Smederevo Fortress, Serbia

In 1428 the Turkish Empire was at war with Hungary and sent a demand to Djordje Brankovic, ruler of Serbia, to sever all connections with Hungary, to send an army to join Turkey and to hand over his daughter Maria with a dowry of Serbian land. Djorjde Brankovic promised to meet all demands but in return asked if he could build a fortification on the Danube near Smederevo against the Hungarians. Strangely enough the Turks didn’t realise at that point that the same fortification could be used by the Hungarians to enter the Turkish Empire or that the Serbs could escape across the river in case of attack. Permission was granted. The fortification was finished in record time, in 2 years.

Before marrying his daughter Maria to the Sultan, Djordje married another one off to the heir to the Hungarian throne, securing an important ally and was then able to start negotiating with the Venetians about joining forces to attack the Turkish Ottoman Empire. But by this time the Sultan realised the potential danger of the union between Serbia, Hungary and Venice and decided in 1439 to capture the Smederevo fortress. They couldn’t capture it outright but they besieged it for three months until the fortress surrendered.  Djordje managed to escape the country by boat over Danube into Hungary, to his estate at Tokay where he planted vines from Smederevo which eventually produced the famous Tokay wine.

The Fortress of Smederevo had to be reinforced and work started in 1444 when Djordje returned to Smederevo and lasted until 1456.  The fortress was surrounded by water on three sides - from the Danube River on one side, the Jezeva River on another, and on a third by a canal across the promontory. All along the edge of the fortress high bastioned walls were erected every 200 feet. The northern part of the fortress is the Little Forte which was home to Djordje and his wife and where the wall of great hall still stands, the windows still look across the Danube towards Hungary. The Forte was the second line of defence behind the moat with four richly decorated bastions. One of them is engraved with a cross and the year 6938 which is the year of the beginning of the world according to Greek Orthodoxy.

Djordje Brankovic was getting old and not keeping up with new developments whereas the Sultan was more progressive. In April 1453 the Sultan fired the first guns at the centre of Byzantium Empire, Constantinople and after five weeks of heavy bombardment “the pearl of east”  become Turkish. The Sultan, nicknamed the Conqueror, continued his expansion to the West and Serbia and in 1454 issued an ultimatum to Djordje Brankovic who ignored it until the fortress was strengthened. Unfortunately the fortress was never ready for cannons and the plague which killed the king. He left his wife who died under suspicious circumstances and his son who died in 1458 but not before he married one of his daughters to the Bosnian king, Stefan Tomasevic, who entered Smederevo at the end of the same year and become the last ruler of medieval Serbia. He changed his religion to Roman Catholicism which for the Orthodox Serb was worst betrayal of his kingdom. The Serbs started negotiating with the Sultan and scared King Stefan Tomasevic fled for his life from Smederevo with his family. The doors of Smederevo Fortress were open to Mahomet the Conquerer on 20th June 1459 and for the next three hundred and fifty years Serbia ceased to exist.

The fortress today has best preserved buildings of medieval Serbia, still standing proudly above the Danube despite damage during WWII from bombing by the Allies and an explosion in the ammunition store used by the Germans.  Smederevo fortress is easily accessible on a day tour from Belgrade. For more information about day tours to Smederevo or anywhere in Serbia please email Tara@ReadyClickAndGo.com

Kovačica, centre of Naive Art in Serbia

We crossed the only bridge in Belgrade over the Danube River – the old metal, heavy thing built in 1935.  Once on the other side of Belgrade we continued towards Pancevo city, well known for its accident-prone factories which sometimes pollute the whole of Belgrade. As it was Sunday, the day for the local antiques market, we couldn’t resist stopping for a quick browse for a “good deal”. We didn’t get anything except an old CD for 50p which worked until song number four. Regardless, we considered it a good deal.

Crossing the Danube River means entering the flat Pannonia Plain where you orientate yourself only by the next tree or lonely house.  Considering that the official alphabet in Serbia is Cyrillic and that road signs are rare then that tree or house takes on more importance during your journey. Nature at this time of year (May 2012) generously painted everything in a lush green cloaking the trees and houses from sight. Everything looked the same especially for four city girls. Confused and tired by the oppressive heat we decided to stop along the way at Salas, called Sekin Salas which means Sisters Ranch. If you want to experience the real Serbia you should try to stay at one of the many ranches which offer a combination of rural Serbia with good food, clean air and lots of activities – horse riding, fishing, cooking classes…embroidery classes…During our hour stop we managed to meet the loveable Rasha, a ginger corgi who we considered stealing away, but after realising that Rasha has friends on the Ranch – three cats, two goats, a pheasant, an over-protective chicken with eight yellow chicks and two more dogs lazily asleep in the front garden - we decided that Rasha had a better life than we did, so we left him in his natural surroundings.

 

After refreshments and taking photos of everything that represented the old, disappearing Serbia that was so generously on display in the house, we continued driving towards Kovacica, a place well known for its Slovak naive art.

The Museum of Naive Folk Art is situated centrally on the main street. The Museum itself is very small but very rich in the numbers of paintings they own so the exhibition keeps changing all the time. The first one to strike you is a huge, colourful and lively painting by Jan Glozik illustrating the 200 years since the Slovak people moved from what was then the Austro-Hungarian Empire to the eastern border, nowadays Serbia, by order of the Emperor. The painting consists of 200 people representing each year since they moved to this part of the world. If you have a very good eye you can see a self-portrait of the painter incorporated into the maze of colours. 

