WanderLex

Tag: Solo Travel

  • The shopping street of Knez Mihailova

    The shopping street of Knez Mihailova

    The interesting mix of architectural styles is apparent when nearing the popular shopping street of Knez Mihailova (Knez Mihailova Ulica). In which, there are also some nice looking buildings which totally stand out from the usual bland boxy ones. First of all is the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia with nice looking dome and accompanying sculptures.

    Flowers outside National Assembly of Serbia

    National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia

    Sculptures outside National Assembly of Serbia

    Nice flag post in Belgrade

    Then there’s the famous uniquely designed Hotel Moskva or simple Hotel Moscow.

    Hotel Moscow in Belgrade

    And the famous Nikola Pasic Square.

    Nikola Pasic Square

    In addition, this unknown building which looks rather different from the rest.

    Nice building in Belgrade

    The walk along Knez Mihailova

    Knez Mihailova Street or Prince Mihailo Street is regarded as a landmark with great cultural importance in Belgrade. The lively street is probably one good place to feel the city’s pulse. Maybe also just people watch or laze at one of the many cafés.

    Cafe near Knez Mihailova

    Plenty of cafe along Knez Mihailova

    Fountain at Knez Mihailova

    Knez-Mihailova in Belgrade

    Knez Mihailova street in Belgrade

    Furthermore, the shopping scene is rather vibrant. Local brands in additional of the international ones. Well-knowns like Gant, Tommy Hilfiger, United Colors of Benetton, Adidas, Gap, Replay, Zara, Mango, Miss Sixty, Bally etc. Seems like quite a lot of choices to choose from right? And the coffee culture seems deeply rooted with tons of cafes to choose from. Hence, the thriving atmosphere makes me wonder why Belgrade is not on most people’s travel destination list yet.

    Along the shopping street of Knez Mihailova

    Shopping street of Knez Mihailova

    Maybe its dubious reputation as a result of what happened in the past remains a stumbling block for would-be tourists. Hence, the city is still very much under the radar. Almost like how I always get the same funny look while mentioning my visit to Belgrade. And even the friendly locals were equally puzzled about my visit. It’s probably uncommon to see an Asian walking around with a DSLR, that’s maybe the reason why I got weird stares.

    And you know it’s not a touristy place when there isn’t any other Asians around while I wander. There are also no haggling street-sellers here.

    “Why you come here? There’s nothing in Belgrade to see. And where’s Sing-gar-por?” The question from the diehard FK Partizan bookshop owner.

    He is probably very pleased after I bought a notebook of his favourite football team. And maybe that’s why he went on happily about the Football Club’s history while taking swipe at FK Red Star. But I have no idea about the mentioned players since I don’t follow Belgrade football.

    FK Partizan notebook bought in Belgrade

    Belgrade’s way of mobile advertisement along Knez Mihailova.

    Funny Mobile Ads in Knez Mihailova

    Funny Mobile Ads along Knez Mihailova

    I spotted an art exhibition while strolling along the street. There are some very nice pieces of artwork and almost all are war-related.

    Art exhibition at street of Knez-Mihailova

    Art exhibition along Knez-Mihailova

    Art exhibition at Knez-Mihailova1

    Art exhibition at Knez-Mihailova2

    Art exhibition at Knez-Mihailova3

    Art exhibition at Knez-Mihailova4

    Art exhibition at Knez-Mihailova5

    Art exhibition at Knez-Mihailova6

    Art exhibition at Knez-Mihailova7

    Nice building at Knez-Mihailova

    Painted art stall in Knez-Mihailova

    And how can I not have a cup of coffee here in Knez Mihailova? So I settled down in a cafe for a cup of warm beverage to perk up while I people watch. I probably drank more coffee in the last few days than the past few years combined LOL.

    Coffee break at Knez-Mihailova

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    What are your thoughts about Knez Mihailova? Leave a comment and share it with me.

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  • Cathedral of Saint Sava and Tasmajdan Park

    Cathedral of Saint Sava and Tasmajdan Park

    The massive Cathedral of Saint Sava (“Temple of Saint Sava” in Serbian) clad in white marble and granite echoes the name of Belgrade’s white city. Built and dedicated to Saint Sava whom was the founder of Serbian Orthodox Cathedral. I could not see the cathedral while walking along the street of Bulevar Oslobođenja from Nemanjina street, with the buildings blocking my view. The iconic landmark of Serbian Capital city sits on a park shared by the National Library of Serbia and a smaller Saint Sava Church, whereas the park is surrounded by a buzzing neighbourhood.

