Spectacular Splendid Serbia

It was quite late in the afternoon when we left Sarajevo, Bosnia, and Herzegovina as we had to wait to get my laptop fixed.

By the time we left it was raining again, but with some help, we had mapped out how to get to the Eastern border.

We got to a town and the bridge was down, so we asked the petrol station and he assisted us.

He also changed our money we had left to Euro, so felt that was a great bonus.

All fine, until we hit a fork in the road and didn’t know which way to go.

So we sat and waited, then waved down a little Smart Car, and he pointed us in the right direction.

We then passed an old monastery.  It was so lovely. However, we didn’t get time to explore as we were against time and wanted to get to Serbia before dark.

We reached the border and were pretty excited.

Instantly the style of houses changed.

It was way more refined with pretty flowers in boxes and many more houses made of wood.

Several places seemed grand after Bosnia and Herzegovina.  This one even had its own religious chapel in the garden if you look at the next photograph.

It was just such a pretty place.

We then saw a sign for a mini-camp. It indicated a ‘bed’ sign also, so we figured they would have a cabin or room available.

It turns out it was Camping Viljamovka – Mokra Gora at Kremna. Right near the Tara National Park.

He makes his own pear brandy from Williams Pears he grows in the orchard.  So I get to try some.  I must admit I felt quite relaxed and happy being here.

We ended up in a little wooden chalet.

Explorason LOVED it.  He raced around closing the wood shutters on the windows for the night.

It had a kitchen so I was going to be able to make us dinner too. And we could freeze our ice-bricks. Little things that make the journey better.

It was pretty cold for a summer night, but we found that all of Europe has had some strange weather this summer, and a lot of rain. Serbia has reported floods.  So we popped on some warm clothes and went and sat out on the balcony and watched the sunset.

We ended up lighting candles and sitting out and looking at the mountains and shadows in the pear orchard.

It felt like a safe retreat. We were so pleased to be here. Seriously, I was falling in love with Serbia.  I loved what I saw, and I loved being here. So did Explorason. We really felt so happy.

Explorason wanted to help make the dinner. So he found the smallest blade ever and set to cut the cheese slices up.

The more we travel, the greater we work together.  When he wants to be somewhere – like here, I find he really contributes. We make oven roasted potatoes and fill them with various stuffings and a nice chunk of butter and cheese. Oh so delicious!

We had no internet, and he wanted to stay a week. That says something.

But we have movies on a drive, and we set to watch one for the night.  It was like having our own little home.

Next morning we wake early.  It was cool and crisp, and we wandered over to where breakfast was being served. I’d ordered it for 7:30 a.m. as we needed to keep moving.  It was nice that this was not a problem too.

Decorated with traditional antiques, and Serbian artifacts, this open log wood hut was a great place to sit and look out across the countryside.  The owner spoke some English, and he also had a neighbor who spoke good English, so this really helped us too.

Here you have the choice to make your own or to order a traditional Serbian Breakfast. Explorason had his own breakfast.

I had the Komplet Lepinja.

It was so filling.  And I saw he went out and bought the items this morning – so fresh and tasty. I really liked it.  In fact, I couldn’t get the smile off my face. I love the whole traditional experience.  The yogurt was the creamiest I have ever tasted. I couldn’t finish it.

But as I sat there my eyes were drawn to two of the woven carpet rugs he had on the side.

This carpet is over one hundred years old and was his Grandmothers I believe?

I am not sure if his Grandmother made it and would love to find out if she did.  It has some wear marks and some fading, but I love the fact that it is different colors on the sides.  They do not all match. I love the aqua blue and the green.

So I decided I wanted to buy it.  To me having something with meaning and memory is important when I buy things.

It was a big purchase for me. We usually only buy small things of late, as our budget is getting a work-out with the car and driving through Europe.  But I am so glad I bought it.  It is so special to me.

Regretfully we have to leave.

Out of all the places I have visited of late, we want to stay here longer.  I want to explore the local area.  It is not touristy. And the people are so nice.  So we say our good-byes. He gives Explorason a keyring and a magnet, and he is so pleased with that too.

We head down the road to the main town and pass a church on the hill. It seems to be in the middle of no-where.

We then go to a wood carving studio.  Here are wonderful examples of Serbian craftsmanship, and it is all available for sale.  The place is open but no-one is around.

I think this wooden man is fantastic.  Look at the detail.

Explorason and I have fun as we take photos.

We drive into Uzice, but because we had no internet I couldn’t plan. We found the old ruins up this hill if you look carefully. We drove around but it looked modern so we left.  We had to get to Montenegro later today.

Next thing we stop, and up comes a horse with traditional tassels pulling lumber.  So we stop and the owner lets us have photographs.

He was a nice horse and licked our hands.  It was great.

Explorason would have gone for a ride with the owner had we more time.

All these experiences were making us long to spend more time in Serbia.

I think we will have to return.

We pass beautiful rivers and lakes. Some even have mountain beaches with sand.

We then drive through many mountain towns and ski areas.  They are empty but you feel like it might snow at any time. Though I know it isn’t cold enough yet. It just has that feel to the ruggedness of the mountains.

So we arrive at the border.  There is no requirement to buy a Green Card.  He checks our Registration Papers and Passports and we enter Montenegro.  In less than 24 hours we have had to leave Serbia.

People may ask why we bothered to go all that way for one day, but when we were that close, I am so glad we went.

Serbia from what I saw was just gorgeous.  To have missed out on this would have been such a shame.

And the fact I have my carpet, I at least have a special memory to treasure too.

Special thanks to Camping Viljamovka for making our experience one we will never forget.

Questions and Comments

• Are you a family that travels permanently?
• Have you been to Serbia?
• How is the experience?
• What is your take on families that travel permanently?
• Do share your experiences and comments with us below.