The left side of the museum has an exhibition of another famous naïve art painter, Martin Janos, whose paintings emphasise the hands and feet and thereby the hard manual work on the farms of the region. The third room is dedicated to the Queen of naïve art, Zuzana Halupova. There are 31 paintings exhibited here, most of them oil on canvas. She, as with Martin Janos, has a leitmotif which is that each painting has a girl in a pink skirt somewhere in it. Zuzana never had kids of her own and so she put one in every one of her paintings. She was member of the children’s charity UNICEF and in 1974 she painted the UNICEF Christmas Card which was sold worldwide.  She left more than 1000 paintings to the museum but due to the lack of the space only a certain number can be shown. There are talks about a new, bigger Museum to be opened in a different location.

Outside the Museum there is a courtyard with three galleries, in one of them you can have your own portrait painted. All the galleries are run by local painters who can tell you about local life and how they have preserved their culture and traditions for over 200 years.   Mr Pavel Babka , a successful painter who exhibits all around the world and is the owner of the largest gallery, pointed out that even when a painter becomes worldwide successful, he still stays in Kovacica, within very strong Slovak Community.

After a good three hours at this artists’ colony we bought a couple of pictures that were most memorable to us, and decided to sit outside the Museum on a bench colourfully painted in bright flowers. Two local ladies dressed in Slovakian costume passed us slowly on bicycles. The only sign reminding us that we were in Serbia and not Slovakia was a road sign with the street name in Cyrillic.

 To create your own perfect day tour of  Kovačica email Tara at Tara@ReadyClickAndGo.com for ideas and we can customise a tour to suit you with a private guide to show you around. See our website www.ReadyClickAndGo.com for sample sightseeing tours of Serbia.

Tonight is Christmas Eve in Serbia and the last day of 40 fasting days before Christmas. According to tradition, today's lunch is a lenten lunch which usually consists of soup, fish, stuffed wine leaves, beans and salads and during the day we also eat dried fruit, walnuts, red wine and honey. Before lunch the tradition is to bring into the house a branch of an oak tree which symbolises the tree brought by a shepherd and given to Joseph and Mary to make a fire in the stable where Jesus was born. In the villages around Serbia the branch of oak is cut in the forest but in the big cities it's usually bought at the market or in church, and it is burned tonight to represent light and warmth bringing a new beginning. There are lots of traditions which symbolise Jesus's birth, for example, it's good to bring straw into the house to symbolise the crib in which Jesus was born, and to have coins scattered around the house similar to the gold coins given to Jesus by one of the Kings.

Tomorrow is Christmas Day and according to tradition, we go to the midnight liturgy, then in the morning a guest (ideally a young healthy male!) is allowed into the house on this day, bringing the new year. The greeting on the Christmas Day is Hristos se rodi which means Jesus is born - the reply is Vaistinu se rodi which means Verily is born. After returning from the morning liturgy the custom is to serve a Christmas lunch which means the end of the 40-day long fast. The feast starts with prayer, lighting a candle and incense. Lunch is different rotiserie meats, lots of cakes, salads and drinks, and a loaf of home-baked bread in which is hidden a coin - whoever finds it can expect lots more money during the coming year! The custom is to exchange presents and spend the whole day at home, visiting friends and family the next day.

Churches that follow the Julian Calendar celebrate Christmas Day on 7th January – Serbian Orthodox Church, Russian Orthodox Church, Jerusalem Church, Egyptian Kopti, some Etiophians, Ukrainians, Belorussians, Macedonias and Montenegrians.

Merry Christmas!

For more information about Serbia please check www.ReadyClickAndGo.com
 or email Tara@ReadyClickAndGo.com

Meet the Romans in Serbia

I was sat right at the top, in the Royal Opera House it would have been seat Y51 – very high up with a restricted view. Looking down and behind the half naked archaeologist who was unmoved by the burning sun I could almost see Russell Crowe fighting ferociously for his freedom. Behind me was a flat green field with occasional glimpses of the Danube river, on whose bed was preserved this rich archaeological site.

 “We are standing at the top of the amphitheatre with a capacity of 12,000 seats” the voice of the enthusiastic guide woke me up.

We are at Viminacium, one of many Roman towns and fortress in Serbia, not far from the capital city Belgrade. It covers a huge area and some of it is still undiscovered due to the presence of the nearby power plant which produces 20% of Serbia's energy. The government is trying to buy land still owned by the local people to stop the theft of artefacts that are uncovered after heavy rain.

Large numbers of lamps, bricks, paving tiles, rings and coins have been uncovered and exhibited either at the Museum in Pozarevac or the Museum in Belgrade. The Viminacium complex is building their own museum too at the moment.

The site has beautiful tombs decorated with frescoes whose colour was still bright and with mixed pagan and Christian symbolism. Tomb G5517 has a Christogram in a double floral garland and this is known as a Constantine Cross, after the first Roman Emperor to convert to Christianity. Tomb G2624 has animals and flowers and is clearly pagan, thus proving that Christians and Pagans were sometimes buried in the same cemetery.

Serbia has the largest number of Roman emperors born outside of Italy – 17 altogether, among them  Constantine I and Justinian I. The tourist board has put together a project to combine visits to all the major Roman excavations on Serbian soil, called Itinerarium Romanum Serbiae. It will incorporate Sirmium, today known as Sremska Mitrovica, Singindunum which is Belgrade, Viminacium or Stari Kostolac, combined with visits to the forts of Nis, Kostol and Karats. The itinerary also includes visits to the imperial residences at Gamzigrad and the UNESCO site, Šarkamen, Mediana and Iustiniana Prima .

