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Belgrade – from a Roman fortress to Yugoslavia’s vision of the future
After my first day of sightseeing and a hefty dose of history, which was genuinely quite heavy at times, it was time to move on and see a different side of Belgrade. This time, I headed straight for Kalemegdan – the place that probably more than anywhere else is associated with the city. And this is definitely a place where you can pause for a moment, because the history here is seriously something else. The first fortifications appeared here as far back as Celtic times, and the Romans later left their mark on the site. Over the centuries, the fortress was rebuilt and reshaped by one empire after another, so…
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Belgrade – a city of contrasts, history and Balkan chaos
Belgrade was the second stop on my longer holiday trip this year. I spent the first part in Scotland, where I covered more than 3,200 km in nine days. And, to be completely honest, by then I’d had enough of driving, sightseeing, packing, unpacking and constantly being on the move. After such a marathon, the thought of clocking up even more kilometres in Serbia wasn’t exactly something I was looking forward to. But hey, it was part of the holiday plan, so there was nothing for it but to keep going. I flew to Belgrade in the late afternoon, picked up the car, drove to my accommodation and… promptly went…
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NC500 – far North Scotland
The NC500, or The North Coast 500, is one of Scotland’s most famous road trips – around 830 kilometres through the northern Highlands, following the coastline and winding through mountains, small villages, beaches, cliffs and places where it’s sometimes hard to believe you’re still in the UK. The more miles I covered along this road, the more I felt as though Scotland was slowly disconnecting from the rest of the world. The landscape became increasingly rugged, wild and empty. Larger towns disappeared, the roads grew narrower, and instead of more buildings, there were cliffs, heather-covered moorland, mountains and sea. And that was when the part of the route I had…
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New Zealand – rainy Cape Reinga, the Sahara, and the World’s Prettiest Toilet
Cape Reinga is the place where, according to Māori tradition, spirits begin their journey to the afterlife. Route 1 takes you here, ending at the northernmost lighthouse in New Zealand. It’s also the spot where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean. And yes, the road here really felt like it led straight to edge of the world —accompanied by sheets of rain and gusty wind. There was nothing happening on the road, zero civilisation around, and out of boredom, I found myself dancing to the rhythm of the windshield wipers. The track seemed endless, twisting along a narrow strip of land like a miniature peninsula—kind of like the Hel…
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Khiva – Uzbekistan, a city out of One Thousand and One Nights
To be honest, Khiva almost fell off my itinerary for Uzbekistan. Not because it didn’t seem interesting. Quite the opposite – when I was planning my trip to Uzbekistan, I knew it was one of those places I simply had to see. The problem was something completely different… logistics. Or, to be more precise: my first day in Uzbekistan was, to put it mildly, rather ambitious. 😉 After a night flight to Tashkent, by which point I felt that coffee was the only thing keeping my vital functions going, I still had a domestic flight to Urgench ahead of me. That was where I was picking up my hire car.…
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New Zealand, Dunedin – Scottish vibes and extreme streets
At first glance, Dunedin looks like a very serious city. Gothic, austere architecture, grand cathedrals, and a railway station that looks more like a palace with luxurious chambers. But beneath that façade lies a vibrant city, pulsing with the energy of students from the University of Otago – New Zealand’s oldest university. You can see it in the city’s nooks and backstreets, where interesting street art and colourful murals are hidden behind the stately buildings. Although today Dunedin seems to be relatively calm, in the 19th century it was the richest and most populous city in the whole New Zealand. The Otago Gold Rush of the 1860s brought people from…
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Queenstown and its surroundings – adrenaline, gold and lingerie on the fence
Queenstown is mainly known as the city of extreme sports. Ziplining, skydiving, rafting, jet boating, paragliding, or even catapults – that’s just a fraction of the thrills you can experience in the area. And for true connoisseurs, there’s bungee jumping. In 1988, AJ Hackett and Henry van Asch kick-started bungee jumping on the Kawarau Gorge Suspension Bridge. Inspired by the ritual vine jumps performed by the people of Vanuatu, they decided to try it themselves – first in Auckland, and then (why not) from the Eiffel Tower. That’s how Kawarau became a mecca for bungee jumpers. For those scared before the jump, at least the view on the way down…
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Surreal Nairobi – between safari and concrete
It’s hard to believe that the land now occupied by Kenya’s capital was once covered in swamps. The Maasai called this place Enkare Nyrobi, meaning “cool waters.” This is where the name of the metropolis comes from. Nairobi’s development began at the end of the 19th century, when the area’s potential as a trade center was recognized. As the city grew, the Maasai, who grazed cattle here, were displaced. Today, Nairobi is called the “Silicon Savannah” due to its flourishing tech industry. It is also known as the “Green City in the Sun,” and for good reason. The city boasts numerous parks and green spaces. Nevertheless, it is a city…
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The Paeroa and Waihi area – a giant bottle, murals, gold and tunnels
Can anything be more abstractive than starting sightseeing with a giant bottle? In New Zealand: absolutely. Especially in the town of Paeroa, home of the iconic Lemon & Paeroa drink. It has a sweet, citrusy taste and feels like something halfway between Sprite and some solid childhood chemistry experiment. The drink was created right here in 1907, using local mineral water. The L&P logo is everywhere, and the enormous brown bottle is a source of genuine local pride. From Paeroa I headed to the Karangahake Gorge – a former gold-mining hub. There are two walking tracks here, each about 2.5 kilometres long. The first, Windows Walk, winds through forest and…
