Walking Tour - Episode Two of My Big Day
You left me sitting in Boutique Cafe in the Republic Square.
I spotted a guy with a yellow umbrella and just knew that he was taking a Free Walking Tour! You see, I've done this before. I looked up on the website, saw that he was leaving at 3:30. Took time to go to the bathroom and when I came back he was gone - it was only 3:00.
Had no choice but to wander around the shops but thought I'd circle back and behold, at 3:30 as promised, a woman (Jelena) with a red umbrella - a sister tour to the yellow umbrella guy.
It seems there are different tours, but this was indeed the one I wanted as it picked out the 'areas of interest' that I skipped on the bike. But now it was incredibly hot, my neck was grimy, my black silk pants with sweaty marks. But I did it.
These free walking tours are in all European Cities and are a great way to get a high end overview of a new city. You don't get to go into any places where there is a charge (eg, the beautiful Orthodox church St Michael, which dominates the cityscape as you come in from the airport), but you now know how to get to it. And all of the little anecdotal stories which you are not aware of when you wander around by yourself give the city a human edge.
We set off along the pedestrian shopping area - designer stores, shoe stores, glasses stores
(check this out - no-one noticed except me - my glasses!)
but Jelena pointed out the parallel street that most tourists don't find, 'coffee street', with the best cafes - she joked it was for the husbands/boyfriends, while the women shopped. The University buildings are centred in this street (the shopping one), with a lovely mix of architectural styles. The buildings reminded me of the ones in Bordeaux before the big clean up - Bordeaux was called the sleeping princess - darkened stone buildings, lots of grafitti and now it is a tourist mecca. Belgrade is the same.
A couple of coffee shops I'll revisit today - particularly this one which doubles as a book store.
Umbrella street - this is interesting as a street in Bordeaux and another in Sarlat had the same thing going on - and Toulouse too from memory. No-one can say how it started but it makes a good picture.
The oldest school on Belgrade -
oldest house which is now a restaurant called '?'. Actually.
It seems that the restaurant originally took the name of St Michael from the cathedral opposite it - the church was offended (alcohol, loose women etc) and delivered an edict to immediately cease and desist from using the name, and as the situation was a surprise to the restaurant owner, when asked what he would call it, he put a '?'. And so it stands. (Can you see the yellow sign?)
From there up to the Kalemegdan Park with the fortress. Belgrade lies on the at the confluence of the river Sava and the Danube, and the fortress is the best place to see the meeting of the waters.
Because of this wonderful strategic position (the hill above the meeting of the two rivers,) Belgrade has been battled over in 115 wars and the city itself has been razed 44 times.
Here is Big Eared John, a reminder to those wandering and chatting in and around the fortress, that the walls have ears. Maybe a cheeky bit of grafitti which had merit in the Tito days. On the surface, it was the halcyon days for Yugoslavia but there was another layer just beneath of discontent, but you didn't publicly criticise the regime.
It was hot. So hot. And as Jelena delivered her information, and the young ones wandered off to take yet more selfies, I thought I would expire. Just a greasy spot under the tree in the dust...
And then I caved. Me, who has not bought plastic bottled water so far this year. I bought a bottle of cold delicious mineral water. Eco Warrior Demise. Oh well - it was really good!
The last port of call was the bohemian district, via Dorcol (where my B & B is- who knew how cool this area was). Jelena told us about the area below my street which is called 'Silicon Valley' not because of IT specialists but because in the 80s, the only people with money were the mafia guys, so women went to that street for silicon implants (lips, breasts) in the hope of snaring one of the fabulous rich men...
And finally into Ulica Skadarska, Belgrade's bohemian street. The history of the area began in the 1830s when Gypsies were relocated from the buildings in front of the ramparts of the fortress. It was originally called Gypsy Quarter until 1872 - I read somewhere that the artists, poets, activists also gathered there due to a no-smoking ban in the old city for fear of fires. Not sure about the integrity of the information though. Tripadvisor says it may be the best bohemian centre in the world.
The food is the same from one kafana to another, the traditional food of the Balkans. Here (after a cold shower and change of clothes) I ate cevapcici for the third time in this part of the world - first in Sarajevo, then in Zagreb, and now Belgrade. I had to ask for kajmak, but it was delicious, served with a tomato, cucumber and onion salad. And a glass of honey rakia!
