LandScope: Travel Diary of An Explorer

Fortress, islands, rivers and cafe culture...
Nowadays, it is the most popular city for a budget travel in Europe. This big city having an important place in history tries to attract tourists after the wars of the 1990s. One of the attraction points is that the prices for just about everything are quite cheap compared to European standards.

But our discovery started with the interest of Nikola Tesla -the name is given to the airport-. and the reflection of Turkish culture. Ottomans' presence in Belgrade for 300 years had affected social and cultural life. So, It is inevitable to see the traces of the Turkish motifs. After learning the fame of the Belgrade with Nikola Tesla, curiosity of historical and cultural features of the city and of course with the advantage of budget travel options, we planned a visit to Belgrad  in November. My first impression about the city was that it was  really peaceful although it hadn't passed so long after the wars. I think they have tried to relieve quickly and created a new peaceful life in it.

Kalemegdan Park

Kalemegdan Park

Belgrade is the meeting point of Sava and Danube river. The riversides could be experienced by walking, riding bicycle, enjoying in the cafes, or taking the boat tours. We were really lucky, because the weather was so great for a winter day in Balkans. So we had a chance to walk and discovered the city and lifestyle easily.
The pedestrianised street of "Knez Mihailova" which is also a shopping street surrounded by famous brands and "Skadarlija" district were the most lively parts of the city. Knez street was always crowded and the street cafes were full of the people. It connects Republic square and Kalemegdan Park which is the most important historical monument in Belgrade. Most of the people had popcorns on their hands while walking in the Knez street. The most popular snack in the city :))

Knez Mihailova street

Knez Mihailova street

Skadarlija

Cafes in Skadarlija district

Skadarlija

The city center is easily reachable from airport by bus. We arrived to the main train station at first and we confronted with a local market:) that I really like to see in a city I visit. From this point, it takes max. 10 min to walk to the center. Belgrade is a walkable city, but if you would like to see the outer side of the center, it could be a bit tiring. In that time you could use public transport -buses, trams- reaching every parts of the city. Especially Saint Sava Cathedral, Ada Ciganlija and Danube riverside are far from the center and you need to climb the hilly streets to reach to the center, so maybe walking could be ok to go to these places but on your way to return you can use the trams as we do...

Local market

Saint Sava Cathedral

Climbing street from the riverside to the Kalemegdan

Tadeusa Koscuska street - towards Danube river

As I mentioned in the beginning, city was really peaceful. We saw lots of young couples having babies and people walking for dog. It gave us calmness. In fact I am afraid of dogs, but after seeing them all the time, I think I overcame my fear.

Church of St. Mark and Tasmajdan

One evening we went to the Kalemagdan Park to stroll around. The citizens were coming, sitting and talking with each others, watching the river from the top. We visited the fortress and passed through the tunnels, bridges and darksides of the park where a few people were around, but I must confess that I didn't feel any fear of crime. It wasn't so light or crowded, but I felt safe. In this respect, it was not as empty or neglected as it was seen in photos or google street views. You can trust me...

President of the Republic of Serbia Building

Streets

Kangroos in Belgrade zoo

Belgrade zoo

The serbian people like to spend their time in pleasure. They are outside all the time, they drink cafes and teas so much that the culture comes from Ottomans and Turks, so they serve tea with very big teapots and cups in the cafes. But they had a bad smoking habit -cigarettes or nargiles and they smoke in the close areas :( That is a bit different compared to the European cities.

Tea service -with teapot, honey and big cups-

My favorite places in the city was Dorcol district where you can enjoy in lots of cafes, pubs and restaurants. For example "Red Bread" in where we had breakfast every morning and "Jimmy woo" for a nice dinner or drink were located in this part of the city. Grid and calm streets encourage you to walk and nearly all of the cafes were in the tripadvisor's preferred cafes list. This district is also bohemian part of the city. The name of Dorcol comes from Turkish words dört (four) and yol (road). Another district was Vracar district -Sava temple located in-. It was also attractive with secret cafes, open spaces and a bit expensive compared to the other parts.

