Our Greek road trip was divided into four stages: Thessaloniki-Meteora-Delphi-Athens.

After our arrival on the airport of Thessaloniki in the north of Greece, we drove into the heart of the second biggest city of the country.

The first lesson I learned on this trip to Greece was the traffic. It was very hard to find a parking spot near our hostel.

Where on earth can I park? For Thessaloniki is indeed the city of the car. Traffic chokes the roads and there are parked cars everywhere.

If anywhere is remotely park able, there will be a car parked there and, out of necessity, cars are frequently double and triple parked.

Built near the sea Thessaloniki is a modern metropolis built near the sea. We were impressed by its history and its cosmopolitan character, which give it a special beauty and charm.

There are so many things to see but if I have to talk about one, it’s The White Tower, the hallmark of the city.

This tower dates from the XVI century and it’s about 35 meters high.

It was built as part of the city’s fortification and it has changed its name many times since its construction.

The next day we started the 500 Km drive from Thessaloniki to Athens. We have spent 2 days in the area of Meteora.

The monasteries of Meteora are perched on the tops of beautiful and improbable rock formations.

There are a number of walking routes which can be used to get from one monastery to the other,

but the car gave us a little more freedom and access to better viewpoints.

After spending the day at Meteora, we then drove on to Delphi.

Delphi is said to be the centre of the world. When we visited the site, we found some almost ruined temples and an interesting museum.

Even I ‘am not really in connection with the Greek history and culture I was touched by the site of Delphi.

The town is a small place you wouldn’t have guessed this was considered the center of the world by the ancient Greeks.

Then we get to the archaeological site and I see the grandeur that once existed in this area.

The remaining ruins of Delphi were very impressive, such craftsmanship and detail. And the view from the site was extraordinary.

I would definitely recommend that everyone visiting Greece try to make it to Delphi it is a unique experience.

The Greek road trip took us the next day to the Capital of Greece, our final destination: Athens.

For long time it was on my list of places to see and If you haven’t had the chance to visit Athens, I would encourage you to do so.

There are plenty of things to do in Athens, but I would start with a visit to the Acropolis–a city on a hill that is inaccessible from all sides except the west where the entrance is located.

On the Acropolis are the remains of several buildings of historical and architectural importance, most notably the Parthenon.

This huge temple dedicated to Athena, the beloved goddess of the Athenians, constructed entirely out of marble.

What many scholars described as nothing less than the symbol of Western Civilization.

We did a free walking tour in Athens and our guide was amazing.

We’ve learned about the city that has over 3000 years of history.

My friend Fabrice and I discovered all the facts, myths and secrets of the city’s hidden gems.

Despite the economical problems Greece has been through the past years, I think it’s tourism is looking good.

Greece is an inspiring, beautiful country and the food is nice.

Our roadtrip across the mainland of Greece was a pleasant introduction to this small country with a huge history!

I was surprised by Belgrade, the biggest city of Serbia.

The country is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe that was previously part of Yugoslavia (made up of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Slovenia).

Since Yugoslavia collapsed, the country has struggled with ethnic conflict between Christian Serbs and Muslim Kosovo Albanians.  

The capital city of Serbia, Belgrade, lies in between the Danube & Sava rivers and is one of the most coveted cities in the world – it’s been occupied or destroyed over 40 times in the past 2,000 years.

Belgrade, or Beograd in Serbia translates as The White City, so named after the white walls of the citadel that sits proudly above the town. Built back in 535 this huge complex consists of towers, gardens, museums and offers some amazing views over the new part of the city and the place where the Rivers Sava and Danube combine.

The fortress itself is free to visit and is a must do when in Belgrade. Here the atmosphere is always chilled and the history really quite impressive.

Belgrade is a well know party city.Every night in Belgrade is a weekend and everywhere you look their is a party going on.

Straddle up and prepare yourself, in Belgrade if you party, you party hard!

The rakija will be flowing and you will surely get drank under the table by the fierce locals!

Take one of the party boats for an unforgettable night!

Those visiting for Belgrade’s vibrant night life will not feel disappointed as the city seldom sleeps and offers an affordable break.

St. Sava Temple – The largest Orthodox church in the world (Christian Orthodox is the main religion of Serbia). One of the most stunning and impressive buildings in the Serbian capital is that of the Orthodox cathedral of St. Sava. This huge church is still under construction and has been since 1935 with the outside being completed in 1989.

This impressive building is one of the largest churches in the world and sits on an important place for the Serbian Orthodox religion:

The place on which the Ottomans burnt St. Sava when they invaded the city.

Here the faithful often queue outside the door the pray inside and people travel across the country just to step foot inside.

The walls might be strangely bare but it is a moving and somewhat strange structure non the less.

Go and visit like i did ” Belgrade” .You will agree places like Prague are wonderful for architecture but they have a theme park atmosphere with trails of tourists in every direction.

Belgrade is void of this phenomenon making it quite safe for a tourist to freely explore with its residents more than keen to assist in most situations.

Belgrade will best suit an extrovert visitor seeking history and culture that needs to be discovered rather than consumed through the usual tourist attractions.

For all my photo’s of Belgrade and my journey

through Serbia visit my website:

www.myworldtrips.com

I LOVE BANGKOK

When you travel as much as I do, people often ask what my favorite country is. My answer is mostly always the same: Thailand.

I’ve lived and worked in the country of smiles from 2004 till 2008.

Since I returned to Belgium , I still follow up the news and stories from Thailand.

There has been some many changes over the last 10 years.

Many good but from the other hand, unfortunately  many less positive changes as well.

Some travelers feel like Thailand is too touristy, or they have heard too many stories about sex tourism and the dirty full moon party .

But if you avoid that and try to discover the destinations off the beaten track, sure you will spent a great time.

No place in the world is perfect and despite it’s less positive facts,

Thailand still remains an incredible country with a unique wealth of natural and inner human beauty.

I always recommend to visit the non-tourist attractions, but never skip the capital Bangkok ‘The City Of Angels’

What I adore about the Thai capital is food. It Is amazing and most people will agree on this. Possibly everybody.

The  variety of tasty things to eat is outstanding, and there is always a yummy street vendor around the corner dishing up the most delicious soup you’ve ever tasted.

But when the news came this year that Bangkok was planning to clear the streets of its beloved street food vendors,

outrage broke out among fans of the city’s famously cheap eats as the story racked up the worldnews.

But I wouldn’t worry too much about it at this point, there will be always still street food stalls all over the city!

Bangkok has been hailed as one of the best food destinations in the world and we should do everything we can to continue to earn that reputation.

Bangkok is ranking second among the top 3 of my favorite capitals (nr 1 Sarajevo and nr 3 Sydney).

Whenever I come to Thailand I always plan a few days to spend here, taste great food,

do amazing shopping and enjoy the great variety of people living and visiting this city.