This post will be a little different than others in this blog.
Usually I tell trip stories, day by day, to bring the feeling of the development of the trip. But this was a different year. And just as the year, this was a different trip. This time we postponed the experience of a motorcycle trip somewhere else, and exchanged it for a long weekend in Belgrade, one of the only destinations open to Israelis at these pandemic times, and for which Israel did not require a 14-day isolation upon return.
Usually I tell trip stories, day by day, to bring the feeling of the development of the trip. But this was a different year. And just as the year, this was a different trip. This time we postponed the experience of a motorcycle trip somewhere else, and exchanged it for a long weekend in Belgrade, one of the only destinations open to Israelis at these pandemic times, and for which Israel did not require a 14-day isolation upon return.
Our decision to go to Belgrade was spontaneous, nearly 1 week before the trip, when we saw a good deal to that destination. We consulted our friends Louiza and Shmil, and they decided to come with us.
We arrived in Belgrade on November 4th in the morning, and back to Israel on November 7th in the evening. In total, 4 days, 3 nights.
The first impression: that looked like a very lively city, comparing to the Israel we left, which was coming out gradually from a 2nd lockdown, where shops are closed and you can't find much people in the streets. In Belgrade, just the opposite: all commerce is open, people are working as usual, and there are many people in the streets.
SInce at the moment we arrived to the hotel we had 3 hours until our room would be ready, we went to visit the commercial center of the city, Knez Mihailova, and the Republic Plaza.
The first impression: that looked like a very lively city, comparing to the Israel we left, which was coming out gradually from a 2nd lockdown, where shops are closed and you can't find much people in the streets. In Belgrade, just the opposite: all commerce is open, people are working as usual, and there are many people in the streets.
SInce at the moment we arrived to the hotel we had 3 hours until our room would be ready, we went to visit the commercial center of the city, Knez Mihailova, and the Republic Plaza.
The first impression was as I already told. All shops are open, people are in the streets without hysteria. The Corona instructions say that you should obligatorily wear masks in closed places but makes the use of them in the streets and other open places your choice. People really care for the instructions, and everybody put the masks on when they go into a shop. If someone doesn't do it, the shop owner immediately warns him, and he complies immediately.
In the streets, despite the fact that it is not compulsory, around 50% of the people wears the masks as well. So different from Israel, where masks are compulsory both in closed places and in the streets, there are policemen giving fines to whoever isn't wearing the mask properly, and people find all kinds of ways to overcome that, wearing the masks under their noses, and so on, even on closed places, and still complain when someone reminds them to put the mask properly. Very sad!
We arrived back to the hotel after sunset, received our rooms, rested for around 1 hour, and went out to dinner.
In the streets, despite the fact that it is not compulsory, around 50% of the people wears the masks as well. So different from Israel, where masks are compulsory both in closed places and in the streets, there are policemen giving fines to whoever isn't wearing the mask properly, and people find all kinds of ways to overcome that, wearing the masks under their noses, and so on, even on closed places, and still complain when someone reminds them to put the mask properly. Very sad!
We arrived back to the hotel after sunset, received our rooms, rested for around 1 hour, and went out to dinner.
We were quite stunned by the prices of the meals there. We had a full meal for 4 with an opening salad, a meat plate (pork and chicken are much cheaper than bovine meat), beers, soft drinks, and a dessert for two for the total price of 5500 Serbian Dinar, which is equivalent to 55 American dollars - or 13.75 USD per person.
We knew that the following day would be rainy, so we planned it as a day for indoors activities.
First was a visit to the Cathedral of Saint Sava.
We knew that the following day would be rainy, so we planned it as a day for indoors activities.
First was a visit to the Cathedral of Saint Sava.
This church has gone through a lot. In 1935 the construction has begun, very slowly. In 1941, the incomplete building was taken by the Nazis and became a depot alternately for the Nazis and for Tito's partisans. After the war, Tito turned Yugoslavia into a communist country, and the Serbian church didn't manage to get the authorization to continue the construction. This authorization was only given in 1984, and then they began to complete the church. in 1885, a first liturgy was carried in the church, and was a symbol of the renaissance of religion in the former communist countries. In June 1989, the concrete dome was lifted to its place.
