Yesterday's beautiful day brought me out of the house and towards the Avala mountain. It is located just outside the city of Belgrade so it's easy to reach even with public transport. Once I got to the foothill I decided to stay away from the walking serpentine path that goes around the mountain and head straight uphill through the woods.
It's a beautiful sight - spring is almost here and nature is waking up. You can see flowers, heralds of spring on the way to the top. Recently I've been inspired to learn more about foraging wild plants so this short hike was a lot of fun. With a quick tempo it doesn't take more than half an hour to break out at the top and I even met this wild black cat in the middle of the forest.
You see the tall Avala tower first - it is visible from a lot of city spots. Destroyed during NATO bombing in 1999 and rebuilt, it is popular tourist attraction with a 360 degrees viewpoint at the top that presents the beautiful panorama of the city.
The new church of St. Stefan Lazarevic was built in 2017 and it has a beautiful design and the look of log cabin. It is dedicated to 14th century Serbian prince. You can sit in the backyard of the church, rest and get a homemade juice. Around the church is forest and a path that leads to the monument of the unknown soldier.
The monument sits at the highest spot in the city and is dedicated to fallen warriors of world war I. It is built in black granite and has a form of mausoleum, a must see destination for anyone visiting the city. I was there early in the morning with barely any people walking around - best way to enjoy and take in all the beauty of the place. I was able to get a nice street shot of a stray dog climbing towards the monument which is probably my favorite capture of the day. Minimalistic yet strong composition.
After a Tai Chi practice at the top, I headed back to the forest and was on my way home. Beautiful way to spend the morning. Hope you enjoy the walkthrough. :)
That is one dun and exciting walk, the black cat is so pretty. And the picture into woods OMG, it's pretty, that's my favorite shot here and that one with the cute doggo with the two ladies ❤️
Thank you very much! It was a fun walk. Really love your favorites. :)
Oh, that black cat 😍
Now I know that the story about the black panther is real, it escaped from Apatin to Avala mountain 😂
Hahaha it does look like a small panther! Or maybe that is really it and people exaggerated in their stories about what they saw. :D
Could be anything 😂
But it does look like a small panther ;)
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Seems like this part of year is the best to visit Avala, just avoid summer as zillion people are crawling around.
That church was never fully clear to me, somehow it jumps off the entire surrounding.
Hey, yes Avala is beautiful in spring and I'm guessing the fact that I went so early on Monday is why there was almost no one around. :) I didn't get the same feeling with the church, although some other buildings I would prefer weren't around.
Sorry for the late response. :)
I love that picture of a cat. Just wondering what it was doing in the forest.. the church looks like it was centuries old. I guess they used an old technique while building it. We also have a similar church in my hometown built a few years ago and they built it from wood without using any nails, just like it was built in the past.
Looks like a relaxing trip with almost no people around you 🙂
Thank you for sharing!
I was also surprised when I learned the church is a new building there, it does have that antique look with the wooden logs. Even though new, it felt good spending few minutes inside. :)
The cat must have been some sign for me lol, can't think of other reason it would roam alone in the forest. :D Thanks for the comment and sorry for late response.
Red coat on the steps... that's a lovely image. Great symmetry offset by the chaos of the three people.
Yes, I was trying to nail the perfect moment as they were climbing up the stairs. Still prefer the one with the dog though.
What an amazing place but the most beautiful thing was the little black panther 🤍