By: Jean-Paul Courville
The power of influence
In 2016 while traveling to Croatia I had a two hour layover with a connecting flight in Belgrade, Serbia. While sitting in an airport cafe I met a group of wonderful Serbian couples who literally convinced me I was making a mistake not spending time in Belgrade.
When the plane departed from the runway I had a window seat and was able to stare into the country side replaying the conversation from a few hours earlier. They were right, how many times do we become blinded by the objective and don't appreciate the journey? Too often.....
In April 2017 I boarded a flight on an extended weekend from Dubai to fulfill the excitement I had of visiting Belgrade. I was extremely pleased with my decision and it was all from the simple influence of genuine people on a chance encounter in a cafe.
Belgrade is the capital of the southeast European country of Serbia. Its most significant landmark is the Beogradska Tvrđava, an imposing fortress at the confluence of the Danube and the Sava rivers. The fort is a testament to the city’s strategic importance to the Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman, Serbian and Austrian empires, and it's now the site of several museums as well as Kalemegdan, a vast park.
*Serbia was once part of the former Yugoslavia
Belgrade
I discovered the National Park Fruška gora and explored the mountains, hiked, and embraced the snow with clean air while stopping along the road to share coffee with local people.
Fruška gora is a mountain in northern Serbia. Most of the area is administratively part of Serbia, but a small part on its western side extends into eastern Croatia. The area under Serbian administration forms the country's oldest national park.
That Serbian Cuisine was absolutely divine in Belgrade and along the countryside.
#snowbae at Fruška gora
Looks wonderful 😍