Nietzsche, villas and suspicious art benefactors: top twelve places I visited in 2022

Last year I finally got back into my travelling mode. Here are the twelve places that I visited that really stand out in my memory, and to which I come back often in these grey winter days in Belgrade. Thankfully this year I also discovered how easy it is to edit and post videos on TikTok so I can revisit them often :p

Sils Maria

The hype is justified. Sils Maria is a stupendous village and no wonder Nietzsche loved spending time there. The museum itself is okay, but it is the whole area that feels otherworldly. The Post Hotel restaurant and a little bar by the bus stop are great places to grab a bite or a beer.

La Seu, Palma de Mallorca

For a long time, I unfairly wrote off Mallorca as a tourist hellhole. While certain parts of the city and the island are indeed overrun, but Palma maintains its charm especially off season. The area around St Nicholas’s church is especially amazing, however there is nothing that compares to visiting its massive Cathedral in the morning, as the sunlight is pouring through its huge stained glass window.

Mont-Saint-Michel

I’ve dreamt of visiting Mont-Saint-Michel for ages and it is well worth the trip. I managed to see it in both the morning and the evening, and being able to bike there from my hotel was an added bonus as the route took me around very nice fields of Normandy. While the abbey is stunning, the experience is a bit ruined by the touristification of everything around it. Nevertheless, you forget it all when you see its sandstone bathed in the colours of the Sun setting over the English channel.

@thebelgradist

Mont Saint Michel: I’ve been dreaming to come to this place for the past 20 years and it’s even more magnificent than I thought it would be #travel #france #montsaintmichel #vivelafrance #normandie

♬ Satie (Gnossienne No. 3) – Rahel Senn

Villa Kerylos, Beaulieu sur Mer

Another long time obsession of mine, this villa was conceived by a French Jewish Nietzschean polymath as an homage to Ancient Greece . It is a testament of the ambition of pre-WWII intellectuals and their smart blending of ancient and modern worlds (the villa next door belonged to none other than Gustave Eiffel), which was supplaned by the Modernity’s obsession with progress and ahistoricism.

@thebelgradist

Villa Kerylos in Beaulieu-sur-mer huilt for Theodore Reinach in Greek revival style in 1908. Reinach was a classicist and a Nietzschean so the villa has a lot of references to Apollonian-Dionysian duality

♬ The First Delphic Hymn To Apollo (Ancient Greek Melody c.138 BCE – Arranged For Replica Lyre) – Michael Levy

Chipperfield extension of Kunsthaus Zurich

David Chipperfield is my favourite contemporary architect and Zurich’s Kunsthaus is one of my favorurite museums, both for its collection and its layout. The long awaited extension, which opened in 2020, is amazing and the story of its (infamous) benefactor Emil Georg Bührle really does give one an insight into the funny interplay between money, industry, politics and the art world.

Ficlek, Zagreb

Zagreb’s food scene grew massively in the past few years, however given my love of trad cooking (vs more ambitious haute cuisine), Ficlek is the place that completely blew me away. Truely everything on the menu is amazing (bloodsausage and strudel are stand outs) and the decor is superb.

Aubeterre-sur-Dronne

The only thing better than being wowed by a place that you long yearned to see, is being blown away by something that you never knew existed and that you stumbled upon randomly. The charming village of Aubterre sur Dronne, and its impressive underground church which is a sort-of copy of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, were certainly places I knew nothing about that had me floored.

@thebelgradist

Aubterre sur Dronne’s amazing medieval underground chruch, inspired by Anatolian rock churches and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre #travel #church #aubterre #france #wow

♬ The Song of the Sibyl – Remastered – Dead Can Dance

Saint-Emillion

Little gem of a town that you can enjoy even if you have no interest in wine. The catacombs and its underground church are worth a visit as they show how France developed and how the many discontinuities in its history (the Hundred Years war, Reformation, the Revolution) shaped its provincial cities.

Salts, Montjuic, Barcelona

Another long time obssesion. The beers at the bar are good, and the view is next to none.

@thebelgradist

World’s coolest public swimming pool: Piscines Municipals de Montjuïc #architecture #spain #españa #catalunya #travel #city #wow #barcelona

♬ Barcelona – Giulia y Los Tellarini

Admiral Codrington

My long time favourite haunt in Chelsea. No better place for a pint and a burger.

Les Tartes de Francoise, Sablon Brussels

The whole area around Sablon is very cute, but I never had a better lemon tart in my life.

Soller, Mallorca

Another great little town in Mallorca. The old school train ride from Palma is great, while there is plenty to see and do, from chilling on the nice main square to checking out great pieces of Mallorcan Art Nouveau, such as the Can Prunera museum. Make sure you get the lemon and orange jams to take home.

@thebelgradist

The amazing antique train between Palma and Soller, as well as a glimpse of equally great and historic Soller tram. Why Chopin? Well, because he stayed in Mallorca with George Sand #travel #train #mallorca #wow #spain #mallorcaspain #soller #palmademallorca #palma #espana

♬ Chopin Nocturne No. 2 Piano Mono – moshimo sound design

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