Smoking. An American tourist walked into a bar: yes, I had to do this, but he really did, and then somewhat sheepishly asked the waiter whether he could smoke inside, to which the answer was of course you can, this is Belgrade, the capital of smoking. And indeed, in a landscape where even the last…
Tag: traveltips
A Very Short Belgrade Dictionary- Part One
Brutalism. If you’re feeling particularly poetic, you might go as far as to call Belgrade the only ugly city that is beautiful. There are of course hideous examples of Socialist architecture out there, the former Soviet states are festering with them, but the great thing about Belgrade is that although its skyline is dotted with…
A Very Short Viennese Dictionary
Blue Danube. Actually, not to be seen during 90% of Viennese day trips, because, unlike in Budapest or Belgrade, where the Danube steals centre stage, in Vienna it flows off the main axis of the city in decidedly sleepy and unspectacular suburbs. Thus, an unassuming but fundamental presence, like air and taxes. Grosser Brauner and…
The Incompetent’s Guide to Wining Out in Etyek
Veering off the main road towards Öreghegy, we made our first stop for some light whites at Fetzer pince- the blog’s industrious co-photographer found the svábbor to be very much to his liking, but sadly he also lacks the sophisticated vocabulary to explain how and why, fresh and fragrant being words he might use, if…
The (Red) Devil is in the Details aka Bruges in the Bloody Rain
So there was this Sunday, and it almost rained. Which is the worst- the sky is grey and you have no idea how it’s gonna make up its mind, and just wait, and do nothing, then order in and idle away your time. The best idling away of time on such days, for me, is…
Accidentally in Etyek- The Bit with (Almost) No Wine
So Etyek had been hovering at the edges of my consciousness for quite some while as that place next to Budapest where wine buffs go on sophisticated outings along some sort of picturesque trail, and after long minutes, hours, days spent carefully rotating the divine beverage first in their glass and then along their palate…
The Incompetent’s Guide to Greek Cuisine: Zakynthian Holiday Part Three
This should be the Bourdain/Ramsay style foray into the culinary wonders of Greece, only I can’t cook for the life of me, and would probably be the kind of person who in Ramsayian terms summons a demon instead of making soup. Also, my favourite local dish is chicken souvlaki and I have an undeniable propensity…
Life is a Beach- Zakynthian Holiday Part Two
I found it very odd that the promotional plastic bags of Zakynthos (every even moderately touristy location should obviously have its own promotional bags) affectionately call it the Island of Culture. Perhaps it’s the already mentioned ubiquitous presence of Dionysios Solomos permeating the island air, for otherwise Zakynthos is probably one of the least cultural…
The Isle of Alexis the Great- Zakynthian Holiday Part One
Having gotten over our failed sailing project, it’s time now for the practicalities of this most tentative of Zakynthos guides, and we’ll start with the beginning, namely how to get there and around once you’ve arrived. Ensconced in the greenery above Laganas bay lies Zakynthos’s understated airport affair, going by the official name of Dionysios…
A Very Greek Odyssey: How We Went to Zakynthos and Saw Everything but Shipwreck Beach
The choice of Zakynthos itself as our destination was a bit of map bingo- I here kind of like to imagine myself actually throwing darts at a giant map of Greece, see where they land, but with my aiming skills that’d probably be Benghazi, Libya and for the time being let’s say I’d rather not…
Pocket Diary Budapest 