11/20 – today is cold and rainy. It feels like an Eastern European grey day. We struck out to find the Temple of St. Sava, still under construction, the biggest Eastern Orthodox church in the world. When complete, it will hold 10,000 people, and the choir will hold 800 singers.

Inside is lots of scaffolding, hammering and drilling noises, but a steady stream of worshipers come in to kiss the icons and pray.

We stopped for lunch at a gyro shop, and watched as the proprietor fashioned each roll with loving care, and wrapped them as though they were his babies. It seemed a shame to eat such beauty, but gosh, they were delicious!

Walking across town, we came upon some buildings still scarred from the bombing during the 1990s war. We were told that they have not been repaired to remind the people of Serbia’s struggle:

Then we set out to find the Nikola Tesla Museum, one of Belgrade’s top attractions.

If you don’t know about Tesla, he invented EVERYTHING: the motor, alternating current, radio, wireless transmission, vertical take-off aircraft – hundreds of patents and 700 more never finished. We took an English-speaking tour from an engineering student from the University who spoke with passion and reverence. She also demonstrated neat stuff, like lighting a neon sign remotely:

Powering fluorescent bulbs by generating lightning with a huge tesla coil:

Having 100,000 volts pass through our fingers:

The museum also holds his books, papers, personal effects, and his ashes, displayed in a golden orb. It was a neat place, made extra special for me as Nikola was the spitting image of my dearly departed Alan, who would have loved this museum.

Now we are packing up to catch the overnight train to Sofia, Bulgaria. A new experience for me!