Habsburg Madrid and Belgrade, Serbia

Madrid has an endless array of things to do, a panoply of possibilities to see, and is truly a wonderful city to dwell in for a period of time. There are, of course, people less enthused about this city than I am, and a friend recently told me that I was in love with this city and therefore viewing it irrationally and through rose-colored glasses, and it may be true. Regardless, the city is fascinating, and I am trying to appreciate and understand its complexities and its history better. With that end in mind, I spent a long morning and afternoon recently walking around Madrid, focusing primarily on the part called "Madrid de los Austrias," which is the part of Madrid that was built by the Habsburgs, the royal house that ruled in Spain during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

The Habsburgs were first really put on my intellectual radar after I read Thunder at Twilight: Vienna 1913/1914 by Frederic Morton. Though the title and subtitle aren't necessarily the most enticing, the book was one of the most beautifully written and compelling books of historical non-fiction that I have ever read. Morton's intimate and nuanced look into the lives of some of the prosperous and complex Habsburgs (as well as some of their enemies and a whole host of characters dwelling in Vienna in that precipitous year) piqued my interest in the royal family, and living in Spain, where a particular branch of the family ruled for awhile and left an indelible mark on this culture, has provided me the perfect chance to pursue my interest further. Much of the most popular attractions of Madrid were built by the Habsburgs, starting with Felipe II, the Habsburg monarch who moved the capital of his kingdom from Toledo to Madrid in 1561. Below I include two pictures, the first of the Plaza de la Villa, one of the most beautiful plazas (city squares) in Madrid surrounded by Renaissance buildings, and the second of Plaza Mayor, which is Madrid's largest and most frequented plaza.

Plaza de la Villa, a calm and picturesque plaza in Madrid

Plaza Mayor, a frenzy of tourists speaking many languages,
overpriced but good restaurants, and the place where
Inquisition trials were once held

A view of Belgrade's rooftops and the beautiful Danube

After appreciating the pulchritude of Madrid, I went to Serbia to spend a few days there with some of my Serbian friends. The Serbians that I spent the week with were unfailingly compassionate, warm, and selfless hosts, and I had a great time seeing a different country and a different culture in the complex and diverse European continent. Serbia was a country about which I was mostly ignorant, and it was so neat to get to learn about an entire culture that I understood very little previous to my trip. I spent most of my time in Belgrade, which is currently the capital of Serbia and which served as the capital of all of Yugoslavia when many of the Balkan states were together as one country. Though Belgrade was beautiful, the socioeconomic disparity between Serbia and Spain was apparent almost at first glance, as cars were older in Serbia, buildings of beautiful architecture were unkempt or run-down, and the whole city just wore the years of suffering and war that it has endured on its sleeve.

A building that typifies my impression of Belgrade--beautiful
architecture that nonetheless lacks its former luster

A view of the Sava River, with the walls of Fort Kalemegden
visible from the left to the center of the photo 

Belgrade lies at the confluence of two rivers, the Sava and the Danube, both of which are wide bodies of moving water that lend a verdancy and a sylvan aspect to Belgrade that Madrid lacks because of its aridity. I found the environment stunning, and I kept thinking of Strauss's "On the Beautiful Blue Danube" waltz, and I felt like I had a slightly greater understanding of why he would be so moved to compose a song about the majestic river. (Click here to be directed to a YouTube video with the song.) Milosh, his friends and I took many walks along the two rivers, which is where most of the historic part of the city remains and where most of the attractions are, including the Belgrade Fortress of Kalemegden, a citadel-like group of building and wall remains that has been the historical heart of Belgrade since the pre-Roman peoples all through the many turbulent (and confusing) chapters of Serbian and Slavic history.

Milosh and me standing in front of Saint Sava
Temple

Belgrade is also the home of the Saint Sava Temple, an impressive and gorgeous Serbian Orthodox church that is still undergoing completion internally but that shines like a gem from the outside. It is one of the largest Orthodox churches, and it is named after Saint Sava (as is the Sava River), a saint who started the Sebian Orthodox Church and who is famed as being a truly ascetic, selfless monk who forsook his noble life and instead focused on alms, educating young children, and devoting his life to God and his people. As such, he is highly revered in Serbian society, and many important cultural monuments and physical structures bear his name.









As always, perhaps the richest and most rewarding part of my journey was the human connections that I was able to foster during the time that I was there. Milosh was a gentleman and treated me to many delicious Serbian meals, including some really good cheese and ham crepes. Milosh's friends were also extraordinarily kind to me. They all spoke in their immaculate and impressive English when they were with me (which caused me some shame and anxiety, since I hate being the American that assumes everyone around him must speak his language, but given my 10-15 word limit of Serbian, and their lack of Spanish, it's how it had to be, I suppose). Stephan, one of Milosh's best friends, invited me to his father's summer cabin outside of the city, and his father made us all a delicious barbecue of assorted meats, crackers, and dips which we finished with a dessert very similar to Turkish Delight. (Because the Ottomans conquered Belgrade and ruled there for awhile, many Serbian customs are quite Turkish.) I was treated like royalty the whole time that I was there, and I couldn't have had better hosts.

From left to right: Dunja, Milosh's wonderful roommate, working
in cultural conflict resolution for an NGO; me; Milosh; and Marko,
one of Milosh's best friends who's a doctor in Belgrade