The one building that the Serbians had made absolutely no effort to hide. Almost like some of the WWII destruction that other countries kept visible to remind everyone of the long-lasting scars of war, both physically and emotionally. And in this case, scars to the psyche and mindset of a nation. The two larger buildings in the back were the ministry of defense, seems they may have been connected by a sky bridge that clearly no longer exists. The smaller gray building to the front looked very similar to the barracks we had seen destroyed in Westerplatte, Poland. This entire area must have been bombed repeatedly as it was just up the street from the other destroyed buildings we had seen, and directly across the street from the seemingly intact Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Also was able to hear an interesting story about how Serbians reacted during the NATO bombings by eavesdropping on a tour guide earlier in the day. Basically there were three things one could do when the planes were overhead, hide in the basement, escape far into the countryside, or what he said many did, PARTY!! NATO was bombing the bridges in most cities, but as 40% of the Serbian economy is centered on Belgrade, the locals knew that if they lost their bridges, Serbia would lose its ability to function as an economy. So many youth ran out onto the bridges during the bombing raids wearing T-shirts with large targets painted on them, and writing that said something to the effect of, "We are your targets, not the bridges." The guide assured the group that some of the best parties in history happened during NATO air raids on Belgrade. Would not have guessed that one.
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