Zica Monastery is situated around 25 km outside of Vrnjacka Banja which is in central Serbia, 200 km south from Belgrade and the Monastery is an endowment of King Stefan the First Crowned and built between 1190 and 1124. Zica was the first seat of the autonomous Read more…
The three of us wanted to cancel a walking tour of subterranean Belgrade as it was cold and hadn’t stopped snowing since the night before, but idea of just the three of us going on the tour was very appealing. The meeting point in the city centre Read more…
1. The Idea of assassinating top Austro Hungarian royalty wasn’t Gavrilo Princip’s – In 1910 an unsuccessful attempt was made to kill the Emperor, Franz Josef, on his visit to Mostar, and the same year five shots were fired at the Governor of Bosnia and Read more…
The name of the lovely town of Sarande has changed throughout history to reflect the influence of the different cultures in the region. Originally the name derived from a Byzantine monastery honoring the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste which later, under the Ottomans, changed to Aya Sarandi. During Venetian Read more…
If your cruise includes Albania, the city of Vlore may well be one of the port visits. While there aren’t as ancient ruins here as there are in Sarande or Durres, you’ll find plenty to keep yourself occupied- either enjoy the wonderfully scenic beaches or venture Read more…
The driver of the red car was very impatient and continued beeping his horn. Normally I would have agreed that he had the right of way – except for tonight. We were standing outside the pub cheering and waiting for our turn to take part in a dance with sticks and handkerchiefs in Read more…
Those are photos of bluebells in Buckinghamshire taken yesterday. We couldn’t resist sharing them with you.
This is really easy to find – it’s centrally located, just outside the main train station, with a big grey and green locomotive displayed outside, built in 1917 by Maschienenfabrik L Schwarzkopff in Berlin and it used to run between Gostivar and Ohrid in Macedonia until 1965. Today Macedonia is Read more…
The photographic icon of Belgrade is St Sava Temple which is still a “work in progress.” Its position, on the grounds of Vracar where the relics of Serbia’s first Archbishop, St Sava, were burned by the Ottoman Turks in the 16th century, is very impressive and is visible from every Read more…
Do you know what the White House in Washington, the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty in New York, the obelisk in the centre of Buenos Aires, the facades of the airport and museums in Cairo and Tokyo have in common with the St George Church Read more…
The First Serbian Uprising against the Ottoman Empire took place in a small village near Arandjelovac called Orasac on the 15th February 1804. On that date a local man, Karadjordje, was chosen to be the leader of the uprising, and after its success, the first Serbian Government and Parliament were established after a Read more…
by Olivera Milic. Conservationist and restorer, guardian of cultural heritage in her city and her country. In the mid-17th century, a tiny church was built in Doinovici village, near Novi Pazar in Serbia. The church, better known as Marinica, is 2.5m x 1.5m (barely 4sq/m) and Read more…
Soak up the atmosphere of a unique historic house in the heart of Belgrade, one that perfectly reflects the duality of traditional Ottoman and 19th century European influences that battled for supremacy in Serbia at that time. The Princess’s Residence was built in 1831 for Princess Read more…
India’s most revered monument, the Taj Mahal, is closed to visitors on Fridays as it is flanked by a functioning mosque and Fridays are the day of prayers. But plans have been announced to open up the building on these days between 7am and midday – Read more…
“How fast is the lift?” I asked “6 meters a second!” Someone behind me said they were Ferrari lifts and we laughed nervously. We were in one of these dark futuristic lifts with smouldering lights. It felt like we were about to take off to a different planet. There were no Read more…
Mathematical formulas are my forte, and I can solve most daily riddles with ease. The amount spent on my weekly shop are in my head before reaching the checkout desk, surprising the cashier with my accuracy. Numbers were my friends. Until now. Sitting in front of Read more…
“I was here, I saw this and it mattered to me.” Alain de Botton How many times have you been seduced by reading an article on the 10 best things to do at the destination you always wanted to see? The flawless writing full of Read more…
