Last week, I traveled to Belgrade in Serbia with a press team of eight women, consisting of four Turkish and four Russian journalists. We were hosted by the newly-opened Mama Shelter Hotel in the city. Our trip started with very cold weather, which was shocking after 17 degrees Celsius back in Istanbul. Despite the heavy sleet, we started our city tour with Kalemegdan, a word originally derived from Turkish words "kale" (fortress) and "meydan" (square), as it was the fortified Ottoman camp from 1521 when Turks conquered the area until 1867 when they withdrew from Belgrade. The fortress in the old city looks over the Sava River, which is a mesmerizing area for locals especially with floating bars on it. Kalemegdan is a complex with a large park on the banks of the river, a bunker, a Roman well, Ottoman Damat Ali Pasha's tomb and two churches. Damat Ali Pasha lost his life during the war in 1716 in the Petrovaradin city and a tomb was built in Belgrade to honor his memory. Recently, the Turkish International Cooperation and Development Agency (TİKA) has restored the tomb and Sokollu Mehmet Pasha's fountain just across the tomb. To witness the Ottoman existence in the area, Kalemegdan is a perfect spot where you can imagine the historical incidents that happened on such a fortified position.
CITY TOUR
With the pleasing company of our tour guide Zeljko, who was obviously in love with his job, from the Belgrade Tourism Office, we headed to monumental buildings, the presidential office and finally the Sava Temple, passing through the old city, ornamented with shops on the right and left. Although the city has seen many wars and been invaded with various forces until recently, some old buildings were successfully and surprisingly well preserved. In a short trip, it is possible to observe the effects of different administrations as Serbia has gone through the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the State Union of Serbia and Montenegro, and lastly the Serbian Republic. While we were first transferred from the airport to the Old City, where our hotel was, we saw many uniform buildings that reflect the socialist architecture resembling the ones in cities with a past of Soviet Socialist Republics. However, as we approached downtown, buildings with an older history started to appear. You can enjoy a cup of coffee at fancy cafes in this main quarter watching passersby while sensing the turbulent and accordingly intriguing political history of the city.
The Sava Temple
Our last stop was the Sava Temple, which has become a symbol of the Christian city, with its huge body and beautiful architecture that can easily be mistaken for a mosque. Registered as one the largest churches in Orthodox Christianity, the temple is quite tall and its dome is ornamented with mesmerizing icons, although it is under restoration. There is also a downstairs church beneath it, again decorated with jaw-dropping Christian symbols, covered with very thin gold plates. With three other churches I saw in Belgrade, I was surprised to see that many people, young and old, were visiting churches although it was a work day.
An essential part of my travels is certainly to visit prominent museums in the city. Apart from modern art museums and libraries scattered around the city center, there is a must-see museum: The Nikola Tesla Museum in which belongings of the genius scientist as well as prototypes of his inventions can be seen. Supported with digital sound and visual systems that explain the complicated studies of Tesla, the museum offers a tour guide who further explains Tesla's detailed life and works, and makes live experiments with Tesla's gadgets, attended by the visitors on the spot. I should admit that the museum was the most exciting part of the city tour as a once-in-a-life-time experience to get a better understanding of the genius' world.
Another key aspect of an enjoyable tour is, undoubtedly, the food. Serbia is famous for its savory meat, like other surrounding Balkan countries, having large and oxygen-rich pastures. Anywhere I ate meat, it was way more than satisfying. However, there was one restaurant named Sesir Moj, which I strongly recommend to anyone who intends to visit Belgrade. The interior is decorated in an old and simple taste, in contrary to the sophisticated dishes served accompanied by a friendly orchestra, which really had a large Turkish repertoire. Beef, meatballs, ham, chicken and any kind of meat here are absolutely a joy for the palate, when side dishes and salads are added. In addition, dairy products are also ultimately delicious and refreshing. In addition to the cozy atmosphere reminding of Greek taverns, all the personnel are quite friendly and they show the utmost importance to the guest to make them comfortable.
MAMA SHELTER
Apart from all the joy in the city, the hotel that hosted the group of journalists was a contributing element to the nice three-day tour. Situated in the heart of the old town, namely the city center, the position of Mama Shelter Belgrade enables an easy travel to must-see locations as it is walking distance to prominent monuments, parks and buildings. Besides, there is a shopping mall just downstairs, which can be considered an opportunity to shop, if necessary.
Large room at Mama Shelter
When you enter the lobby, a large restaurant welcomes you with many guests passing enjoyable time, as the restaurant has become a meeting point with guests coming from outside. Families seem to relax with delicious dishes and refreshing drinks served in the home-like atmosphere of the hotel. Chairs, sofas and other furniture are all designed to make guests feel at home. Another reason why the restaurant has become a frequented spot is that it has a large and open kitchen, which enables the chefs and guests can directly communicate and hygiene is ensured.
The menu offers a wide selection of food from fast food options like hamburgers and french fries to pizza alternatives and more traditional tastes like cevapi, namely meatballs, tuna fish served with rice, cabbage on beef, and mashed potato on beef cheek. Served with fried potatoes, meatballs here are a masterpiece, due to the high-quality meat. Undercooked tuna fish, in the same pan with vegetables and rice is a healthy and light option for seafood lovers. The most outstanding dish to me was the mashed potato on a bed of well-cooked beef cheek. As a picky meat-eater, I would never expect the beef cheek to be so delicious that it still lingers in my palate, when combined with cooked mashed potatoes on top of it. For dessert, the hotel's milk puddings and sweets with dairy products are a panorama to see. They are both very tasty and apparently the work of expert chefs. In addition, for a light dessert, luscious ice cream options are abundant with various flavors.
Breakfast options are also rich as they have a wide range of dairy products like cheese, yogurt and butter. If you are into traditional options, small triangular pitas and kaymak, a kind of dairy product like butter, as well as cheese flavored with spices are great local tastes. If you are looking for a more intercontinental breakfast, croissants and filter coffee, as well as rich ham, omelets and bread options are at your service.
Cozy and large restaurant of Mama Shelter Belgrade
When it comes to decoration, the general outlook of the hotel embraces you from the moment you check in. The colorful furniture and carpets with vivid and modern patterns on them are all custom-made for the Mama Shelter, just like its other branches in Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux, Marseille, Los Angeles and Rio de Janeiro. All are decorated with the same motto: Modern, colorful and cozy like Mama's home. You have a wide variety of room options: medium, large, xxlarge. Especially if you come with your family and children, the "xxlarge" room will serve for your comfort with a large suite that can accommodate up to three people and extra bed options for children. The inner decoration of the rooms is quite minimalistic with no redundant and extravagant furniture inside, which is designed to relax the guests in an optimum way.
Last but not the least, there are a number of terraces overlooking the city panorama, promising pleasant summer nights with a cool breeze while you chill out with your beloved ones. For those who are planning larger meetings like engagement parties, the terraces are at your service. For business meetings, you can find many halls in various dimensions and decorations, all up to your choice. Everything you need can be arranged with the help of the personnel who are willing to solve your problems with a candid smile on their faces. Just a reminder, if you have a strict exercise program, you might have to go out as they do not have a gym. But if your plan is to have a comfortable stay at a hotel in the heart of the city close to everything, with its restaurant and bar feeling like "Mama's place," then Mama Shelter Belgrade is a fresh and pleasant option in the city center.
