Balkan Travels

Sunday morning we ate breakfast then drove to Loznica to meet Lazo, Ružica and the two girls for an excursion. First we followed them to a restaurant on the hill above the ethno-village called Tršić that is about 15 minutes outside of town. The views of the green hills and valleys from the walls of…

Friday rain and thunderstorms were predicted in the afternoon, so after breakfast (Jim walked to town to buy more pastries) we set off, down the hill this time, toward the Drina river where we hoped to visit one of the many stony beaches and maybe have coffee at one of the several cafes scattered along…

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,…

I slept too little, again, and woke with day 2 of a headache, not severe, just unpleasant. We walked to the neighborhood pekara (bakery) located next to the green market which wasn’t very busy. The route involved walking on a narrow street where cars parked on the sidewalk make it necessary for pedestrians to walk…

We had no trouble finding our little house in Belgrade and our host, Bora, was there to unlock the metal gate and guide Jim into the small parking space in front of the house. He and his family live next door (the 2 buildings are connected and share a mostly concrete garden space out back.…

Easter morning people trickled out to the living area at their own pace. We were served rakija and Turkish coffee (‘domača kafa’) and eventually had a breakfast of dried meats, cheeses, and a delicious ‘gibanica’  (a savory pastry filled with egg and cheeses) baked by Gligo. Ana works two jobs (language teacher, and at the…

Time is flying. We have been over here for nearly a week. I have so much to write about. I will continue with the most recent. We have had 3 Serbian language teachers in recent years. Our 3rd teacher, Ana, told us soon after we started lessons with her last summer that she would like…

It’s 6 am. I’ve been awake nearly an hour after 4+ hours of sleep. The monastery church bells are ringing. I’m surprised because I read that they don’t ring again until Easter, although there was disagreement on the internet about what Orthodox churches actually do or should do. Yesterday they didn’t ring at all until…

Walk-hike above Vrdnik Since I finally felt moderately awake and normal today we decided to take a walk above town. First Jim went to our favorite little bakery on the other side of town and brought home some pastries to go with eggs. He is once again the designated breakfast cook and I am the…

It’s 5:30 am here in Vrdnik Serbia. Roosters woke me at about 4:15 after about 6.5 hours sleep. I am still exhausted given that I did not sleep at all the night we flew, and only 4 hours the next 2 nights. Yesterday my head felt tortured because I was so tired. I don’t understand…