Street Art in Belgrade, Serbia

A week ago I came back from a short trip to Belgrade, Serbia's capital. This was my first time visiting the "White City" and I was in awe by the hospitality of its people, by the tasty food behind each corner and by the beauty of its architecture.

But instead of  boring you with touristic information, today I choose to show you the street art of Belgrade - decadent, naive and downright creative.

A Simplifier on the Road: Noticing Nature

We didn't plan it but our Trans-European Expedition started in the heat of autumn, our favorite season. From a mild young autumn in Bulgaria we landed to a Scandinavian autumn at its best - bright blue sky, fresh air and trees with burning colors.

I must remind you that this expedition is not about sightseeing or noticing nature. On the contrary, we have a lot to settle, stuff to organize and get rid of because well, you know that we like to keep our life uncluttered. Plus, we cannot move everything we own to each country we decide to spend a simple living year in, right? 

But we're dreamers, the Doctor and I, and true to ourselves we always sneak some delightful moments into the whole organizing, selecting, and going-crazy-with-documents procedure. 

In other words, I feel the urge to tell you: Don't forget that however busy you think you are, you always have time to notice nature and to recharge. You can choose to be positive and in control of your inner peace. Just go outside and surrender to the magic of Nature.

The walks we take in-between our tasks are so uplifting and inspiring and help us glide through the supposedly stressful days excited and full with energy. 

Do you want to see the colors of autumn in Norway through our delighted eyes (that are going to burst with color any time soon)? I promise, you will be stunned, just as we are every time we step outside. The trees are screaming with color and yet they remain gracefully mysterious, wearing their autumn dresses with dignity and poise. 

I wish I can have a whole year of quiet autumn.

No post-processing has been done on these photos, they come straight from the camera.

Simple Joys: Travel

Simple living is so much about embracing simple joys and getting inspired by little things. One such little thing to me is traveling - a very powerful motivator, fueling my imagination. 

Last week my family and I visited the End of the World. 

Photo: Kanelstrand

No, there wasn't anything scary. In fact it is one of the most beautiful places I've visited in Norway. It is located at the southernmost tip of the island of Tjøme, some 100 km from Oslo.

The rocks, beaten by thousands of merciless waves since the beginning of time have taken the shape of clouds.

Photo: Kanelstrand

With a clear blue sky above and virtually no wind whatsoever I could easily imagine I was in heaven. 

And just as it always happens when you are in a magical place, something is bound to happen that will touch your soul. 

Photo: Kanelstrand

See that pigeon? It was following us all along, walking fearlessly behind us, as if wanting to tell us something. It was clearly looking to make a contact, which we embraced wholeheartedly! We touched it, caressed it and let it go. It just flew lazily a few meters away and kept on walking. 

Buy this print on etsy

The unusually quiet atmosphere inspired me for my latest artwork. I must confess that it took me the whole day yesterday to finish it. I had a lot of thoughts running through my mind while creating it - about the inverted roles in life, about how often we don't see the obvious, about the  values that help us keep our grounds. 

But I would more like to learn your opinion. What thoughts does it evoke in you?

From Coast to Coast Expedition - Day 15

1,860 miles (3,000 km), 4,000 photos, 379 videos and 15 days later we are back to our base. The expedition is over and our heads are bursting with impressions, memories, and plain dizziness out of the stunning nature we had the opportunity to see. We are thankful we got back safe.

We started the trip here, at the southernmost tip of Norway.

We traveled to Oslo.

Then on to quiet valleys

and stunning mountains,

breathtaking fjords,

curvy narrow roads

and countless tunnels.

And we took pictures.

We took ferries from coast to coast.

We became part of the World BASE Race 2011

and Molde International Jazz Festival.

And we took pictures.

We picked wild berries

and went fishing along the Atlantic Road.

We reached one of the former capitals and then tragedy struck Norway. About 100 people died in the first ever mass killing in peaceful Norway after WWII.

We set back to experience life as it was 4 centuries ago.

And we took pictures.

We got swept away by surreal scenery,

slept in our van,

drove for hours on end,

got our van brought back to life after the challenging roads of Fjord Norway,

But most importantly, we never stopped documenting the beauty around!

Life on the road was mind-blowing and every inch of the way was worth it. We are now slowly adjusting to town life and seek quietness to re-live the moments of the past 15 days. 

Thank you for taking the trip with us, you have been the most wonderful and supportive companions!

From Coast to Coast Expedition - Day 14

Once again, thank you all for your empathy. As Annette said under my previous post, the rest of our trip cannot be the same. So, Trondheim is the northernmost point of our expedition. From here we head back south to the living museum of Røros - an old mining town, placed in the UNESCO World Heritage List. 

Røros began to take form in 1646 when the first copper ore was extracted on the nearby mountain plateau. 

We are excited to walk along the quiet streets and to smell the old wooden houses. 

The town lies up on an expansive mountain plateau in Central Norway and has a lovely summer climate. The winters though are quite a different story. The temperatures can go down to -58 degrees Fahrenheit (-50 degrees Celsius). 

Touching the thick wooden walls we try to imagine what life used to be here before electricity.