I
had decided to spend ten days in Vrnjacka
Banja which is a spa situated in central Serbia, 200 km south of Belgrade close
to Mount Goc and in the valleys of the Vrnjacka and Lipovacka rivers.
The
return bus fare to Vrnjacka Spa is 850 dinar which is about £8 including the
seat reservation. With your tickets and seat reservations you will get a small
coin which gives you access to the departure platform for the bus. The buses
are comfortable, clean and with air conditioning which is very important during
the hot months of summer. At the moment, the Serbian Government is investing a
huge amount of money in the motorways. Driving though the countryside is very
pleasant, picturesque and during May when everything is in full bloom, very
lush. The journey lasts around 3 ½ hours with short stops in the cities of
Kraljevo and Krusevac to pick up other passengers. There are no toilets on the
bus and the only snag is that you have to rush out of the bus station in either
city, buy one of the special coins from the ticket office where queues could be
a mile long, then run to the toilet! If you haven’t told your driver about your
toilet excursion there is a good possibility he will leave without you!
We
booked one of the best hotels in Vrnjacka Banja called The Breza, which was one of the hotels built for senior army
officers. As times changed the hotel lost its glory but it’s still
functional. Officially the hotel has 3
stars but I think it should be rated lower, or refurbished. The carpets are not
very clean, the hallways are dark, almost dirty, and the electric wires in some
rooms look very scary – connected by isolation tape. My bed was a mattress
which was ripped in the middle (I only found that out on our last day). We
stayed in one of the apartments which overlooked the promenade and the park.
Outside our windows there was a small balcony covered in the grass and fems. We
had a TV in the room which during the day had only two channels and both of
those in Serbian but during the evening you could get CNN. Our phone line was
working and the fridge made a really strange noise so we decided not to use it
at all. The bathroom was huge but really 1970s style. After a week the
receptionist moved us to a different room which was much better – spacious,
with a better mattress, a sofa, and extra bed. The TV worked during the day but
we didn’t have a fridge. I preferred this room. The hotel has an indoor
swimming pool, internet room with fast connection, library, restaurant and a
room for table tennis, and, most importantly, a hairdresser – a cheap and good
hairdresser. A cut and blow dry is only £4!!! The hotel accepts major credit
cards but they prefer cash. Breakfast is
very basic – eggs, cheap salami, bread, cheese, butter, marmalade, jam, tea and
coffee. As we were on half board we decided to have dinner as well which was
freshly made, with different dishes every day and two choices. Also the staff
was so friendly they would give you anything you asked for and if you are
spoiled like me then you are in heaven. During our stay the hotel hosted two big
conferences with people from all around Europe. The hotel was very
accommodating and staff marvellous: hard working and always ready to put guests
first. For that reason I am planning to go back and stay with in the Hotel
Breza again regardless as to whether there are newer, more westernised, or
better equipped hotels in the area.
I
decided to take my mum on this trip to Vrnjacka
Banja as she had a operation there years ago and the doctor recommended
that she visits a spa regularly.
The Romans first came here for their health
between the 2nd and 4th centuries, calling it AQUAE
ORCINAE. The natural mineral waters here
are an intrinsic part of the treatments – either by drinking them, inhaling
steam, bathing, colonic irrigation and so on. You see a doctor when you arrive,
and he prescribes the best utilization of the spa waters for you.
The central part of Vrnjacka spa
is a well kept park, and we found there a memorial to the British doctors and nurses who helped Serbian
soldiers during WWI.
Just outside the park is a castle
called Belimirovic which is today a
museum with three permanent exhibitions: photographs from 1914- 1918, a room
with furniture before WWI and an exhibition of Easter eggs. Also concerts, ad
hoc exhibitions, and plays take place here during the summer in an event called
“100 days – 100 cultural happenings. On the opposite side of the castle on a
small hill, there is the oldest building in Vrnjacka Banja- the Church of the Nativity of the Holy Mother of God built in 1834 by
Prince Milos Obrenovic, and well preserved.
The tourist office at Vrnjacka Banja is on the main street and
easy to find. The girls are very well informed and happy to help with any
enquires. As it was out of season I asked to hire a bike and she recommended a
person near the Hotel Kralj whose main business is to repair old bicycles. He was happy to rent me one,
in good condition, pink, girly as he said for 90 dinar which is £1 an hour on
condition that I gave him some form of ID. I gave him my driving licence. He
looked in his 70s but very fit for a man of his age. He also recommended a
route to take. Of course I didn’t get a helmet - they are not obligatory in
Serbia. Cycling up to the Hotel Borjak which is just outside Vranjcka Banja and
in the hills wasn’t easy. Firstly I didn’t have a map and secondly I asked a
small kid for directions who just said yes and brought me almost to the Goc
Mountain which is opposite of where I wanted to be. An elderly lady sitting
outside her house advised me in a motherly way that bikes are not for girls and
that I was too far away anyway, which made me to turn back and cycle downslide
which was a fantastic feeling. Nature is pristine here, and you can easily sit
in the middle of the forest watching birds or admiring stones packed with different
minerals. On the way down I stopped at a restaurant on the river and with a
huge garden. It was very refreshing and I had 2 course meal for less then £8
including drinks and tips.
The next day I arranged to visit the Zica Monastery which is around 25 km outside Banja.
The Zica Monastery is an endowment of King Stefan the First
Crowned and built between 1208 and 1220. Zica was the first seat of the
autonomous Serbian Archbishops and it was there that 7 medieval Serbian rulers
were crowned. It is painted in red – the royal colour of Serbia. The most
significant part of the church is formed by the latest frescoes painted between
1309 and 1316. Nearly nothing has been saved from the once rich monastery
treasury except the holy relic – the right arm of St. John the Forerunner laid
in silver, which was brought to the monastery by St. Sava. Today it is
preserved in St. Mary's Cathedral in Sienna. The Monastery was heavily bombed
during WWII by the Germans and set on fire during their occupation. Today it is a women’s monastery and there is
only one fifth of the frescos left. The nuns support themselves by working on
the land, making teas and honey which they sell. Worship takes place every day
at 5 pm and I would recommend it to anyone. The singing is beautiful and the
acoustics in the church are very good. The whole atmosphere is made more
mysterious by closing the entry doors and the ancient rituals at the end of
prayers.
There are other Monasteries in close proximity to Vrnjacka Banja
such us Ljubostnja , Studenica and newish one - Sv Petka. Also it is possible
to organise a wine tour and horse riding.
Evening life in Vrnjacka Banja includes lots of walking up and
down or sitting in the gardens of so many cafés and restaurants. Alternatively
you can listen to live music, a concert or go to the cinema. Or even better
just go to bed!
For
more information regarding travelling in Serbia please email Tara@ReadyClickAndGo.com
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