Balkans Diary Part 1: Belgrade

To be perfectly honest, I had no idea what to expect on this trip. We’d sort of roughed out a plan to travel from Berlin to Albania, visit some friends in Gjirokaster, and then back again, but it was all sort of “last minute get away” rather than “superbly organised master plan”.

The  first decent stop we had was Belgrade, Serbia. Maybe it was the [desperately needed] freedom from the cramped confines of the bus, but I liked the city straight away. I guess I’d heard the same stuff about the Balkans as a lot of other people my age, and had the same vague memories of hearing about the conflict in the ‘90s, and then not much at all in the last 10 years. So I suppose I expected to find sort of a run down, war torn rubble, like something out of a war movie. But while the region’s tumultuous history made itself known in the form of the occasional bombed out building, in general my first impression was of a thriving city. Maybe a bit slower, dirtier, and less chic than other Euro capitals, but thriving none the less.

Bombed out buildings still serve as a reminder of the less than
peaceful events the city has endured.

We had no real plan, and we’re both not really fans of the whole “guided bus tour” thing, so we grabbed a map from the accommodation and just sort of spent a couple days wandering. And what a great couple of days it was! Time and time again I was impressed by the flow of the city, from massive multilane roundabouts shared by cars, trams, pedestrians, and some very clever street dogs, operating totally without traffic lights (and miraculously without the honking one would expect), to the ever-present café culture and eclectic mix of styles . 

Aside from the super cool vibe of the city, our highlight would have to be the food (maybe this is a bit of a theme for me)! From excellent coffee, to fantastic (and well priced) main meals, we ate our way around the city!

Gnezdo Organic: treat yourself to a coffee
or lunch at this great little place!

One spot definitely worth a visit is the bakery on the big roundabout between the city center and St Save church (also worth a look). It might not look like much, but the smell as you walk down the stairs and into paradise should give you a hint of what’s to come. Do yourself a favour and one morning go get yourself a chocolate croissant. While the pastry isn’t maybe up to your typical French standards, the finished product, filled with decadent chocolate, is mind blowing. 

Our swimming spot in Kotor, Montenegro

Another great find is the newly opened Gnezdo Organic. While it’s on the expensive side for Belgrade, this cool café has a funky vibe, good music, and friendly staff. The coffee I had there was top notch, and the meals looked great too. Tucked away in a great little location near the bridge on the western side of the city, it’s absolutely worth a visit. 

After Belgrade it was back on the road for us, heading to Kotor, Montenegro, to meet up with a friend and enjoy some swimming in the bay, before we got on the road to Albania.