End of my travels

The next day I visit the House of flowers and the museum of Yugoslavia.

Google maps, while working fine the past two days, all of a sudden can no longer give me directions that includes public transportation options so I download a bus map to try to figure it out like the “old days”. It’s challenging because the language barrier.

I find my directions to the House of Flowers that includes a walk over a bridge and a walk uphill.

The House of Flowers is the official burial place of the beloved (and sometimes not) Yugoslavian leader Josip Broz Tito. Attached to the mausoleum are wall exhibits of photos of different events of Yugoslavia. It was truly a unique type of socialism in Yugoslavia.

Also nearby is the Museum of Yugoslavia. It is a collection of items related to the time of Yugoslavia. There is supposed to be another museum in the complex but it is closed for renovations. This museum is informative and has information in English but lacks some context for certain events, especially in the last 30 years or so. I guess it’s understandable because there are still things that can’t be discussed because there is not the political will. It’s best to just leave it unknown I guess than stir up anger. It is probably still too soon.

Later I tour the beautiful Serbian Orthodox Church the Church of Saint Sava. The church is magnificently beautiful inside. There is so much gold and bright features.

Lunch today is cevapi. Cevapi is one of my favorite Balkan dishes. The only disappointing thing is that this one doesn’t come with the amazing bread.

I decide it is time for dessert and walk to the Hotel Moskva, a local landmark known for its Russian Art Nouveau style. There is a cafe attached here where they serve their distinct Moskva cake, a cake of almonds cherries and pineapples (Moskva šnit). I enjoy the cake with a coffee and get to people watch for a while.

For the evening I want to go check out the neighborhood of Zemun for dinner. Since I know very little about the neighborhood I choose a restaurant as my destination. Google maps is still not working with the public transportation instructions. I suppose I could take a taxi but I am not familiar with how taxis work in town and I’m not in the mood to try to figure it out tonight so I hang out nearby my hotel instead. It’s almost like google maps is no longer receiving a feed from the Belgrade buses. This is quite disappointing for a solo traveler that tends to be fiercely independent and hates asking for help. Maybe tomorrow I’ll have a better go at it.

In the morning I walk down to Kalmegdan to see the old fortress and get views of the city.

I take a break from the heat and pack my things since I leave early tomorrow morning for my long flight home.

I have one last early evening walk.

I stop at a rakia bar try some different flavored rakija, one specifically thyme flavored. I grab a sampler pack to take home with me tomorrow.

Soon I’m off to bed for my early morning flight.

In the morning I am dropped far away from the airport entrance for some reason. I slowly drag myself to the check in and then start the long journey home. There isn’t a fast and easy route to get from this part of Europe back to the USA. My travels were amazing but I am happy to be home. I don’t yet know what is next for me but I am sure I won’t stay still for long.

Belgrade, Serbia

I have questions I ask and answer whenever I get to new place:

Is water safe to drink from tap?

Where is the closest grocery store

How do you catch and pay for train/bus/etc?

Where to get cash and how much is appropriate?

These are all questions I wished I had compiled in a checklist to be used before I arrived in each new location or country during these last seven months instead of doing the mental gymnastics every time I arrive in a new place. But it is the last country now and I finally have my list.

My flight is early in the morning from Vienna to Belgrade, Serbia. I need to get out of the Euro zone since my visa is close to expiring (90 day Schengen). It seems the next stop nearby is Serbia since I visited many other Balkan countries but not this one yet.

After arriving by plane I go to the city shuttle that is 20 minutes late and the crowd is starting to gather around. I’ve already been waiting about 30 minutes prior so I am proactive and push myself towards the front of the group when the shuttle arrives since I’ve been waiting much longer than most of these people and there is no formal line. The shuttle is a smaller bus and not everybody is getting on. My last stop during my travels and I finally learn to be pushy to my advantage. Most of the time I am overly considerate even when it hurts me. After the shuttle I have to switch to another bus and the heat is starting to kick in; my entire backside is drenched in sweat. I am on a crowded bus standing and trying to balance with my large backpack containing my life for several months and the guy next to me is real annoyed with my backpack. I am too sir. I am too. My hotel is right next to the bus stop and my room is ready. I’ve been so lucky with my room being available as soon as I arrive lately. I relax in the AC for a couple hours before I go back out to sweat again with a walking tour of town.

I meet with the tour and a tour guide takes us many sites in town and explaining their meaning. I learn places to hang out and restaurants to try. He of course tells us to try rakia but I’ve been to the Balkans before and I’m a pro at rakia now. The tour is great but he says nothing about anything related to conflicts in the last fifty years; the commentary stops at World War II. From what I’ve read the most museums around here do not address it either. I am really curious to get their perspective on recent conflicts since I’ve already heard some commentary from other Balkan countries. Maybe another day or so I’ll hit a museum or have a guide that will talk about that period of time. I do learn Serbia goes way back and has a long history. I definitely need to learn more.

