Back to Serbia by bicycle and on foot
Monday, May 31st, 2010I’m taking another sip of white wine and smiling to Lars who has already drained his glass of blackberry wine. I am thinking of last week and wonderful cycling and walking trips we did. We are in a local cellar in Sicevo village where we taste some wines and brandies together with smoked meet, cheese and local bread. I feel so relaxed and I am asking myself why I did not make this trip earlier?
It has been more then 20 years since the last time I was in Serbia. A few months ago I read in some magazine an article about Serbia and its national parks, cultural heritage and travel opportunities. So, I decided to spend my summer holiday in the country of my ancestors. As a passionate outdoor lover I had an idea to have some active holiday so I started to do some researching. I have bought the Serbia Bradt Travel guide book (http://www.bradtguides.com ) and there I found the local adventure travel company (ACE Cycling and Mountaineering Center http://www.ace-adventurecentre.com ) who offered tailor made trips in Serbia and Montenegro.
Anyhow, I landed on Belgrade’s airport on Sunday afternoon with my cousin Tanja and friend Lars where Misa from ACE was already waiting for us. I felt much more comfortable when I saw his smiling face and warm welcome. I knew that this guy would take care of us properly. Shortly we were on the way to Sokobanja spa which is some 250km away from Belgrade. A cheerful host talked about the Serbian people, history and nature and we did not even notice that we were already in front of our pension in Sokobanja. There we met Sasa who runs ACE Center along with his brother Misa. We enjoyed a welcome drink in the pension restaurant when Sasa gave us some hand-made brochures with artistic maps of our daily itineraries. Brochures were made just for our tour and I still keep mine one as a souvenir.
Next morning Sasa and Misa set our bicycles in the pension backyard and we were ready for an adventure. Every bike had a tag with name on it and all bicycles were equipped with bags and map holders where we found maps with highlighted routes for every single tour. After a 15 minute ride Sasa signaled to us and we jumped off our bicycles and parked them against a little hut. A few minutes later we met Golub who waited for us in a water mill. The mill was a couple hundred years old but surprisingly it was still in good shape. We watched how the water moved the wheels below the small house which then transferred the rotation to massive stones that grind corn seeds and turn them into the fine flour. Golub made some herbal bread and herbal juice for us so we enjoyed this short break with all our senses. We continued our ride through the peaceful countryside and villages. When we arrived in Josanica village (another spa) the next surprise was waiting for us. Misa had set a wonderful picnic lunch in the shade of some fir trees. That was just what we needed- something to renew our energy before we hit 5 km long unpaved section on the slopes of Rtanj Mountain. The ride was excellent, especially 8 km downhill at the end. But that was not all. In Sokobanja we took a short stroll through the main pedestrian street and we came to the old Turkish bath. Next moment I sank into the warm water and I felt how my body celebrates this natural gift. I felt like in heaven. Hot mineral water comes from the earth and fills round marble baths laid into the old Turkish style building. There are two pools, one for men and another one for ladies but as we were the only guests that time, lady who works there allowed us to bathe together. It was the perfect end of the first day in a country where my roots are coming from.
The following day we left our bicycles to rest and we did a 6 hour long hike on Ozren Mountain. Our path followed a small river and our first stop was the waterfall Ripaljka. Our goal was a small forest church called St. Archangel. We have walked in a moderate pace and listened to our guides who introduced the regional flora and fauna. We all got lovely paper bags with herbs gathered along our walking path by our guides. On each bag there was a printed portrait of a plant and suggestion for its use. The same night I enjoyed a cup of tea made out of my freshly picked Thyme.
“I will be spoilt after this vacation” said Tanja. We are dining on the terrace of a charming mountain chalet in the middle of Sicevo Gorge. Lars and I have just finished our creamy leek soup when we see Misa approaching with the second course- Vegetable Terrine. Fresh fruits and vegetables are something that you have to try in Serbia. Our hosts do not care abut our weight. We continue with the Beef Stroganoff and hot Svrljig Cheese salad. It is a royal feast. For desert we have Chocolate Cake with strawberries. Sasa and Misa are kings of the cuisine. They make us eat all the food they have served because we already burned enough calories today. And indeed, we had one more marvelous day of cycling. Although we skipped the biggest climb at the begging we did some good 60km from Sokobanja to Nis. The van picked us up on the saddle between Ozren and Device Mountain so we could cycle on flat and downhill road through forests and peaceful meadows of south-east Serbia. If you have time it is worthy to visit the city of Nis. It has the best preserved Turkish citadel in the Balkans and the terrifying Skull Tower from 19th century built by the Turks. There is also a Roman city of Mediana where the Emperor Constantine the Great was born. Mediana includes a huge Emperors palace which served as his summer residence.
Pirot is a small town close to Bulgarian border. We stopped there to visit women weavers of famous Pirotski Kilim. Pirot rugs are completely hand made, exactly the same way as 400 years ago. They are definitely unique, full of symbolism and have Byzantine, Greek, Chinese and Turkish elements modified by Pirot’s spinners imaginations and skills. Shortly after Pirot town we jumped on our bicycles again. Narrow asphalt road follows small river Jerma. Canyon of the Jerma river is spectacular but the real pearl is 14th century Orthodox Monastery Poganovo hidden among high rocks and attractive nature. There, in the authentic 14th century settings we had another lovely picnic lunch.
One by one all seven days of our Serbian trip flew off. Every one of them sealed some emotion, picture, smell and taste in my mind. I met wonderful people and the land of my parents. I have so much to tell my family and friends about places I saw and things I experienced. I did not say goodbye to Serbia but see you soon again.
TRAVELER’S GUIDE
LOCATION: Serbia lies in the central part of the Balkan Peninsula of Southeast Europe.
GETTING THERE: JAT Airways: www.jat.com; British Airways: www.ba.com; Lufthansa: www.lufthansa.com ; Air France: www.airfrance.com
TOURS: For excellent cycling, walking and adventure tours, try ACE Cycling and Mountaineering Center: www.ace-adventurecentre.com
INFORMATION: BradtTravel Guide Serbia www.bradtguides.com;