2013 will see the 1,700 anniversary of the Edict of Milan by which Emperor Constantine legalised Christianity throughout the Roman Empire, and celebrations will take place in the city of his birth, Nis. A historic moment is planned when the Pope and the Patriarch of the Orthodox Church meet formally for the very first time.

For more information about travelling in Serbia please check our website or Email Us.  

Art, Wine and Honey in Novi Sad, Serbia

The National Museum in Belgrade, Serbia is the largest and oldest museum in Serbia, and has over 400,000 objects including many foreign masterpieces. Unfortunately the Museum has been closed for renovations for more than five years.If you wish to learn more about Serbian national art we at ReadyClickAndGo would suggest you visit Novi Sad, Serbia’s second city, just an hour and a half north of Belgrade along scenic country lanes, or, if you can read the Cyrillic alphabet, you can get the train, or take the bus down the motorway.  

The Matica Srpska Gallery in Novi Sad is to be found in the old Stock Exchange building and it has more than 7,000 works of art, especially that from Vojvodina from the 17th century onwards. All the exhibits have English translations. On the ground floor are copies of the frescoes painted by Christopher Zefarovic at the Bodani Monastery in 1737, on the first floor are paintings and carvings, including precious icons from the Orthodox churches of Vojvodina. The second floor has a permanent exhibition called People and Events, and displays pictures from 1900 to 1940 when the country was fighting for freedom and its national identity, and on the third floor are superb paintings from some of Serbia’s greatest artists, classic, romantic and realist – Constantine Daniel, Dure Jaksic, Uros Predic, Paja Jovanovic, Save Šumanović and Milan Konjovic. There are also the famous paintings ‘The Cockfight’ and ‘Wounded Montenegrins’ and one by Jovanovic for the World Exhibition in Paris in 1900, a huge historical composition, ‘The Proclamation of Dusan’s Law’. The Matica Srpska Gallery is open from Tuesday to Sunday from 1000–1800, Friday 1200-2000. The entry fee is RSD200 whcih is around 2 euros. Try to visit during the week as there will no one there except you and you can have the whole place to yourself. 

Next to the Gallery there is the Memorial Collection of Pavle Beljanski who was a diplomat and huge lover of art who dedicated his collection to the Serbian nation. This gallery is open Wednesday to Sunday 1000–1800 and on Thursdays from 1300- 2100. Entry is RSD300.Opposite these two galleries there is another, this time of a collector called Rajko Mamuzic who also dedicated his collection to the Serbian people - it is well worth a visit and is also free of charge.

On the way back to Belgrade we stopped at the Musuem of Bee Keeping and Wine Celler at the Zivanovic family home. We met Mr Zarko Zivanovic whose great-grandfather was a professor at the famous Karlovac grammar school but was also the founder of modern beekeeping in Serbia and a man who had a great knowledge of wine making. In the family house is a unique beekeping museum with objects you rarely see nowadays but which used to be common – such as beehives made of thin strips of dried wood woven into a dome shape and covered in mud – very different from the beehives made today. Extracting honey in the old days was rather hit-and-miss and of course, there were no protective clothes then either – but people did believe that beestings were good for the blood! The honey at the Zivanovic farm is very clear and thick, not runny, which shows there are no preservatives added, unlike what you get in a supermarket.

Along with beekeeping and producing high qualilty honey the Zivanovic family is at the forefront of wine production in Serbia and are winning awards, diplomas and medals at home and internationally. They own huge vineyards 200 m above sea level near the Danube on the slopes of the Fruska Gora mountain, and their wine is produced in 300-year-old cellars. Their Ausbruch wine was on the wine list on the Titanic. Their greatest secret is the old recipe, passed down through the generations, from which is prepared Bernet wine, and this Bernet was served at the Russian, English and Viennese courts right up until the First World War. Similar to Port but much stronger, it is made from natural wines with the addition of 27 different ingredients such as raisins, beans, mustard, nutmeg, vanilla and figs.

If you are passing through Novi Sad visit this unique place and you won’t regret it - you can book combined visits to the museum and the wine cellar with wine and honey tastings too. As an added bonus I would recommend you try to sneak inside Mr Zivanvic’s house to meet his grandmother, a beautiful, charming lady with an unbelievable zest for life which I guess is the result of plenty of healthy honey and fine wine!

For more information about Serbia and travelling to Serbia please email Tara@ReadyClickAndGo.com

Where is Europe?