As you can see in the pictures, the church is yet to be completed. In 2017 they completed its exterior. The interior already looks very beautiful, and now they are completing the floor, which I think is the last part to be done. For what we've seen there, it is going to be stunning when it is ready, just like the rest of it.
After that, we went to visit the nearby Nikola Tesla Museum.
As you can see in the pictures, the church is yet to be completed. In 2017 they completed its exterior. The interior already looks very beautiful, and now they are completing the floor, which I think is the last part to be done. For what we've seen there, it is going to be stunning when it is ready, just like the rest of it.
After that, we went to visit the nearby Nikola Tesla Museum.
Yes, Nikola Tesla, the inventor in which the name of the car company Tesla was based, was a Serbian. He also studied in Europe, and only later went to the USA to begin working on his projects, because he thought that the society there would be less reactionary and more willing to invest in his research.
He had some very interesting breakthroughs there, like the more important invention of his life, the Tesla Induction Engine (also known as Tesla Coil), which was the base for his further research and building of the first alternate current engine, which is in our life until these days when we use every electric product connect to the wall. He also created the principle of the remote control of devices, but his prototype was so big that was impossible to be used. It took many years to get to what we know today.
One suggestion: when visiting this museum, take the guided tour. In the self-tour, you can only see the machines. In the guided tour, you get to experiment them, under the supervision of the guide, and it is thrilling.
You can see below the videos of some of the experiments.
In the first one, the guide operates a big Tesla Coil, and we can see the lightning created by the coil. Additionally to that, it ionizes the air around us, and causes the neon lightbulbs that we are holding to light, despite the fact that they are not connected to anything.
He had some very interesting breakthroughs there, like the more important invention of his life, the Tesla Induction Engine (also known as Tesla Coil), which was the base for his further research and building of the first alternate current engine, which is in our life until these days when we use every electric product connect to the wall. He also created the principle of the remote control of devices, but his prototype was so big that was impossible to be used. It took many years to get to what we know today.
One suggestion: when visiting this museum, take the guided tour. In the self-tour, you can only see the machines. In the guided tour, you get to experiment them, under the supervision of the guide, and it is thrilling.
You can see below the videos of some of the experiments.
In the first one, the guide operates a big Tesla Coil, and we can see the lightning created by the coil. Additionally to that, it ionizes the air around us, and causes the neon lightbulbs that we are holding to light, despite the fact that they are not connected to anything.
In the second experiment, my wife Lily, and also Louiza, go to try the effect of a smaller Tesla coil on their hands. I tried it to, but unfortunately nobody recorded it. You get a quick ZIP on the hand, which itches at the moment the electricity touches the hand. It doesn't hurt, it doesn't electrify you. The creepy part is that you don't know when it will come, so you get surprised at the moment.
It is funny how each person goes to check his hand - the zap is so localized that you go and check if you have a sign there...
We also saw a demonstration of the Tesla Remote Control
We also saw a demonstration of the Tesla Remote Control
From that moment, we splitted. The girls went to a shopping center to have fun on their way, Shmil and me returned to the hotel to have fun on our way, at the Spa.
We were at the Metropol Palace hotel which is one of the excellent hotels in the city, and located in a very hot spot where you are close to mostly anything in the historic Belgrade.
The hotel has a very nice Spa with an enormous fitness room, a swimming pool, jacuzzi, sauna, offered as free activities. They can also offer massages for extra payments.
In the evening, we tried another restaurant we saw during the day, and there I tried the typical Serbian schnitzel, the Karajorjeva. It is a rolled meet with a Serbian dairy cream inside. Very good. Recommended.
In the evening, we tried another restaurant we saw during the day, and there I tried the typical Serbian schnitzel, the Karajorjeva. It is a rolled meet with a Serbian dairy cream inside. Very good. Recommended.
