Zemun. I planned on coming yesterday but the rain was so bad I had to put it off. Today the rain was finally breaking so I could do this as my last thing

When the Turks occupied the fortress and the old town, the Austrians built this small outpost on the other side of the Sava river, each controlling their respective sides of the river. Today it is a suburb that has been absorbed into Belgrade city limits



Taking the bus back from Novi Sad I switched to a local bus outside the bus terminal. There are three buses to Zemun 704, 706, 707. These run express and you only need to get off at the third stop rather than taking a confusing local bus with many stops

Zemun is very compact comprising a few city blocks. The main square had a church in western European style and more outdoor cafes and restaurants though with the bad weather it was all deserted.



































I wandered the streets to another orthodox church. Interestingly this was under renovation. You could see some of the original artwork on the bare walls, while the rest of the inside was stripped completely bare







































The other main sight of Zemun is the watchtower with city views looking back over the Danube and Sava rivers, and the city fortress which was occupied by the Turks.

After climbing lots of stairs to get up it was padlocked shut. You did however have some good city views from the base though not 360 as they would have been from up the top of the tower

























That was essentially it so I took the bus back. I was expecting a bit more the way the tourist office talked about it and how its on all the maps. The hostel even arranges tours here.

There were a few streets of Austrian houses but they need some TLC as does most of the city. The rain seems to be clearing now and I'm leaving Belgrade tomorrow after four days.



Aside from rain the entire four days Belgrade wasn't quite what I expected. Its not like Bosnia and Croatia and doesn't seem as laid back. The buildings are all black and seemed like Budapest 15 years ago

In fairness they were under sanctions for most of the 90s and they were bombed by Nato at the end of that so that may explain why it lags behind progress of some other European cities.



















I'd wanted to hear lots of turbo folk music. Most of the channels in my room were broken so I could only get some English channels. People can speak some English so its better then when I was last in Bosnia in 2007 when most couldn't.

The city doesn't seem to be designed that well in comparison to Novi Sad which was more planned. I didn't see the suburb of Novi Belgrade (New Belgrade) which might have been. They dont have a waterfront along the Danube like Budapest and its more industrial and gritty

As with Budapest, perhaps when they are allowed to join the EU there will be a flood of investment which will help improve the look and design of the city, although prices are currently half what they were in Budapest and joining the EU will probably bring inflation

People are friendly and not hostile to foreigners for sanctions and Nato bombing. But I cant say I'm in love as I was in other parts of Yugoslavia, Sarajevo, or Budapest, especially since you dont hear the turbo folk music playing on every street as you did in Bosnia! 

Hopefully going south into the small towns I will see more of the local character.







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