 Smederevo
is a town about 45 minutes south of Belgrade that is most famous (at least
to us) as being the home factory for US Steel. It was used during the socialist
years, fell into disrepair, and then was purchased and refurbished with
US management coming in to run the plant. There are quite a number of kids
at our school whose parents (usually dad) work there.
We, however, had no interest in the steel
mill. We had heard that there was an old fortress (along the lines of Kalamegdan
in Belgrade) located there, and we wanted to check it out.
We discovered that the long walls that
front the Danube encase a grassy field, surrounded by the shell of the
fortress. During the course of Serbia's often violent history, a train
loaded with ammunition apparently blew up here, destroying any usefulness
that might have remained as a military outpost.
Nowadays, picknickers picnic, horse riders
horseride, and sheepherders shepherd all within the friendly confines (that
do serve to keep some of the wicked wind from howling).
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The kids had a great time trying to
pet the sheep and got to climb on the playground equipment as well.
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A mini recreated village sits at the
base of the walls, although the actual purpose of the buildings was never
revealed: there was no one around, just a gaggle of geese.
We went out to lunch afterwards at
a neat little resturant in town - the walls were covered with old farming
implements and the food was cooked in a wood-fired kiln type oven. After
feasting, we piled in the car and headed home, refreshed after a day in
the sun...
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