A few years ago we went for a long weekend to Morocco and as a  responsible traveller we arranged insurance which clearly stated that Morocco is in Europe. Then we went to Slovenia which was referred as the most progressive country of Eastern Europe. Of course the Slovenians were not impressed being positioned in Eastern Europe when they are clearly ’an Alpine country bordering Italy and Austria ’.
Here in the UK they refer to Europe as a continent. “We are going to the continent for a holiday” means two weeks in Provence.
So where are the borders of Europe? And does a single Europe exist? Or are there   Eastern, Western, Scandinavian, Balkan, Alpine, Central, South Eastern Europe …And this divide is valid only if you are coming from the Western Hemisphere. If you are flying from China then Eastern Europe is Germany, Holland, UK, France!
The most significant eastern border of Europe was established by the Swedish geographer and cartographer von Strahlenberg  as lying in the Ural Mountains. But that border is not in accordance with the EC divide which has members of the EC, non members of the EC and prospective candidates. As someone who comes from Eastern Europe, from a country which is not a member of the EC and a long way from  even becoming a candidate,  I find it very difficult to explain to people when they ask me where I come from. Sometimes I make a terrible mistake saying “the former Yugoslavia” and we end up talking about the Iron Curtain in Europe when there was a clear divide based on political systems. We were communist and the rest of Europe capitalist. Then in accordance with political preferences the United States and Western Europe established the NATO alliance and later the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe established the Warsaw Pact. I felt for the Germans being divided into East and West but also divided into NATO and the Warsaw pact. Then after forty four years Germany was reunited, after the symbolic fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, and the maps of Eastern Europe were redrawn once more.
I think only the Europeans define themselves so much by division - mainly by geography but usually by wars  - while the rest of the world see us just as  ’ Europe’ .There are various descriptions of Europe’s boundaries, some some sources include territories that other sources do not include in Europe. 
For example, Cyprus is close to Turkey but is often considered part of Europe and is a member state of the EU. For Western Europeans, Eastern Europe is Bulgaria but for the Bulgarians themselves Turkey is Eastern Europe as far as the Bosporus Straits, but for Western Europe Turkey is not Europe at all. Lots of people think that Malta belongs to Africa. Would you say Finland was in Europe or Scandinavia? Or is Bosnia in the Balkans or Europe? When you search for your next holiday please have a look at which countries  are really ‘Europe’.  The travel industry is the biggest culprit for dividing Europe. Usually by price.
What do you think where are they – the borders of Europe? My email is Tara@ReadyClcickAndGo.com or leave comment here.
 

What to see in Belgrade

Am I the only Yugoslavian who hasn’t visited the Flower House, the resting place of the last President of Yugoslavia, Tito? I was born and brought up under liberal communism and I should be grateful to him – Tito. But I was never confirmed into Tito’s youth organisation, the Pioneers, which had an initiation ritual which was almost religious, albeit without the live animals but a kid’s soul instead, and with no mention of God, only Tito. This was when you had to confirm your commitment to your homeland, brotherhood and unity and fellow Pioneers, but a few weeks before my big day I got appendicitis and was hospitalised and never again got the chance to declare my love for my country or see the communist light. When he died I didn’t feel obliged to pay my respects to his casket or visit his tomb, even though I was constantly pestered to. I just didn’t feel the need. Then 20 years later, after exploring the EC in depth by living in various countries, a friend decided to come to Belgrade and visit Tito’s tomb. Of course the guide was me. I wanted to see if I was still Yugoslavian.
Tito’s tomb is in the Museum of the 25th May, part of the Museum of the History of Yugoslavia, and is very close to Partisan Stadium, and at the beginning of December it was almost empty except for the coachload of visitors from Slovenia - the highest number of foreign tourists to Serbia are from Slovenia. Is this guilt or a desire to learn what they were part of for 46 years?

The old Museum is now a large exhibition space and its current exhibition is Polish and Russian official and dissident art, called “Behind the Iron Curtain”. It is divided into 3 sections, WWII, the rebuilding of the war-torn country and happy people, and this last section had numerous portraits – farmers in the field, the naval officer with a huge medal, an ordinary, good looking woman in a blue suit with the communist star proudly pinned over her heart. The most significant work is from 1936 and shows Stalin’s name in big red letters with Lenin’s face reflecting back in the red paint. 

After the exhibition we went to see the “Flower House” and Tito’s tomb. The complex of the buildings used by Tito during his life is now his resting place. There are lots of angry people who think that Tito’s resting place should move from Belgrade to Croatia as he was Croatian and also because he damaged Serbia by dividing her into three parts, Inner Serbia, the Autonomous Region of Kosovo and the Autonomous Region of Vojvodina. There is even someone so resentful that they keep trying to sell his tomb on the Serbian version of Ebay!

His tomb is very simple, plain white marble with his name and dates of birth and death engraved in gold. Sceptics are commenting on the absence of the red star, a symbol of communism, convinced that he was a Mason, although no one proved this yet. His tomb is positioned so that he can see the biggest working Church in Europe, St Sava. I am sure Tito didn’t want a view over a church especially when proclaiming that “Religion is the opium of the people” and went on to close down so many Orthodox churches, prosecuting priests and abolishing all religious gatherings. 

His office is filled with Ching dynasty furniture, generously given by a Slovenian family which made me wonder about the  combination of the two. But of course there are lots of unanswered questions about the communist time. There is a huge collection of batons which were used on mass relay races throughout Yugoslavia when all sorts of people would run – housewives, pioneers, workers, peasants, reformed political dissidents – and at the end present their batons to Tito at the Partisan Stadium on his birthday, 25th May. There would be a huge ceremony and half the schools and Universities in the country were closed. Did I go to any? No. My mum keeps saying that I am an antisocial person. 

Next to the Flower House there is a permanent exhibition of official gifts presented to Tito. Some are very bizarre such as the face towel, handmade and inscribed with “to dear Tito”. The art is beautiful but purpose wrong. I stayed the longest in front of a sword from XVII century brought to Sarajevo by the great great great grandchildren of Mehmed Pasa Sokolovic who got it from the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire. The sword is beautifully worked with Arabic inscriptions described by Orhan Pamuk in his book “My Name is Red”. There a good display of national customs from different parts of the former Yugoslavia, and it was nice to see them today when we are all dressed the same jeans and leather jackets. All the exhibits have an English description and the staff are very helpful. The atmosphere is very laid back and very organised. I bought a great souvenir, Tito’s cookery book with recipes for the meals served to his famous guests, Kennedy, Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor, Gina Lolobridga, Kissenger and so on. 

