Day 231 – EU – Serbia [Rest Day in Belgrade]

10/10/20

 Rest day in Belgrade (Serbia, Europe)

Strolling through the streets of Belgrade on a sunny autumn day, visiting the Fortress – and some other rest-day tasks

Yesterday I posted a picture I took as I finished the run, on one of the Boulevards of Belgrade, in front of the University. I had noticed there was a statue on it but didn’t pay it much attention – until my mum asked whose statue it was. A bit of research later I found out it was that of Nikola Tesla. Tesla… sounded familiar of course. The man who invented the first alternative current (AC) motor and many other things electricity related! I had no clue a Serbian man was at the origin of it.

I got up early as usual and went for a long morning stroll. I walked by the banks of the Danube and the Sava rivers, which have been highly modernised since my stay there in 2006. I went up to the Fortress, host to the old Citadel and Kalemegdan Park, beautiful in the autumn shades. I saw the monument of Gratitude to France for the first time, a tribute to the end of the 1st World War. It was peculiar to see the “Marianne” with her Phrygian hat, such a symbol of the French Revolution here in the Serbian capital. A great tribute.

And then, walking the streets of Belgrade Old Town, sitting outdoors for lunch, still enjoying the last warm days of autumn… knowing it ain’t gonna last for much longer!

This week I have also worked on keeping in touch with the pupils of the LFS, the French School of Singapore. Before I left (I had lived in SG for 7 years) I had agreed that I would come and visit them for a mini-conference on my Malaysia-Singapore run. Covid19 later, of course, things are now uncertain! I spoke with the teachers and we agreed to have a video conference instead, with some of their classes, some in english, some in french. As a result of this, I have started receiving questions from the students, via email, and I am doing my best to answer them all!

The teacher told me how glad she was to have this project with me and how it reminded her of her days teaching in Paris, where she got in touch with Philippe Fuchs, who was then running Paris to Beijing. I did a bit of research and contacted the man. I am particularly interested in the fact that Philippe was subject to a scientific experiment as he was running, and was carrying a device around his waist that recorded “measurements” as he ran (which ones I do not know). We have a video-conf call scheduled for Wednesday, where I will find out more about it. And will share with you my findings!