Author
Laurence Mitchell
Writer and photographer based in Norwich, UKApril 2021 M T W T F S S 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 -
Recent Posts
Category Archives: Balkans
The Mountains of Persia
There is a bar in Belgrade called the World Traveller’s Club. It is in the basement of an apartment block in the city centre and to gain entrance you are required to ring the door bell at street level and … Continue reading
Posted in Balkans, film, Travel
Tagged Belgrade, Coronavirus, Persia, Serbia, Slow travel, World Traveller's Club, Yugoslavia
14 Comments
Black Sea, Blue Sky – Balkan Rain
This rain that has been falling almost incessantly here for the past 48 72 hours seems to have followed me back home from the Balkans. Travelling coast to coast, from Adriatic to Black Sea, over a three week period I … Continue reading
Memory fields in the city of sock-wearers
The small city of Kruševac in south-central Serbia is probably best known for its fortress and 14th-century church, a fine example of the highly decorative Morava school. This was Prince Lazar’s capital in the late 14th century and it was … Continue reading
Posted in Balkans, Eastern Europe, History, Travel
Tagged Krusevac, memorial park, monument, Serbia, Slobodiste, spomenik, World War II, Yugoslavia
6 Comments
Tara
A few days ago I visited the monastery of Rača close to the border town of Bajina Bašta in western Serbia. The monastery lies at the edge of the Tara National Park that stretches south west from just beyond the … Continue reading
Posted in Balkans, Eastern Europe, Walking, wildlife
Tagged autumn, national parks, Serbia, Tara
1 Comment
In Bear Country
This was bear country. No doubt about it. Over breakfast Alfred from the guesthouse had said, “You should make sure that you talk when you go walking there – or maybe sing – that way you won’t take them by … Continue reading
Posted in Balkans, Eastern Europe, Travel, wildlife
Tagged Albania, bears, Valbona, woodland
Leave a comment
Yugostalgic Belgrade
Although Tito was half Croat and half Slovene he spent most of his time as Yugoslav helmsman in the Serbian capital, Belgrade. It is here, in the leafy Topčider suburb that lies south of the city centre, where you can find … Continue reading
Posted in Balkans, Eastern Europe, History, Travel
Tagged Belgrade, House of Flowers, Serbia, Tito, Yugoslavia, Yugostalgia
1 Comment
Serbia 4
The new edition of my Serbia guide is published today. It’s fully updated, of course, with revised text and lots of new listings, especially for Belgrade, a city that despite considerable setbacks seems to drive itself forever onwards and upwards. … Continue reading
Posted in Balkans, Eastern Europe, Travel
Tagged architecture, Belgrade, Bradt, Kalemegdan, Serbia, underground railways, Zaha Hadid
13 Comments
Galata Bridge, Istanbul
I’ve been thinking about Istanbul lately – it is one place that has been a constant in decades of travel. I first went there over 35 years ago and must have revisited the city at least eight, maybe ten, times … Continue reading
Yugoslav Hotels
They are a dying breed, Yugoslav hotels. And I use the word ‘Yugoslav’ advisedly as, although the buildings shown here are in what is now Serbia, all were erected during the period when that country was still part of Yugoslavia. … Continue reading
Posted in Balkans, Eastern Europe, Travel
Tagged architecture, Novi Pazar, Serbia, strange hotels, Uzice, Yugoslavia
6 Comments
Orthodox Walsingham
A few months ago whilst travelling in central Serbia I met a nun at Manasija monastery near Despotovac. I was talking with my Serbian friends in the monastery shop when the nun behind the counter, hearing our conversation in English, started to … Continue reading
Posted in Balkans, Norfolk, Walking
Tagged Manasija, monasteries, pilgrimage, Serbia, Walsingham
5 Comments