    National Library of Serbia
    National Library of Serbia
    Saint Sava Church
    Saint Sava Church

    Residential near to Cathedral

    Hmm…just came back from some PJ party…?

    Pajamas man in Belgrade

    Prayer from a distance…

    Prayer from a distance in Belgrade

    Impressive Orthodox Cathedral in Belgrade

    The Neo-Byzantine style Orthodox Cathedral is truly a sight to behold. Its emerald-green-colour dome, golden cross and the massive white structure are unmistakeable once I am near the park. It’s believed that the remains of Saint Sava were burnt by the Ottoman at this ground.

    Cathedral of Saint Sava

    Cathedral of Saint Sava in Belgrade

    Cathedral of Saint Sava from the front

    The statue of Saint Sava next to the Cathedral.

    Saint Sava statue

    Unfinished Cathedral of Saint Sava

    A cathedral of such scale must have an impressive interior to match right? But no, far from it, and that’s because the cathedral’s interior is still in an unfinished state. Despite the ongoing works, the interior is open to the public. Don’t expect too much though, it’s mostly empty inside except for a small praying area and souvenir stall.

    Inside Cathedral

    Inside Cathedral of Saint Sava

    Inside Cathedral

    Inside Cathedral

    Inside Cathedral

    Otherwise, it’s more likely to remind you of a construction site fenced up with forklifts, cranes, scaffolding, building materials and workers around. The sound of knocking and drilling echoes every now and then. I just take that as a rare opportunity to see a Cathedral construction in progress. Do note about the empty interior and manage your expectation if you are visiting Belgrade and wanting to see the Cathedral else you may end up being disappointed.

    Interior of Cathedral of Saint Sava

    Interior of Cathedral

    Interior of Cathedral

    Why did it take so long? The preparation goes way back to 1894 but numerous design changes at the beginning delayed the construction start time to 1935. Various wars in between halted the progress until 1985 and now are pretty much due to the lack of funds.

    So, it’s more than a hundred year in the making and down to just the interior, I’m sure it will have an interior to match its exquisitely beautiful exterior once completed. And I hope to be back to see that!

    Cathedral of Saint Sava building timeline

    Tasmajdan Park

    I went on to check out St. Mark Church at Tasmajdan Park from Cathedral of Saint Sava. The centrally located large green park in front by a nice looking cascading water fountain with two prominent bronze statues. One of them is the late Serbian writer, Milorad Pavic accompanying by the flag of Serbia.

    The quiet park looks to be a great place to spend a lazy afternoon with family and friends.

    Cascade fountain at Tasmajdan Park

    Fountain at Tasmajdan Park

    Milorad Pavic Statue at Tasmajdan Park

    The other is not Serbian but the late President of Azerbaijan, Heydar Aliyev… which is somewhat surprising given his controversial reputation. Not sure what’s the reason behind the statue being here…

    Heydar Aliyev Statue at Tasmajdan Park

    The bombing of Tasmajdan Park

    Sadly, the peaceful looking park was among the targets of NATO bombing in 1999, largely aimed at the former Serbian Broadcasting Corporation located here, and yet the collateral damage of that assault includes a children’s theatre. Many innocent children were killed in that senseless bombing…madness!!!!

    We were just children monument

    We were just children.

    Such simple words…this heart-shaped monument is dedicated to the children killed during the bombing. It moved me to tears thinking about these poor kids and their parents in grieve forever. WTF NATO?! Why?!

    St. Mark Church

    I moved along with a heavy heart towards St. Mark Church (Crkva Svetog Mark), another iconic Orthodox Cathedral.

    Saint Mark Church in Belgrade

    St. Mark Church in Belgrade

    Somewhat similar to Cathedral of Saint Sava, the Serbo-Byzantine style church interior decoration is still largely unfinished minus the construction mess. I really like the retro-looking facades colours of St. Mark Church but didn’t stay long, perhaps yet to overcome the sadness after seeing the heart-shaped monument.

    Inside St. Mark Church of Belgrade

    Interior of St. Mark Church in Belgrade

    Just beside the church is a small Russian Orthodox Church.

    Russian Orthodox church

    Headless sculpture at Tasmajdan Park

    [alert]

    What are your thoughts about the unfinished Cathedral of Saint Sava? Leave a comment and share it with me.

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