If you would like to spend your weekend in a relaxing atmosphere and plan for a budget travel, Belgrade can give you all that you want.

For my detailed reviews, you can visit tripadvisor.

After the fist impression of the city, I would like to mention about some attraction points in Lviv. By the way you can read about my Lviv impression.

LVIV is a city for anyone who wants to experince a new city with a daily pleasure and routine. If you want no walking tours as a tourist or just would like to relax, sit in a cafe, read a book and watch the outside, city gives you this freedom too. This travel was a relaxation for us. We dreamed for a break and just wanted to live the city as a local. No more touristic activity, much more daily routine...

There are lots of places such as cafes, restaurant, theatres, operas, music theatre, local open market and some street activities and different festivals all the year round. Anybody could find an attraction for themselves.

   

Lviv Chocolate Factory, Coffee Manufacture, Gasova Lampa are the main hot spots attracting mostly tourists as well as local citizens. So these places are always crowded.


"Lviv handmade chocolate" is so famous, in fact the city is known with its chocolate and coffees. Lviv chocolate factory serves handmade chocolates, aromatic coffees and also you can enjoy different chocolates in its five-storied cafe. Every floor has different design concept that is so relaxing. Lace table sheets were so authentic and the atmosphere was cozy and romantic. The interior of the top floor also was furnished with plants and christmas decorations.


"Lviv Coffee Manufacture" defines itself the place where the Lviv coffee is born. It presents not only a coffee, but also a culture. There are some branches in the city, one of them is in the Rynok square and it is the only coffee mining where it is extracting underground of Rynok square and visitors could experience that.

           
"Gasova Lampa" is a cafe, pub and the most popular concept restaurant in Lviv. It was really interesting cafe where a guide welcomes you at the entrance with a lit lantern. This cafe-pub is dedicated to the invention of the kerosene lamp by two pharmacists in Lviv. Their statues are near the entrance where the people take photos with one of these famous men while accompanying him on his table. One of them was me of course:)


I must confess that everything that I tasted in city such as sweets, pizzas, steaks, soups, burgers, pastas, omlettes, especially cakes were really excellent. And you get your money's worth.

In the cold winter days, it was a bit difficult to walk so long. We went out after a hot drink and walked about half an hour or one hour and again we sat down for a hot coffee and tea... That goes like that, so I had lots of chances to experience more cafes' atmospheres. One of them was the "Vintage hotel" where we had a great pleasure. The restaurant of the hotel was very well-decorated and it was so elegant. We sat there after the cold weather for a cup of tea. The waitress welcomed us with a favor. They offered us wine and sweets. That was a great pleasure, warm welcoming by these nice people in this cold country.


Last things that I should mention about was "Beer Theatre" where the Pravda-Orchestra was making "live music" every evening. They were excellent, songs were chosen well-known artists, old and new. For example they took our attention with Michael Jackson's "Smooth criminal" and Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit"...


Lviv!.. We are very pleased to be in this wonderful city and be able to feel the spirit of the city. I hope we will come back again...

Opera house, Lviv

Everyone travels mostly to Kiev or Odessa which are the best known cities in Ukraine. I haven't seen these cities but I looked for another choice; anywhere that a few people experienced, so I found Lviv.

Svobody Avenue, Lviv

Svobody Avenue, Lviv

Rynok square, Lviv

Rynok square, Lviv

Rynok square, Lviv

Statue of Adam Mickiewicz

Streets of Lviv, Ukraine

Historical buildings of Lviv

Streets and buildings of Lviv, Ukraine

It was Christmas time when I went to Lviv and I had a chance to see the christmas market in that time. The little wooden huts were arriving recently in the Rynok square and the Opera house square, so the city was sparkling at night during our trip.

Svobody Avenue, Christmas market, Lviv

Lets look at the attractions in detail.