We began the following day by the Zemun, the oldest part of Belgrade. The Zemun is around half an hour by taxi from the touristic center of Belgrade, and is all made of small houses, and old streets.
There we visited also the Gardos Tower, also know as Millenium Tower, which, in our point of view, was not a tower, and if we talk millenium, then probably last millenium, not this one and not the next. Anyway, whatever it is the view from there is stunning.
There we visited also the Gardos Tower, also know as Millenium Tower, which, in our point of view, was not a tower, and if we talk millenium, then probably last millenium, not this one and not the next. Anyway, whatever it is the view from there is stunning.
Initially we thought taking a taxi back to the city, but in our walks in the Zemun, when we arrived to the Danube river, we saw such a beautiful park that we walked it almost all the way to the city. The name of the park and walkway is Dunavski Kej, and it has a great atmosphere, beautiful people walking, trees, birds of all kinds, swans, and attractions.
When someone offers food to them, swans and seagulls fight for getting their share.
From the park we returned to Knez Mihailova for some more shopping, and arrived to the extreme of the road at the planned near sunset hour, 16:00.
At the extreme of Knez Mihailova lies the the Belgrade Fortress and the Kalemedjan Park. The area of the fortress, the Viewpoint at the park, offer the best sunset that one can expect.
At the extreme of Knez Mihailova lies the the Belgrade Fortress and the Kalemedjan Park. The area of the fortress, the Viewpoint at the park, offer the best sunset that one can expect.
We continued walking around for some time, went back to Knez Mihailova for some more walk, and around 18:30 we were arriving to the Skadarlija, the bohemian area of the city, where many of the typical restaurants, pubs and bars are, the place for the nightlife in Belgrade.
Skadarlija is a beautiful place for a night walk, with its lights, quiet streets, and music coming from almost every pub and restaurant.
We had a recommendation from a friend to go there to the restaurant Dva Jelena (Serbian for "The Two Deer"), and went there. We found an enormous restaurant, separated in different rooms. For each room they had a musical group, so we would hear live music almost all the time. It was a great happiness demonstration.
The food was also fantastic - I had some pork chops, Shmil had a fish dish, and the girls had a typical "chicken in pasta" dish called Piletina sa Mlincima, which was something better than perfect. All the food was fantastic, as I said, and the price was a little higher, probably because of the live music. So we paid 17 USD per person.
We had a recommendation from a friend to go there to the restaurant Dva Jelena (Serbian for "The Two Deer"), and went there. We found an enormous restaurant, separated in different rooms. For each room they had a musical group, so we would hear live music almost all the time. It was a great happiness demonstration.
The food was also fantastic - I had some pork chops, Shmil had a fish dish, and the girls had a typical "chicken in pasta" dish called Piletina sa Mlincima, which was something better than perfect. All the food was fantastic, as I said, and the price was a little higher, probably because of the live music. So we paid 17 USD per person.
The last morning was used for preparations. At 11:00 we left the hotel to the airport, and the adventure was finished.
All in all, Belgrade is a city which is very interesting to visit, with nice people, beautiful park, beautiful churches, museums, great food and good prices in everything. They are dealing with COVID19 in the best way they can, trying to measure the health instructions with the financial survival of their population, with some level of success, even if not complete.
I would be happy to have one more day there, to complete all the visits I wanted to do, but this wasn't possible because if we would arrive one day later to Israel, a 14-day isolation would be required. No problem, one day I will return.
All in all, Belgrade is a city which is very interesting to visit, with nice people, beautiful park, beautiful churches, museums, great food and good prices in everything. They are dealing with COVID19 in the best way they can, trying to measure the health instructions with the financial survival of their population, with some level of success, even if not complete.
I would be happy to have one more day there, to complete all the visits I wanted to do, but this wasn't possible because if we would arrive one day later to Israel, a 14-day isolation would be required. No problem, one day I will return.
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