Showing posts with label Belgrade. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Belgrade. Show all posts

Monday, June 25, 2012

Ottoman Trek: Serbia

For some reason I expected Belgrade to be monolithic and cold. But our local guide is quick to point out that it's a city of music and culture, and it doesn't take a genius to figure out that my preconceptions were miles off.

Our walking tour takes in some of the key sights:

The old palace
One of many beautiful Orthodox churches
Belgrade loves its water features, as does my beautiful assistant Ally

The tour is timed perfectly to reach the fortress for sunset.


Adam and Lizzie at the fortress

Our guide explained to us that Belgrade has been razed to the ground on no less than forty occasions. On an unrelated note, it's also the place where Amy Winehouse performed her last concert.

Dinner is in the outdoor area of a cute little Serbian restaurant. Being Day 3 of the Ottoman Trek, we're starting to form friendships. I'm at a table of four people whose names all begin with 'A', and we decide to celebrate with a round of cosmopolitans. It made sense at the time.

I've been a little sick for the last few days, so my voice is hoarse. I gesture to the waiter, and when he comes over I point to the word 'cosmopolitan' in the menu and croak barely audibly "four cosmopolitans please". He looks at me, looks at the menu, looks at the group, laughs himself silly, and walks away.

I love Serbia.

Later, Stacey receives some exuberant attention from a pair of traditional Serbian musicians.

Thursday, June 21, 2012

Ottoman Trek: Preview

Almost a year ago, I embarked on the birthday trip of a lifetime overland from the south of France to the place I’d always dreamed of visiting: Dubrovnik, Croatia.

The image that had me going gaga for Dubrovnik a year ago

Tomorrow, just before my next birthday, Busabout and Flight Centre UK have given me the opportunity to continue this trip east: from Split, Croatia to Istanbul, Turkey on Busabout’s Ottoman Trek.

The itinerary is mouthwatering (have a look here).


I’m most excited about Sarajevo because I think it’s the most historically important city of the 20th century, given Archduke Franz Ferdinand’s assassination there sparked WWI, which set off the dominoes that started WWII. Not to mention the horrific war of the 90s.

On the other stops, I’m craving those unexpected experiences that can come from discovering places you knew little about before leaving. Bulgaria is somewhere I’d never given much thought before booking this trek, so I have no idea what to expect there. And I hear Mostar is a little gem too...

The famous bridge in Mostar, Bosnia

And to round the trek off in Turkey sounds too perfect to be true. I’ve been promised it’s possible to nip down to Gallipoli the day after arriving in Istanbul, which is definitely high on the agenda for this antipodean.

Plus, because I’m used to booking these trips myself, I’m looking forward to the camaraderie and reduced stress that comes from travelling with a group.

You can follow the adventure as it unfolds on twitter and facebook - click the icons below.


Some of my highlights from the trek will also be published on Flight Centre UK’s blog. I'll link to them after they're posted.