After the tour, some of the more outgoing people of the tour arrange a meet up at a beer place around the corner. The six of us go and have a beer. We have two Aussies, two Americans, an Italian and a Colombian. We have a delightful conversation getting to know each other. We take the conversation to dinner afterwards. I try another one of those Balkan meat patty things that seem to be so popular in the region. This particular one is a combination of ground beef, chicken, and cheese. It comes with a side of fries, so yeah, very healthy.

pljeskavica as a type of Serbian hamburger made with ground beef, pork, or lamb. I ordered mine beef and chicken and cheese.

Google takes me through these buildings on my walk back to the hotel. I feel like I’m trespassing but I think others travel the same way.

The next morning I head out to visit the Nikola Tesla museum. Tesla was born in technically Austrian Empire in a region that is now Croatia but was born to Serbian parents. He spent the much of his life outside of Serbia but his inventions were brought to the country after he died, even though he spent most of his professional life outside the country. The museum can only be visited by tour once an hour. The two early tours the morning I visited were already reserved by large groups – although individuals cannot reserve in advance and have to pay in cash. I check in and notice I can’t buy my ticket yet. I am told to come back in about 30 minutes so I go around the block to try the pizza the tour guide yesterday raved about called Bucko. I rarely pass up a good pizza so it is an easy sell for me. The pizza is known for the sauce that is spread on top (called a salad). So basically it is a normal pizza slice with a spread of your choice. I got the beef salad which seemed to be the most popular. It is good but messy and something I am not sure I’d order again. Maybe I’ll go back and try another salad but there are a few more foods in Belgrade I still need to try.

I return back to the Tesla museum for the tour and demonstration of some of his inventions.

I walk around town a bit afterwards.

I head down to the funky Skadarlija district to have dinner at one of the two restaurants I have on my radar in that neighborhood. It’s a very short walk from my hotel so that’s nice since its still hot out. There is a Serbian band playing for dining guests. The music is traditional and sounds like something you’d hear in in many European tourist restaurants.

Karađorđeva šnicla is a Serbian dish consisting of a breaded and rolled veal or pork cutlet stuffed with kajmak. It was named after Karađorđe, a Serbian revolutionary who led the First Serbian Uprising against the Ottoman Empire from 1804-1813.

I had it with chicken since eating lots of beef and pork lately. It is good but very rich. Probably would never order it again but glad I got to try it. Also tried the Krempita again, this time with berries inside. I have had the dessert before and but I missed enjoying it from my Balkan days a couple months ago. I also discover that I am in love with the cheese topped Sopska Salata (Serbian salad). The salad is fresh chopped vegetables and cheese, so good.

After dinner I explore Skadarlija and end up down a funky alley with bars and more restaurants. I hope to come back here another night.

Schloss Eggenberg

In the morning I tour Schloss Eggenberg. The state rooms are only accessed by guided tour so I sign up for the early tour. Eggenberg palace is another UNESCO protected building. It is a representation of baroque architecture. Schloss Eggenberg was created for the prominent Eggenberg family (yes the same one that had a presence in Bohemia – specifically Cesky Krumlov). The rooms are impressive but it is another in a long line of palaces that allow no photography so I have no photos to share. Many of the rooms were barely used over the years and it was a very large palace for the time when it was built. Regulations existed about having palaces with more rooms than what the current royals had so some rooms were not in use as a compromise. Also it was built with lots of math and astrology in mind: Hans Ulrich had items of the Gregorian calendar incorporated in the design (ie 365, 52, 31, 24, 7). Impressive because this was a time when the Gregorian calendar was not yet widely adopted.

We can take pictures in the gallery museum though. There is lots of religious themed art. I find Corpse of Saint Florian Guarded by an Eagle quite interesting.

There is also a large coin collection.

I stop at the Frankowitsch – Brötchenbar – Delikatessen to try their open face sandwiches for lunch. They are good. I love the spread on the sandwich Pumpkin seed oil. I also order a lox one because I love salmon.

After lunch I take the train up to Schlossberg the tall mountain area that overhangs into the town. I enjoy some great views from up there. I slowly walk down from level to level and finally get to those intimidating stairs. I am sweating just going down so I am not sure I would really enjoy going up this time of year but lots of other people are doing it.

Walking back to my hotel I decide to stop at a cocktail bar and try a couple drinks. Afterwards I walk around and finally get a night view of the city before I go back to pack. I head to Vienna tomorrow. Good night.

