Monday morning, my 65th birthday, we got up early enough to have some eggs before going down for coffee as we had no idea if they would give us any food. Turns out indeed Dragan had gone to the bakery for freshly made burek (savory cheese filled pastry) which we ate, along with liquid yogurt, and coffee (because Dragan was driving he had no rakija). They also gave me a wrapped birthday present- a nice hardbound journal/diary which was thoughtful as they know I like to write. We were off by 8.
I had mentioned earlier that there are some crazy Serbian drivers on the road. Playful Dragan pointed to himself and said, ‘I, crazy Serbian driver!’ And laughed. When we got in the car he looked at me and gestured for me to bite my finger when I get scared and pointed to himself and repeated, ‘crazy Serbian driver.’ Luckily his car DOES have seatbelts for everyone unlike some of the other cars we have ridden in! And even though his driving is crazy and a bit scary for me I could tell he was restraining himself from going even faster, and he was more measured when passing slower vehicles, which I appreciated.
First we stopped for a short walk next to an expensive spa hotel on the way to Sokobanja. There was nothing especially remarkable about the place other than it is Serbian owned and costs $300 a night which is very pricy for this country. I enjoyed a lot of the plants along the wooded path, many of which we don’t have back home.
Then we stopped in a small quiet village at a rose garden that had been created for a famous woman…but now I forget the story!
Then we stopped at a large forested park where there is also a spa hospital with woods, fields and a small lake. From the parking area we took a trail, not far, to a famous series of beautiful waterfalls. Several small groups of guided tourists were already there as well as a group of school kids. Very lovely. Dragan said Zorica needed coffee so we assumed we would stop at one of the cafes in the park and were confused when he said we would go walk while Zorica got coffee. Finally we went to the car and found 2 cups of Turkish coffee on a tray table in the back seat waiting for us. They had brought with them a small stove, coffee and four mugs. It appears this is a usual thing for them to do.
After finishing coffee we got back into the car and drove into the small touristy town of Sokobanja. I was surprised by the traffic on a Monday so early in the season. Here we took a stroll around the pleasant pedestrian mall. As we see in every town, many people sat on benches, relaxing or chatting with friends. The pace of life here is so much slower than in urban America. The most noteworthy thing was a 15th century Turkish bathhouse that was in good condition (and has been added onto). In the park bathroom I experienced my first squat toilet of the trip. At least it was fairly clean.
Next we drove to the small city, Knjazevac, and walked on the pedestrian path alongside the shallow river (with concrete walls containing it). The water was clear enough to see fish, but also there was a good bit of algae. We liked the feel of the place but didn’t explore it for very long. We did stop in the Cultural Center which was modern and very attractive (stopped because I needed to pee).
Finally we made it to our hike that started on a dirt road in another small declining village. As I’ve said, despite the many old houses and barns in various stages of disrepair, and many of the yards and lots unkempt and littered with old tractors, piles of roof tiles, old wood, and all sorts of unused but once important objects, I don’t tire of looking at them. Even though I feel sad about the death of so many villages I find much beauty in what I see, even in things that might be ugly to some people. Part of what I like is how organic the structures are. Everything was handmade and functional yet made also with aesthetics in mind. At first glance, if you don’t pay attention, the village architecture and arrangements of buildings looks similar from region to region, but each area has variations in materials, patterns of brickwork, ornamentation and other details.
The hike took us first along a dirt road that wends around interesting rock formations (many of the rocks were labeled with names and technical climbing difficulty, obviously a rock climbing area although we were the only ones there). Then we entered the woods, crossed a stream and ascended a long staircase that led to a small clearing where there is a small chapel and covered picnic area. We rested here and ate snacks, then went back into the forest and found our way to a steep but short rocky section that took us to a large cross set on a viewpoint that looked down at the valley below. We sat on the rocks enjoying the beautiful and peaceful view for a while, then headed down and back to the car.
One would think that would have been more than enough activity for a day, but on the way home we took a detour up a (narrow, winding, rutted) road to a monastery set alone in a forest high on the side of a hill. We could not go in the church because woman are required to wear long skirts (usually churches have some on-hand but Dragan did not want to ring the bell and disturb the sole occupant of the monastery, an old nun. So we quietly strolled the grounds and looked at the several grave markers that described important women in the history of the monastery. There is also an active fish pond by the church. We don’t know if the nun raises fish only for herself or if she sells them to villagers. While we strolled Zorica prepared coffee for us by the car. She has become our personal mobile barista. After coffee (and noticing the toilets by the side of the road that offered squat toilets whose openings opened to the hillside below) we finally headed back to the house. I don’t know how many kilometers we drove but I am guessing close to 200.
After we got home we cleaned up and walked into town to a restaurant they had chosen when we told them we wanted to treat them to dinner. Jim and I had eaten there before and Jim’s experience was not good that time, but they have since updated their offerings and facilities and we had an excellent meal of grilled meats, fries, salads, homemade bread, and of course, rakija. The whole huge meal for all of us was about $60. We had a pleasant walk home, over the river where the weirdest sounding frogs were having a noisy to-do.
This will be one of my most memorable birthdays.
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