The fact
that the capitals of Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina are hard to reach - did you
know there are almost no highways in Bosnia? - makes them an even more special
destination.
In the roadtrip organized with my friends (Giulia's),
Belgrade and
Sarajevo were squeezed in 5 days, and I was very envious of the extra half day
my friends were able to spend in Sarajevo after my departure, without mentioning the rest of their journey towards the sea. Countries of
gorgeous natural sights, interesting architecture, and shockingly complicated
history, they will undoubtedly surprise you and make you wish you could stay a
little longer.
As full
of history and entertainment as they are, everyone can have a totally different holiday. But if you have limited time, these are the must-visit
attractions you cannot miss!
BELGRADE
1- The
Fortress and Kalemegdan Park
Located
on a hill on the confluence of the river Sava and the Danube (
here), its thick walls
and strong structure display for how long this fortress has
protected all the populations and kingdoms that ruled this area, from the first Celtic tribe to the more recent Austro-Hungarian and Turkish periods. Just to convey its importance, Belgrade means "white fortress"! Besides walking around the
walls, ruins, and in the peaceful park, there are museums, a zoo, a
planetarium, a Turkish mausoleum, and much more.
Admission
is free and the sunset is fantastic!
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| Impressive gate and towers |
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| The White Fortress |
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| The
Victor Statue (Pobednik in Serbian) commemorates the victory of Serbia over
Ottoman and Austro-Hungarian Empire during the Balkan Wars and the
First World War. In the Thirties, it was placed in one of the main squares, but
the ladies were shocked by its nudity, so it was moved somewhere where his
nudity was less scandalous and more remote :D |
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| The view was getting more picturesque by the minute, so we stayed until sunset |
2-
Skadarlija (or Skadarska)
The
Bohemian, windy, narrow, cobbled
street of Skadarlija is a fairy tale. A row of colorful
restaurants and bars, flowers, and street art, it feels like travelling in time, or
at least travelling outside of a European capital! Perfect for a short,
relaxing walk. If you have the chance, taste some rakija from the traditional
"cokancic" glasses, which will not spill even in the most furious
rakija-provoked argument!
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| Touristic, but still bohemian and authentic |
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| Fantastic street art! |
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| We had a great dinner in Manufaktura! It is not in Skadarlija, but I'm sure you can get rakija in the special cokancic glasses there :) |
3-
Orthodox churches
Perhaps
because of the Italian kind of religious art I am used to, I am always very
attracted to Orthodox churches.
Saint Sava Cathedral is magnificent outside, so white, minimal and
round, and absolutely absurd inside: the church itself is still under
construction, but the crypt (as of summer 2017) was a bedazzling golden cave of
wonders!
SaintMark Cathedral is also charming, with an imposing and solemn interior, and
Serbian-Orthodox exterior in white and red.
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| Beautiful Saint Sava Cathedral! And boy was it a sweaty day |
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As per July 2017. Construction commenced in 1935, it was suspended during the war,
the dome was completed in 1989, and the cathedral was consecrated in 2004.
The interior decoration of mosaics is supposed to be completed by 2017. |
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| The stunning crypt under St Sava Cathedral |
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| Saint Mark Cathedral is situated by a beautiful, large park |
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| The interior has not been completed, but I really like it this way! |
4- Gardos
Tower
Some 20 minutes away from the city centre you can find the peaceful village of
Zemun. Gardos Tower (
directions here) is a little jewel built by the Hungarians in 1896 as a memorial of the Medieval fortress, a simple
construction of red bricks and white elements. With a very small fee, you can
climb up and enjoy the magnificent panorama of the village and the Danube river, as
if the busy metropolis was hundreds of kilometers away. The riverside promenade
back towards Belgrade is also very cute and authentic, however you will need a
taxi/bus to get back to the centre.
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| The original fortress was much larger. The only remaining element was preserved in this memorial monument in the shape of a tower. |
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| Lovely, majestic Danube! |
BONUS:
Ada Ciganlija
The city
gets really hot in the summer, so the clever locals created an artificial lake
by blocking a section of river by the island of
Ada Ciganlija. The lake may not
be particularly healthy or clear, but the park is pretty, the water is quite
cool, and the row of restaurants serving beer and Serbian meat is endless. The
perfect afternoon getaway!
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| Peaceful happy island |
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| Crowd, music and fun! |
SARAJEVO
Special thanks to
Sarejevo Insider Tours! Their free tour was really interesting and I wish I had more time to learn more with the other tours.
The fact
that most of Bosnia is Muslim did not really mean much to me, until I realized
that the skinny towers next to the churches were minarets, and the churches
were mosques! The
city centre of Sarajevo was just as visually surprising: the
historical importance of the Ottoman empire and of the Austro-Hungarian empire
is very visible and clashing, as half of the centre is made of mosques, bazars
and narrow alleys, and the other half is Neoclassical buildings, churches and
shops of global chains. Very mind-boggling! Even the people in the street
showed what a melting pot of religions and cultures Sarajevo is, from the
Muslim women totally black and covered, to Muslim women with colorful veils and
clothes, to normal western-looking women, to women with very little clothes on.
Now that I think about it, I have no memories of the men :D
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| A mosque in a green valley... |
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| ... 5 minutes away, a European street... |
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| ... right next to the ruins of the caravanserai, the roadside inn of Ottoman times... |
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| ... 200 meters from a super-Austrian church... |
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| ... 2 streets from a beautiful mosque with library... |
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| ... all surrounded by hills and green mountains. |
2- Signs
of the past on the pavement
Sarajevo
embraces being a meeting point of different cultures so much so that it marks
on the pavement the spot where East meets West, Turkey meets Austria (no idea why I didn't take
a picture of it!). A bit
more bone-chilling are the "roses", red-painted etchings on the
pavement left by the explosion of bombs during the siege of 1992-1995. Instead
of being renovated and erased like the rest of the streets and sidewalks, these were
painted in red, to remember.
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| Heartbreaking memories of the war. |
3- The
Yellow Bastion lookout point
"Zuta tabija" is reachable on foot from the centre. It is one of the
most beautiful panoramic spots in Sarajevo, with a spacious terrace on a hill
overlooking the valley and the whole city, however it can get a bit crowded (and the bar does not serve alcohol). It's even better at sunset :)
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| Next time, we'll be there a bit earlier! |
4- The Cemeteries
After
climbing up to the Yellow Bastion to admire the sunset, we paid our respects in
the cemetery of Kovaci, where many victims of the Serbian siege rest. It is
very beautiful and simple, crowded with small white pillars bearing the same
hopeful message of afterlife. Seeing that they all died in their twenties,
replacing each pillar with a person, imagining everything that they could have
done in their lives really paints the picture of what a tragic war it was, what
a tragedy every war is. And there are so many cemeteries in Sarajevo.
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| Kovaci cemetery right after sunset |
BONUS:
rafting down the Neretva river
It was
such an exciting adventure! The scenery was just perfect: clear water, warm
sunshine, gorgeous woods, cliffs around us and a few small waterfalls, and
afterwards lunch with fresh fish. We went with Tudup Raft in Konjic and we had a great time!
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| Team-size fun! |
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| Taking a break - rowing is harder than I thought! |
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| So peaceful. |
Have you been to Serbia and Bosnia Herzegovina? What did you like the most? We look forward to reading your comments! :)
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