In late December a new highway opened between Belgrade and Loznica shortening the drive considerably. It only took us 90 minutes. The down side is that all the little villages that used to get business from passing drivers no longer benefit. On the plus side it means less traffic for them. For us, as travelers, we appreciate the quicker route but missed seeing the villages that we find so fascinating and photogenic.
We arrived at around 1 in the old spa town of Banja Koviljača where we always stay when we come to see our relatives who live in the big town of Loznica 10 minutes away. This year we rented a large apartment in part of a big house. The owners live upstairs but we know nothing about them as, aside from exchanging ‘good morning’ greetings, we have so far only interacted with their friendly daughter, Maja, who is sometimes here to help them with their guests. This house is at the edge of the spa grounds and at the start of the long, winding, narrow steep road that goes to the top of Gučevo mountain to a monument to local fighters in WWI. We have driven to the top and Jim has biked to the top and we have hiked to just shy of the top. The view of all the orange roofs, farmland, Drina river, and the green Bosnian countryside across the river is beautiful. Here at the bottom of the mountain we see a dense (mostly deciduous) forest right across the street, and are surrounded on three sides by gardens and old houses with red roofs. We hear lots of birds, roosters, dogs and the bells of the church one street away.
This house is typical of many older houses in the region that have not been recently updated. The walls are thick, window frames sturdy, furniture heavy and substantial, and most flat surfaces adorned with lacy doilies. The kitchenette has modern (relatively) appliances but everything is small. The bathroom is not to American standards but everything works and the water is hot. The tub/shower has no curtain or door so one must be mindful when showering not to get the floor wet. The water heater hangs over the end of the tub where the handheld shower head sits so one must always remember not to stand up under it when bending over to get the shower head. I hit my head the first night but luckily not too hard.
This house appears to have been added on to over the years, and we suspect our portion is the oldest. To enter our unit we first enter a very odd space where an ancient coal furnace sits, and oddly supported pipes hang from the ceiling. If you pass through this space you come to a big room with a broken floor that has a ping pong table. From this room you can access an enclosed garden. This is where the owner dries laundry on the line. Our apartment has 2 bedrooms, a bath, a kitchen/eating/living space, a dining room and a nice balcony. All this for about $40/night. The only down side to the place, besides the water heater in the tub, is the house is cluttered with too much furniture. Each room has too many tables and chairs. But we are comfortable here and like the location.
Our first afternoon here we didn’t do much other than walk a half mile to the main street (Marsala Tito, a common name for streets here) to buy groceries. When we first started coming here there was just one old market in town. In recent years two small chain stores have opened but we like the crowded old one the best. Also in recent years a bunch of 5-6/story apartment buildings have been built in that part of town. When we first came here 10 years ago there were none. But a few years ago a new factory opened outside of town and there has been an influx of foreign workers, especially Chinese and Pakistani. Locals say these foreigners detract from the town and make no effort to assimilate. Also since first coming here two of the old spa buildings have been renovated. That first evening we went to our favorite restaurant, Contact. Their food is consistently good although prices higher than the traditional places in town. Still, prices are very reasonable by Seattle standards. Our meals that consist of two entrees, a big shared salad, bread and a big bottle of carbonated mineral water cost under $30.
Thursday we had a leisurely morning then walked up our favorite little road that leads to small farms, pastures with sheep and goats, quaint old houses, people working in their gardens, repairing roofs or relaxing outside with their coffee and cigarettes. Everything is so green here, and many small wildflowers are in bloom. Views are enchanting. We ate at a traditional place that evening, then met my 3rd cousin, Ružica and her husband, Lazo, at Contact for coffee and tea (people here drink coffee even in the evening. They also still smoke in restaurants). Their kids are now 13, 15, and 17. We will see the family on the weekend.
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