Through the Land of the SerbDurham, M. E. (Mary Edith)
History
Through the Land of the Serb
Durham, M. E. (Mary Edith)
Montenegro -- Description and travel; Serbia -- Description and travel
Belgrade, in fine weather, is a very agreeable town to do nothing in for
a day or two. But its historic fortress, its beautiful garden, and the
woods of Topchider are all too well known to require describing. One
mosque only, and that a dilapidated one, tells of the departed Turk. The
mass of the inhabitants (60,000) are Orthodox Serbs, and a colony of
Spanish-speaking Jews lives in the low-lying quarter called Dorchol. I
think I saw the whole colony, from the tiniest beady-eyed baby to the
stoutest grand-mamma, for they flocked to see me pass as though I were a
coronation procession. Unaware that a foreign woman travelling alone in
Servia was a unique event, I wished them "good day" cheerfully, and went
my way.
The "old konak," a rather mean-looking building painted a raw cream
colour, and standing in a small garden with sentry boxes in front of it,
has since acquired hideous fame. For in it, but a year later, did
Alexander's ill-starred reign come to its awful end. Belgrade was so
civil to me, there was such perfect order in the streets both by day and
night, all was outwardly so quiet, that even now I find it hard to
realise that that ugly yellow house has been turned into a shambles.
That the King would have to leave and at no distant date was obvious,
but I believed it would be by the usual route, and as I watched the
swirly yellow Save hurrying along below, I murmured, "There's one more
river, one more river to cross." It is a marvel that Servian rulers
continue to dwell within sight of the Save. It is the most
"men-may-come-and-men-may-go" river in all Europe. But in Servia, though
you may flee from the Save, you can never lose sight of the political
situation, which is a parlous one. Servia is too small to stand quite
alone. Without, she is surrounded by Austria, Turkey, and Bulgaria. The
first is slowly squeezing her, preparatory to swallowing her whole,
should a favourable chance arise; the second yet holds the heart of the
old Servian Empire; and with the third Servias quarrel dates from the
seventh century. Internally Servia is torn by parties who differ as to
which of the Powers it is advisable to propitiate, and these parties
dance to external wirepulling.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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