My proposal is: to set off walking this moment.
To stop when we are tired.
To get a lift when we can.
To walk when we can't.
- Charles Dickens
To stop when we are tired.
To get a lift when we can.
To walk when we can't.
- Charles Dickens
When we were planning this trip, at first, we looked at tours around the Balkans to get an idea of a possible route. We patterned our route with that and added few stops that we wanted to see. It really depends with what is important for you to see and do, in doing a multi-destination itinerary. The thrill is on the planning stage of the trip - from researching, deciding on which route, brainstorming on where to stay and discussing what we want to see and do.
Our first stop in our Balkan (former Yugoslavia) road trip is Belgrade. The drive was just 4.5 hours long from Budapest. On this trip, we allotted "drive days" to be just drive days, in this way we are not too tired nor rushing to see sights. We decided to drive around the Balkans for the following reasons:
1. We decided to do it ourselves with a car, mainly because to get around the Balkans there's only a few train routes and the main means of transportation to get around is by bus. Traveling with luggages in a multi-country destination is quite hard especially our vacation is quite long, so we decided on comfort versus being cheap. (I do not want to do the backpacking approach since I love to travel with a soupçon of style, though Brock still tries to convince me on every trip if we can backpack instead.) In this way, we are not worrying what time we have to get to the bus station while lugging around our luggages with us. We wanted to have a bit of relaxing vacation with no stress on logistics.
2. We wanted to explore the destinations at our own pace. We wake up when we want and we stop wherever we want. Our itinerary is slow paced but fully packed with places to explore. In this way, we can change our minds in the middle of our trip to stay longer or not in one spot.
3. We wanted to see more stops/places than the route/tour we patterned our trip to. This was a bonus because since we are travelling at our own pace, we can see more places along the way.
Our first stop in our Balkan (former Yugoslavia) road trip is Belgrade. The drive was just 4.5 hours long from Budapest. On this trip, we allotted "drive days" to be just drive days, in this way we are not too tired nor rushing to see sights. We decided to drive around the Balkans for the following reasons:
1. We decided to do it ourselves with a car, mainly because to get around the Balkans there's only a few train routes and the main means of transportation to get around is by bus. Traveling with luggages in a multi-country destination is quite hard especially our vacation is quite long, so we decided on comfort versus being cheap. (I do not want to do the backpacking approach since I love to travel with a soupçon of style, though Brock still tries to convince me on every trip if we can backpack instead.) In this way, we are not worrying what time we have to get to the bus station while lugging around our luggages with us. We wanted to have a bit of relaxing vacation with no stress on logistics.
2. We wanted to explore the destinations at our own pace. We wake up when we want and we stop wherever we want. Our itinerary is slow paced but fully packed with places to explore. In this way, we can change our minds in the middle of our trip to stay longer or not in one spot.
3. We wanted to see more stops/places than the route/tour we patterned our trip to. This was a bonus because since we are travelling at our own pace, we can see more places along the way.
At first, Brock was kind of scared to drive around the Balkans because of what we read about it. Living in the Middle East, Africa and Asia prepared him for this, so it was actually surprisingly easier to drive the Balkans as compared to other countries. While driving, we said to ourselves that this is the best way to travel deeper in a country, pass by the countryside and see their everyday life. We absolutely loved every minute while we are inside the car because the view was just nice. We both felt that we absorbed the country better than sitting in a bus, on a tour, being rushed.
We decided to stay at the cobbled Bohemian Quarter called Skadarlija in Belgrade. When we arrived in the afternoon, since the hotel is situated in the center of the quarter, we were able to walk around and meander the streets of Belgrade. It was a great spot to stay at because we are near restaurants and nearby popular sights.
Belgrade is what you expect in a city but its gritty and one of the most happening places in Europe. Belgrade is colorful capital, well known for its night life.
Belgrade is what you expect in a city but its gritty and one of the most happening places in Europe. Belgrade is colorful capital, well known for its night life.
We ate Sesir Moj, recommended by our trustful guide - Lonely Planet: Southeastern Europe serving traditional Serbian dishes.
On the bottom left, the dish is called Burek - flaky cheese pie and on the right hand corner, their traditional Pork Stuffed with Kajmak (kajmak is like a salted yogurt or clotted cream). Down below is a dish like Chicken Cordon Bleu, but basically stuffed with veal or pork with Kajmak and Tartar. Serbian food is good but there is nothing that is noteworthy that stands out from the rest.
Its nice to meander around the streets of Belgrade, you get the feel what the capital is like and see the neighborhood action, I love animals specially dogs and took pictures of them while walking around the gritty, sometimes surprising, streets of Belgrade.
We ended our night stumbling upon the busy and lively pedestrian shopping street called Knez Mihailova. We sat down in one of the cafes, people watched our night away, and walked back to our hotel tired and excited for the next day sightseeing.