Belgrade sits on the confluence of the Danube and Sava rivers on the Balkan Peninsula.  It's one of the oldest cities in Europe.  It grew from fortresses built by the Celts (3rd century BC), and Illyrians, and the Romans.  The town was captured by the Huns, Goths, Sarmarthians,and Gepids before being retaken by a Byzantine emperor in the 6th century AD.  Then it became the Franks, and then the Bulgars.  The Bulgars named the city Beligrad, meaning white fortress.

In current history, Serbia fought is old partners in Yugoslavia during the Kosovo conflict (for more information, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kosovo_War), and NATO bombed the city in 1999.  Bombed buildings still exist.  I don't think I've ever seen bombed buildings before.  I'll try to get some photos.

The city has a population of 1.6 million. Serbian is the official language, though many people also speak English.  The currency is the dinar, but the euro is also accepted.  58 dinars equal one dollar.  It makes for difficult conversions when you are trying to figure out how much something costs.