Berlin of the Balkans

The fact that we came up against the town sign of Belgrade almost 20km before our hostel in the city center, made us aware of the size of this city. Novi Grad (the new town) welcomed us with new buildings made from steel and glass while on the eastern side of the holy river Save, the old fortress at the outlet into the Danube and a mixture of a few remaining pre-war and concrete buildings are dominating.

We did not expect too much of the Church of Saint Sava, one of the largest Orthodox churches in the world, as the inside is still under construction. However, the outer appearance of it (inspired by the Taj Mahal?) and even more the crypt are impressive. We can hardly imagine how it will look like when it is finished and provides space for more than 10,000 people.

Rakija enriched with honey sweetened our days walking around, exploring the fortress and discovering delicious food in the countless bakeries - and for some reason, Belgrade, 'The White City' reminded us of Berlin.Read more