Dresden

Took an early train to Dresden Germany. I’m exhausted. Done screwed up because things are closed on Tuesday, my only day in Dresden. The train ride is relatively short at 2 hours. I am still in Germany and it is very easy to map out which tram I need to take to my hotel. The only question now is which Dresden train station to arrive to since there are two; either one would have have been sufficient since they seem to be about equi-distance to my hotel. I am lucky at check in and my room is available is already and it isn’t even eleven am yet (It is always worth asking!). I go to my room, unwind for a few minutes and force myself out since I only have today in town (yeah I know, it’s so unlike me to schedule only one night in a city).

I had a sandwich I traveled with that I inhale before I walk out the door because I am hungry again. I regret that later when I am too full to sample some cheeses. The cheeses are at a beautifully decorated historic dairy store (Dresdner Molkerei Gebrüder Pfund). If I wasn’t so full I would have bought a loaf of bread and sampled some cheeses.

Before I arrive at the historic dairy store I stop in a courtyard to view an artsy building decorated with musical instruments. Apparently this Neustadt Kunsthofpassage building makes music when it rains. Also I pass an old church and a park.

I have a couple things planned for Dresden but nothing is set in stone and many things are closed today. I decide to go to the highly rated Hygiene Museum which is basically a museum all about the human body. Don’t get me wrong, it is a very good museum but I probably should have spent my time learning about something historical to Dresden instead. I spend way too much time here. It’s pretty good.

I head to the main square in old town. It is July 4th today, a large day in the USA but not necessarily in Europe. In Dresden today they are celebrating Fete de L’Europe. Apparently the French President Macron was supposed to attend but has cancelled. The square is crowded and there is lots of security surrounding. A local politician speaks and there are many local music acts. I stop and watch this free event for a little while.

I stop at a tourist restaurant to try to pork roast.

I then spend the rest of the evening exploring town until my feet hurt and I cannot walk anymore.

I walk into a courtyard of beautiful Baroque buildings called the Zwinger. The Zwinger courtyard is closed off for maintenance but you can tell it is impressive when it is fully functional.

This is one town I should have definitely spent more time in. I’ll end up in this part of the world again someday. But tomorrow I head to the Czech Republic.

Berlin Happenings

Even though I have tickets to other museums on museum island I decide to take the tram to visit MarktHalle Neun instead eat my way around the market. I wander around admiring the market and trying some food and drink.

After walking across the historic Oberbaum Bridge I end up at East Side Gallery, known for its large outdoor art exhibit on the east side pieces of the Berlin Wall that are designated for art. The exhibit stretches far and is quite busy. I don’t snap pictures of the most famous pieces because the crowds are too thick around them. You can google East Side Galllery to see the famous wall pieces.

The next morning my allergies are pretty bad and I want to just stay in for the day but I realize this is my last chance to see one of the museums I’ve wanted to visit – Hamburger Bahnhof, a modern art museum in an old train station. I can’t actually show a picture of the piece of the museum that looks like a train station because there is a modern art installation there with many “no photo” signs.

One exhibit is from an Algerian woman who describes her highly curated activist life during the 60’s and 70’s in Algeria, France and Italy. There are film canisters, a film set, a bar room where you can watch live tango, and an actual short film you can watch. It is highly immersive and quite interesting.

It’s Sunday so I head over to the flea market at Mauerpark. The market is huge with many kiosks selling pretty much everything. I almost get some food but the food concessions are so crowded I decide to wait for dinner instead. As I leave the market the nearby park area is bustling with street performers. I soak up the energy and watch a few acts as well as a drum group.

I also walk through the nearby neighborhood of Prenzlauer Berg. It’s a nice area I’d like to come back to.

Too tired to walk to the original restaurant I had picked for dinner I visit the famous Prater Garden instead. I am once again disappointed; I do not think beer garden food is my cup of tea.

One the way back I stop at a David Hasselhoff museum (more like a wall than a museum) and an eclectic cafe where I enjoy a wine outdoors on this Sunday evening.

The next morning my goal is to have döner kebab. I’ve been told there is nothing like the döner you can get in Berlin. Of Turkish origin, German puts its own spin on the sandwich. I will not forget this and the bread its served on.

Earlier in my Berlin visit I visited the Pergamon Panorama. Today I visit another one by the same artist that shows the Berlin Wall. Yadegar Asisi’s art is projected on a 360° screen (Die Mauer). The wall shows life on both sides of the wall during the time that it existed. The exhibit uses sounds and light to take you through day and night.

I wandered the shopping street of Friedrichstraße where there are protesters, some have demonstrations and some are glued to the ground. I believe they are protesting about climate change. They are definitely disrupting business but the police seem to act calm in their presence.

I discover a cute part of town I wish I visited earlier because most things are closed. Nikolaiviertel has colorful buildings and some shops and restaurants. I enjoy some asparagus soup and an apple strudel near the water. I soon head back toward my hotel. Tomorrow I travel to Dresden.