I spotted a guy with a yellow umbrella and just knew that he was taking a Free Walking Tour! You see, I've done this before. I looked up on the website, saw that he was leaving at 3:30. Took time to go to the bathroom and when I came back he was gone - it was only 3:00.
Had no choice but to wander around the shops but thought I'd circle back and behold, at 3:30 as promised, a woman (Jelena) with a red umbrella - a sister tour to the yellow umbrella guy.
It seems there are different tours, but this was indeed the one I wanted as it picked out the 'areas of interest' that I skipped on the bike. But now it was incredibly hot, my neck was grimy, my black silk pants with sweaty marks. But I did it.
These free walking tours are in all European Cities and are a great way to get a high end overview of a new city. You don't get to go into any places where there is a charge (eg, the beautiful Orthodox church St Michael, which dominates the cityscape as you come in from the airport), but you now know how to get to it. And all of the little anecdotal stories which you are not aware of when you wander around by yourself give the city a human edge.
We set off along the pedestrian shopping area - designer stores, shoe stores, glasses stores
(check this out - no-one noticed except me - my glasses!)
but Jelena pointed out the parallel street that most tourists don't find, 'coffee street', with the best cafes - she joked it was for the husbands/boyfriends, while the women shopped. The University buildings are centred in this street (the shopping one), with a lovely mix of architectural styles. The buildings reminded me of the ones in Bordeaux before the big clean up - Bordeaux was called the sleeping princess - darkened stone buildings, lots of grafitti and now it is a tourist mecca. Belgrade is the same.
A couple of coffee shops I'll revisit today - particularly this one which doubles as a book store.
Umbrella street - this is interesting as a street in Bordeaux and another in Sarlat had the same thing going on - and Toulouse too from memory. No-one can say how it started but it makes a good picture.
The oldest school on Belgrade -
It seems that the restaurant originally took the name of St Michael from the cathedral opposite it - the church was offended (alcohol, loose women etc) and delivered an edict to immediately cease and desist from using the name, and as the situation was a surprise to the restaurant owner, when asked what he would call it, he put a '?'. And so it stands. (Can you see the yellow sign?)
From there up to the Kalemegdan Park with the fortress. Belgrade lies on the at the confluence of the river Sava and the Danube, and the fortress is the best place to see the meeting of the waters.
Because of this wonderful strategic position (the hill above the meeting of the two rivers,) Belgrade has been battled over in 115 wars and the city itself has been razed 44 times.
Here is Big Eared John, a reminder to those wandering and chatting in and around the fortress, that the walls have ears. Maybe a cheeky bit of grafitti which had merit in the Tito days. On the surface, it was the halcyon days for Yugoslavia but there was another layer just beneath of discontent, but you didn't publicly criticise the regime.
It was hot. So hot. And as Jelena delivered her information, and the young ones wandered off to take yet more selfies, I thought I would expire. Just a greasy spot under the tree in the dust...
And then I caved. Me, who has not bought plastic bottled water so far this year. I bought a bottle of cold delicious mineral water. Eco Warrior Demise. Oh well - it was really good!
The last port of call was the bohemian district, via Dorcol (where my B & B is- who knew how cool this area was). Jelena told us about the area below my street which is called 'Silicon Valley' not because of IT specialists but because in the 80s, the only people with money were the mafia guys, so women went to that street for silicon implants (lips, breasts) in the hope of snaring one of the fabulous rich men...
And finally into Ulica Skadarska, Belgrade's bohemian street. The history of the area began in the 1830s when Gypsies were relocated from the buildings in front of the ramparts of the fortress. It was originally called Gypsy Quarter until 1872 - I read somewhere that the artists, poets, activists also gathered there due to a no-smoking ban in the old city for fear of fires. Not sure about the integrity of the information though. Tripadvisor says it may be the best bohemian centre in the world.
The food is the same from one kafana to another, the traditional food of the Balkans. Here (after a cold shower and change of clothes) I ate cevapcici for the third time in this part of the world - first in Sarajevo, then in Zagreb, and now Belgrade. I had to ask for kajmak, but it was delicious, served with a tomato, cucumber and onion salad. And a glass of honey rakia!
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