We spent a good three hours at the museum altogether.  Entry tickets are 300 dinars, about £2.50.
ReadyClickAndGo offers private day trips and sightseeing excursions throughout Serbia, with your own English-speaking local guide, car and driver. A private city tour of Belgrade with a private car, driver and English-speaking local guide is £65 per person.
For more information please email Tara@ReadyClickAndGo.com or check our website at www.ReadyClickAndGo.com
Tara

Belgrade's newest attractions

ReadyClickAndGo, a travel company specialising in private day trips, spent a few days in Belgrade last week to discover more about this fast-changing city’s latest highlights:

1. Virtual Tourist has recently declared Belgrade’s Ada Ciganlija Island to be the 3rd best island within a city, behind Paris and Prague. Perfect for picnics and watersports, the island is covered by trees that muffle the sounds of the city, and it is also the site of Serbia’s first golf course. The beautifully clean waters of Sava Lake that lap its gravel beaches are home to many varieties of carp, and can reach 24 degrees C in the summer, thanks to the warm microclimate here http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE6B229Z20101203

2. At the tip of the island you can watch one of Belgrade’s most eye-catching landmarks taking shape, a new bridge across the Sava River that will be the largest asymetric single-pylon cable-stayed bridge in the world. The main span of 376m has no supports actually in the Sava so as not to restrict shipping even during construction, and the deck is anchored by 80 stay cables as thick as a man’s arm and a single pylon 200 metres high – one of the highest points in the city. The whole bridge including the main span will be nearly a kilometre long and 45 metres wide with 6 road traffic lanes, 2 railway lines and 2 cycle and pedestrian paths, and it is due for completion in September 2011. http://www.savabridge.com/project.htm

3. Just a few metres higher than Sava Bridge is Mount Avala’s TV transmitter tower, reopened earlier this year and a popular out-of-town picnic spot for locals. This new tower is almost identical to the original that was bombed by NATO in 1999, and money for its reconstruction was raised by donations from over a million people. It is slightly taller and much better built however, and is one of few built as a tripod anywhere in the world. http://serbiatraveller.blogspot.com/2010/11/avala-mountain-and-national-park-near.html

4. Another tower in Belgrade has been restored and will re-open any day now, and that is the medieval Nebojsa Tower at the foot of Kalemegdan Fortress. Renovations were partly funded by Greece as one of their revolutionary heroes was executed in the tower when it was a prison, and one of the exhibitions will feature his life. Other exhibitions will be on the shared history of Serbia and Greece under Turkish occupation.

5. The Museum of Yugoslav History is hosting an exhibition of modern art until the 15th February 2011 in the Museum of 25th May, called Beyond the Iron Curtain. Painting and sculpture by Soviet and Polish artists from 1945 to 1989, both official and dissident, is on display, and you can also visit Tito’s tomb, ironically with a great view of the vast new St Sava Church.

Whilst travelling around Belgrade can be straightforward on public transport or on foot if you can master some Cyrillic script first, getting out of the city is often a little more challenging. ReadyClickAndGo offers private day trips and sightseeing excursions throughout Serbia, with your own English-speaking local guide, car and driver. A private day trip from Belgrade city centre to Avala Mountain and the nearby Vinca archaeological site with a private car, driver and English-speaking local guide is £75 per person.

For more information about Serbia please email Tara@ReadyClickAndGo.com

A Serbians second home, the kafana

Kafana Albanija in Belgrade, Serbia 1933

The English have pubs, the French their cafes, Italians their ice cream parlours, the Greek Tavernas and we, Serbians, have Kafanas or second homes as we spend more time there than at home. The word Kafana is derived from the Turkish kahvehane (“coffee house”) which is in turn derived from the Persian term qahveh-khaneh and the first kafana in Serbia was opened by the Turks in the part of Belgrade called Dorcol, in 1522, at the start of their 400 year occupation of the Balkans.

Kafanas are a cult for Serbian people and any self-respecting Serb has kafana or two. Maybe three depending on what your average Serbian citizen needs one for at any given time in his social life.In the past a kafana always had red or blue checked tablecloths and tin ashtrays but today many kafanas masquerade as restaurants or cafes or even clubs, but at heart they are simply a kafana. So there is a kafana for a social gathering which includes lots of alcohol interspersed with breaks for tasty food, loud live folk music, with smashed glases on the floor and dancing on the tables.

There are kafanas near the office where all the office games and intrigue take place, always described however as ‘business meetings’.  There are a few kafanas which are always full even though there is never any live music or good food, but which still live on their reputation as a haunt for long-ago heroes or intellectuals who would freely discuss politics during the communist era when there was no reliable information except what could be gleaned in such places – nowadays people still go there to be seen and to gossip. And there is a new breed of family kafanas where there is no live music only a kids’ garden in the back, and very good food!

You know you have succeeded in life if the waiter of your kafana knows you by name, your favourite table has a reserved sign on it just for you and when you get your favourite drink served before you even take your jacket off. If you are well known and short of money you can drink and eat free and pay when you get money.  You waiter is your best friend and confidant as he knows where you are and never tells anybody. Not even your other half.

Skadarlija, Belgrade, Serbia

If you are coming to Belgrade you must explore a bohemian part of town called Skadarlija where live music and good food last until the early hours. The most famous kafana here is Tri Sesira (the three hats) but there are many others, such as the Dva Jelena ( Two stags ), Ima Dana and the famous Znak Pitanja (the question mark, the kafana with no name). This is in an old traditional house, typically Serbian, very rustic, with laid-back service and good food.

