Belgade: Strolling The City (Phase One)
The best part of waking up in Serbia? The bells… on the half hour, we hear beautiful music. Love it!
Fall is in the air… the leaves are really beginning to turn and drop to the ground. Not realizing how close this was to our apartment, we were excited to discover this Bohemian street. Arriving in the early hours before this neighborhood awakens, it gave us a chance to photograph this charming Montmartre-like area.
Such character… can’t wait to return when this gathering place is full and alive. Restaurants, bars… each with a unique flair. This area has been host to many famous people over its history.
Like taking a stroll back in time… Despite the city growing and modernizing around Skadarlija, it remains a gem tucked away to enjoy. We have plans later in the week to enjoy a restaurant called Tri Sesira (Three Hats). I’ll save the history of this famous eatery for after we’ve been treated to a savory meal.
Four hundred meters of amazingness! As I mentioned, mornings are the best time to photograph the actual structures. Nighttime will be amazing when the streets and each of these restaurants are full of life! We are told that music floats through the air of this gathering place. Can’t wait! Of course, we will have to visit prior to our dinner.
Probably my favorite building on a street of favorite buildings… Vines climbing the wall, turning a vibrant red. The colors stopped me. Had to look at it from all angles. Of course, I took several shots but this is the one I was able to download. Sharing photos while on the road can sometimes be challenging. Prior to this trip, I had an even harder time but Jeremy helped me purchase a new, very light and compact laptop. This very thin Asus has saved me hours of frustration… oops, guess I got a little off topic.
It’s the weekend and the people are out! There’s such a festive feel to the streets of Belgrade.
Knez Mihailova is full of music, street vendors, shoppers and performers dressed as characters. There’s so much activity. Fun place to people watch! City fun.
After admiring the incredible Bohemian neighborhood, we went to the next spot on our list. Passing some serious road construction and crossing a wooden walkway, we ended up in the SAME neighborhood as yesterday! We had no idea that we explored Knez Mihailova in our wanderings yesterday. When plotting things out on google maps, it always seems that the places we have on our list are farther from our apartment. This is a completely walkable city! Prior to today, we walked out of our “home” and turned right… today google maps said to turn left and get to the Old Town cobbled streets first and then continue on to find… where we had already been. We thought we were going to a completely different part of town.
Finally a meal that wasn’t pizza or spaghetti… Barry really loved this sandwich. We went to Snezana, formerly a state owned restaurant. Now privately owned, the eatery has a very comfortable ambiance. Our waitress knew a bit of English and told us that the small table by the window we had chosen would be too small for the food we ordered.
Completely out of character, Barry has been enjoying the Greek Salad. Greens are not his thing… but this salad has caught his attention and we tend to now order one at every meal. While in Belgrade, we have been successful in finding eateries with both meats for Barry and seafood for me. Risotto is something I can eat with my strict diet. Depending on the additives, there are usually a few I can enjoy. Today, shrimp and saffron… it was outstanding!
We were able to locate another restaurant on our list of suggested eateries! With both the apartment host and our friend, Tanja giving us options, we pick the ones they both name. After we have gone through that list, we will branch out to individual recommendations. This one, Manufaktura, is right around the corner! We are finding this city is easier to navigate than expected.
Beating the rain… we arrived back at our apartment. Thought I’d take you on a quick “tour” through this tiny space. This studio is a mere 25 square meters (the balcony is 40 square meters). Our host created an open and seemingly spacious environment. It has everything we need… the bed is tucked in a niche in the wall. The kitchen has a washer/dryer combination, sink, refrigerator, two burners and a microwave. The “jet” poster fills the door of the bathroom. With a rain shower and a towel heater, the small bathroom has everything! As you can see from the art on the kitchen wall, this flat is all about “travel”. It’s my soul space!
When our host, Luca, was introducing us to our two week home, he pointed out how to use appliances, what kitchen items were supplied, how to use the television. Then he turned to this heater… he said, “We have this heater but I can’t explain how to use it because it is city controlled.” Apparently, the city will decide if I’m cold or not… that’s an interesting concept.
Beside the bed, our first view in the morning, is this sticker of the world. This wall art is comprised of iconic points of interest around the world. On the floor pointing at the door, is an airplane “exit” sign. We love it!
Last night/early this morning… we had to set our clocks back. It is now “Daylight Savings Time”. We only saw this was happening on one google page, so I asked my friend Tanja. She wasn’t familiar with the term… so when I asked, she thought I was asking about how the electricity is cheaper at midnight so many (her family) do laundry after twelve. Anyway, the sun set today at four-thirty… we decided to lay low and enjoy our balcony. Enjoy our view. Enjoy our new hand painted wine glasses. (The ones in our flat are like sippy cups). The end to another fun day. Can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings!
