December 28, 2007

Happy new Year!


The Western World New Year and a little break from posting. While celebrating in Belgrade and chill out for some days, I'll mindmap some new posts about this wonderful country. Stay tuned!

December 27, 2007

stylish item #6



The receptions of the Hotels Omorika and Beli Bor! The visiting card of the hotel, normally (except the phone boots) and the first thing you notice when stepping into a Hotel. And here they are friendly, unpretentions and helpful. And they work in that fabulous environment.

December 26, 2007

stylish item #5



A tribute to the color palette (combination of orange with turquoise and browns). If the color are well chosen they survive any fashion (and if there is no money to change them they survive anyway any fashion!)



I must keep in mind the power of turquoise, bordeaux and white!

December 23, 2007

stylish item #4


The lounges! I don't comment, just look at the pictures.
Chimney lounge in Hotel
Omorika Little Sofa lounge in Hotel Omorika
Welcome Area lounge in Hotel Beli Bor

December 18, 2007

stylish item #3


The refectory! Very stylish indeed is the restaurant with the modern-classic chairs. (I'm also kind of fascinated by the waiteress' shoes....) There is another room (not used at the moment) with stacks of these beautiful chairs...

December 16, 2007

Stylish Item #2


The second item that deserve some attention is the coffered ceiling at the entrance lounge at Hotel Beli Bor. Something like the relief print of Tara mountains just the other way round.

December 13, 2007

Stylish Item #1



These are the phone boots in Hotel Omorika. OK, it's maybe not the most important detail of the entire hotel but it was almost the first thing that got my attention. A residue of the pre-mobile-phone era: the phone boots! They are really nice with a semi-organic shape and "fumé" colored glass. And they are even topped by the phone boots in Hotel Beli Bor ... Stylish!

December 12, 2007

communist hotels

If you're looking for unusual great architecture, you don't see in Western Europe, then you get your satisfaction here in Tara National Park. In the middle of mountain and trees, there are some big hotels of the communist aera. You won't see them until you're practically there, so nicely they are embedded in the surroundings or with shape that reminds big pine trees! I went in and asked if I can take a couple of pictures, because even more interesting than the outside is the seventish decor of interior, that thanks to lack of money has almost stayed untouched. You still can feel the atmosphere of the past, when firm directors and trustfull employees spent their holidays here. Because of the size of the hotels (guess 200-300 rooms) inside they are organized like little cities: with movie theatre, playground, disco, swimmingpool, several bars, restaurants and stores. As I walk through the rooms I find some stylish things that I want to add in my sketchbook.

December 6, 2007

Etno Selo


To not forget the beautiful ethnic style houses of the regions I tried to collect them in one page of my sketchbook.

December 4, 2007

Love for Tradition

After traveling back from Visegrad , Mokra Gora and Tara it's time to hang loose in the resort area of Zlatibor. It's wonderful peacfully here.
What strikes me, is how very serbian the place is.
I know Ski-Areas from Switzerland, who are of course very beautiful and romantic...but they adapted with time to become some international places to satisfy tourists from around the world. The stores sells brands and things from everywhere, the music in bars and clubs is international stuff you can hear in entire Western World....a big difference to a known place like Zlatibor, where tourists visit....but the atmosphere is strictly serbian: beginning by the Food, then the things you can buy and the music in coffeshops and bars: you can't miss you're in Serbia.
Even fancy people from Begrade who spend their weekend here, seem to enjoy listening to narodna music and etno songs and to buy domaci (local) products on the market or to eat some good serbian food.
Is that just because not many international tourists come to Zlatibor or is it because of the Serbs innate love for their own history and tradition, that the serbian culture here is so much present?
I read this intersting post of smart Mister Trifkovic, and I find the answer myself....