A small tip for foreigners going to a kafana with Serbians – your host will never allow you to pay for dinner or drinks, so don’t even try to pay. Just raise your glass, look at your host and shout cheers – ZIVELI!!!!! 

For more information about Serbia and private dat trips in Serbia please email Tara@ReadyClickAndGo.com or check our website at http://www.readyclickandgo.com/

How to make Serbia's favourite dish - Sarma?

In one of my previous post I explained how to make a sauerkraut in order to make a Serbian favorite dish - Sarma. Today you will find a recipe how to make her Highness of winter dishes - sarma. If you need any help or explanation please email me at Tara@ReadyClickAndGo.com  

You need the following ingredients:

5 large leaves of sauerkraut, rinsed and drained
1 pound minced pork or beef

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon of ground paprika

1/2 teaspoon of black pepper

2 large eggs, well beaten

1/2 cup of uncooked rice, rinsed

3 slices of smoked bacon

1/2 pint of tomato sauce 

6 tablespoons of cooking oil

4 tablespoons of flour

Gently fry in some oil the minced pork or beef, adding the salt, ground paprika, eggs and rice, and stir. Once it's browned, place a large spoonful of the mixture into each of the sauerkraut leaves, wrap them into rolls tucking the ends of the leaves in, and place in a cooking pot. My mum usually covers the bottom of the pot with cabbage leaves first, to prevent the sarma burning and disintigrating. Once all the stuffed leaves are placed neatly, cover them with a mixture of the smoked ham which we usually cut into small pieces fried with the tomato sauce for a juicy taste. Put any remaining cabbage over the sarma and add enough warm water to cover the rolls. Bring it to boil and then reduce the heat, cover and cook gently for 2 hours, adding a paste of oil and flour to thicken the sauce if necessary half way through.

  

Sarma freezes well and can be served hot or cold.

Enjoy.

For more information about Serbia please email Tara@ReadyClickAndGo.com or visit our website at www.ReadyClickAndGo.com

Oplenac, Serbia

The Hill of Royal Splendor

An unusually warm day in November in Belgrade gave me the excuse to take a day trip to a small town in central Serbia, called Topola. I had always wanted to go and visit this charming town to see its church of St George which is the mausoleum of the Serbian Royal Family, Karadjordjevic. The five-domed church was built in the style known as Serbian–Byzantium, a sort of oriental gothic style, between 1910 and 1930, by King Peter I who was a grandson of the founder of the royal family who led the Serbs in an uprising against the Ottoman Empire that had controlled the Balkans for centuries. The revolution was successful, the Ottomans were booted out and in 1811 Karadjordje was confirmed as the lawful ruler of Serbia and his heirs after him. At St George's Church four of Serbia's kings and 18 members of the Karadjordje dynasty are buried in the crypt, their tombs made of onyx from Decani in Kosovo, and representing the pearl of Serbia's cultural and historical heritage.

The most important characteristic of church is the mosaic that covers much of the interior walls, made from Murano glass from Venice. I loved the huge candelabra which is made of melted weapons from the Battle of Kajmackalan in WWI and in the shape of the medieval crown of Serbia but upside down, symbolising Serbia's mourning at the loss of their country at the Battle of Kosovo in 1389.
Entry tickets are 300 Serbian Dinars which is around GBP2.5 or Euro 3. The price includes entrance to St George's Church (the curator is happy to give you lots of information in English), King Peter's house (a small summer villa built in 1912 for his own use and today a museum), the villa of King Alexander I and Queen Mary (closed to visitors at the moment) and entry to the tower and Church of Our Blessed Lady of Karadjordje Town, dating from 1811-1813.
If you have time you may visit the royal winery at the foot of Oplenac Hill. Every year in Topola since 1963, on the 2nd weekend in October, the traditional Oplenac Vintage takes place.
By car from Belgrade is around 3 hours each way, through picturesque countryside. But please be aware that the roads are potholed and road signs are very poor in Serbia – most of the time there are no signs at all, and if you are lucky enough to find any they are in Cyrillic. But on the upside, there are lots of traditional Serbian restaurants known as "kafana" which serve wonderfully hearty, freshly cooked food and the average price is a modest GBP15 for a three course meal including drinks. We recommend MB Kafana.

For more information about a Private Day Trip to Oplenac and Topola or any place in Serbia please email Tara@ReadyClickAndGo.com or visit our website at www.ReadyClickAndGo.com

The National Dish of Serbia - Sarma

If you want to eat healthy wholesome meat dishes, the best time to visit Serbia is the winter – the amount of tempting homemade food makes you fat just by looking at it!

One of the most popular winter dishes is stuffed cabbage leaves and I am sure you

Zemun food market and that the best cabbage is found at Bajlonova market.I do accompany my mother on occasional trips and get dazzled by the neat displays of bright colours, and get carried away and buy a bit of everything which really annoys my mum - she buys food not for the colour but for what she is cooking that day.

Choosing the right cabbages is an art in itself. They must be round, firm, with big healthy leaves, which can peel away easily – check that by pulling off one of the outside leaves, and if it breaks, it means the cabbage won't work for wrapping around the meat. At home cut out the core of the cabbages and fill the cavities

with salt. Yes, salt. Then you lay the salt-filled cabbages neatly in a wooden barrel (which gives a much better taste than if you use a plastic bucket), filling the spaces between them with cabbage quarters, and put it somewhere cold like the cellar. Fill the barrel with water almost to the top, bearing in mind that the volume of the cabbages will shrink, then put a heavy object on the top to press the cabbages. My mum uses a 'house rock' she brought back from the mountain near Arandjelovac during one of our weekend trips when we were kids and she has only ever used it in the preparation of cabbage – it is her domestic treasure!

Leave the cabbages to soak and press in the wooden barrel for a week, keeping the rock clean and cleaning the foam that gathers on the top of the water every day. Top up the water level and add more salt – generally, use 2kg of salt for every 30kg of cabbage! After a week of this, your cabbage leaves will be ready to stuff – the recipe will be in my next blog!

For more information check our website at www.ReadyClickAndGo.com or email Tara@ReadyClickAndGo.com

The Chapel of Peace, Sremski Karlovci, Serbia

Around 50 miles north of the capital city of Serbia, Belgrade, on the slopes of the Fruska Gora National Park and on the right bank of the Danube River, is one of Serbia’s most important spiritual and cultural towns, Sremski Karlovci. Since 1713, this place has been the seat of the Serbian Archbishops so don’t be surprised if among the sea of tourists from different countries you come across a group of black-robed Orthodox priests come to visit the ornate 19th century Archbishop’s Residence. Especially famous for its good wines and honey (which both you can taste at various establishments around the town), its local dessert kuglof (a fruity, spiced cake), its beautiful baroque architecture and very nice inhabitants, Sremski Karlovci is also well known for its contribution to history books since it was here that the term ‘round table’ was first used when describing the signing of a peace agreement. The first peace agreement to be so described was signed here in 1699 between the Turkish, Polish, Venetians and Austrians, and it was thrashed out around a round table on a site a little way out of the town which is commemorated by a circular building, the Chapel of Peace, that has four doors, one for each party to the treaty. 
According to the caretaker of the Chapel of Peace, a well-informed and talkative chap, this unusual building is beginning to be popular with visitors again since the EC decided to invest in its reconstruction on the condition that it opened its fourth door behind the altar, the so-called Turkish Door. When we came to visit the Chapel of Peace there was no one to greet us except strong winds and closed doors. We, like history-hungry peeping toms, looked through the windows and keyholes trying to catch a glimpse of the past. Suddenly a tall guy appeared in front of us telling us to go to the opposite side of building and he would open the door for us. It seemed strange that he did not tell us to enter the building with him, but later he explained that he only carries the key for the Turkish door as most visitors are from Turkey – as we were Christian we could only enter the building by one of the other doors. Inside there is an altar which covers the Turkish door (the chapel was built by the Catholics of the town), and there used to be an organ but it was damaged by the rather careless builders who restored the building recently. The windows are distinctive – on the first floor they are made in the shape of the Dutch flag and on the ground floor they represent the Union Jack – both England and Holland were the ‘international peacekeepers’ overseeing the peace agreement of 1699. The whole building is painted yellow inside and out, the staircase to the first floor is original but covered in paint stains and refurbishment is ongoing.
The Chapel of Peace is a witness to a significant historic event, but nowadays is sadly underused – it would make a wonderful space for concerts and exhibitions, and is definitely well worth the stroll from the town centre along the quiet residential streets.
For more information please email Tara@ReadyClickAndGo.com

Eco Lodge in Serbia

We all talk about saving the planet but how many of us really do something? We occasionally recycle. Only because our councils imposes such a huge fines that we have to. We still curse supermarkets for such a waste of wrapping and packaging on food but we still drive to the supermarkets to get the same food. We still fly out of convenience and pay for our “sins” by signing away a certain amount of money on the booking form to ‘offset’ our flight. And still feeling guilty we try hard to get an ‘eco-friendly’ five star hotel in the middle of nowhere.
My last holiday, just in between the BA strikes and the volcano eruption, was spent in a National Park in Serbia. Yes, they do have national parks. We looked for ‘eco’, comfort, nature, history, a spa and we came across “Ranch Platan” which is located on one hectare of the Fruska Gora National Park at 280 m above sea level. We booked our apartments by email as the option of taking payment over the internet in Serbia is not possible yet. The very friendly email “voice” was happy for us to pay on arrival. Now how many of you booked a hotel without paying at least a deposit not to mention the full amount four weeks before arrival ? Here at Ranch Platan they go to basic hospitality rule – trust!

The friendly voice behind the whole idea of an ‘eco ranch’ in Serbia belongs to a lady called Vesna who greeted us personally on arrival and even then she wasn’t bothered about money as her first and utmost motivation is her guest! Nothing exists on that ranch except YOU and YOUR HOLIDAY!
She took us to our well-decorated cottage, one of six, each with its own entrance, balcony, fireplace, kitchen, bathroom, and loft with double bed. But something they don’t  advertise and it is included as free of charge is fresh air, peace, tranquillity, views. Yes you do have WiFi as well if you are that desperate on your holiday.
The ranch doesn’t include breakfast but your cottage does have cooking facilities. You do get basic ingredients like coffee, tea, sugar, salt, oil, sweets and a bottle of local wine. You can bring a bag of pasta and some eggs. You don’t need more as most days you spend sightseeing around the 17 nearby monasteries, and there are big maps of the region on display at the Ranch. The owners, very friendly city couple who decided to change way of life and bought a land few years ago, are on standby in the house which is located at the Ranch itself for any information regarding area.
If you are tired and just want to chill out go and see Vesna’s husband, a pleasant, quiet man with a huge movie collection. Once you are in the lodge you can light a fire in the kamin  and enjoy tranquillity of the place.  Or just walk above your lodge to nearby view point for amazing country side views and ozone saturated fresh air. Also  there is a spa in  the village of Vrdnik and the treatments are cheap – a basic massage is around £15 per person and the spa is only 600m from Ranch Platan.  You can also play basketball, volleyball, table tennis or badminton on a little court on the edge of the ranch, or simply walk to the Tower of Vrdnik, a Roman castle about 4km away – the doctors at the Spa recommend it!
After few days in this amazing place you will come back invigorated and wishing you could stay longer.
Please check their website at http://rancplatan.com/smestajen.htm even you are not planning to go there. This is a new breed of hotels, new “Eco” Serbia which you need to learn about.

For more information about Serbia please email Tara@ReadyClickAndGo.com

Travel Guide to Serbia

 

 

Getting there 

The main airport in Serbia is in the capital city, Belgrade, and it is named after the Serbian scientist Nicola Tesla. It’s avery small airport and quite close to the city centre. Once you are out of the building don’t let yourself be persuaded by cab drivers to take you to the city centre for 20 euros as that is not a bargain. As the airport is very close to the town (25 min from New Belgrade and 35 min from the old town, depending from the traffic over the Danube) you can get on the shuttle bus service provided by the national airline, still called Yugoslavian Airlines (JAT) or on one of the local buses (LASTA). The JAT shuttle will take you to the city centre and drop you in front of the Hotel Slavija, and the buses will take you to the train and bus stations which are not far from each other. The cheapest option is bus number 95 which stops close to the domestic departures building, but it does take ages to get into town, driving through all the new suburbs of Zemuna and New Belgrade – interesting though! Tickets can be bought before you catch the bus from the newsagent at the airport, and they cost 90 dinars which is less then £1.  
You can also fly to Nis, a quaint town in the south that is rapidly gaining popularity.  
Trains connect Serbia to all quarters of Europe, the main routes being Budapest, Vienna, Thessalonika, Bucharest, Sofia and Skopje and with the possible exception of routes to the East, they are comfortable, punctual and clean, and overnight trains are a good way of arriving. Trains within Serbia however are a little older and a bit shabby.
The Danube flows right through the centre of Belgrade and many river cruises on the way to the Black Sea from Budapest moor overnight here. It’s an expensive way to get to Belgrade, but you do have time to see Belgrade’s main street and impressive fortress.

Getting around 

Very difficult! Most maps, sign posts and other important information is written in the Cyrillic alphabet rather than the western Latin alphabet, and this is the official script of Serbia. You might find it useful to familiarise yourself with Cyrillic letters in order to be able to spell out words – names especially

The main public transport in Belgrade are the buses which are very frequent. There are thousands of taxis too, they vary in size, comfort and price – sometimes you get a little old Yugoslavian banger, sometimes a much more modern car! You can hail taxis in the street or go to a taxi rank, or call one (or get someone local to call one for you)
Beotaxi, 011/970 (White cab)
Žuti taxi, 011/9802 (Yellow cab)
Pink taxi, 011/9803 (Pink cab)
Hiring a car is very easy but driving on your own around Serbia could be a tricky business especially if you are a first time visitor. Driving is on the right, roads could be bumpy, traffic signs are posted in the official cyrillic letters and fellow drivers are not very patient. If you can’t afford to pay for someone to drive you around then travel by bus. 

Where to stay? 

In Belgrade I would recommend the Moscva Hotel which has a very long history (it opened in 1908), is very conveniently located in the city centre and has welcomed such distinguished guests as Albert Einstein and his Serbian wife, Mileva. Another hotel with a good location is the Balkan Hotel, not far from the Moscva.
Be aware that prices are higher but the standards not as good as in four or five star hotels in Western Europe. If you are going outside Belgrade I would suggest you stay in small inns which are affordable and professionally run. This Easter I am staying in one very close to the National Park of Fruska Gora., where there is a spa and a few beautiful old monasteries to visit.
Spa hotels are usually too expensive for the level of comfort they offer. The rooms are old fashioned and the hotels themselves usually a little unkempt as there has been not enough money for the government to invest in them (they are mostly state-run). However, the staff are always lovely!

National holidays 

There are too many holidays for the western soul! The number of official holidays comes from the fact that the old communist ones are still kept plus there are several new ones added since those days – so they represent the turmoil Serbia has been through in the last 20 years. 
January 1 – 2 (New Year’s Day), January 7 (Eastern Orthodox Christmas), January 14 (National Holiday (Orthodox New Year), February 15 (Constitution Day), 2 Apr Orthodox Good Friday, 5 Apr Orthodox Easter Monday, May 1 – 2 (Labour Day). 

Working holdays 

January 27 (Saint Sava’s Day), 9 May Victory Day, 28 Jun St Vitus’ Day, 31 December New Year Eve. 

Local time 

Central European Time Zone  GMT+1 

Visa

You may not need visa but you need to register with the Police. Registration is done automatically by hotel staff upon check-in, however if you are staying with friends in a private dwelling, you must register your presence with the police in the district in which you are staying.

Religion 

Orthodox Christianity is the major religion, the Serbian Orthodox Church became autonomous in 1219. Other important religions are Islam, Catholicism and Judaism. 

What is Serbia famous for? 

Hospitality – regardless of the hardship Serbians have been through in recent times guests are always very welcome. And always welcomed with open arms. 
Spas – the Republic of Serbia is rich in thermal mineral springs whose waters, depending on their chemical make-up, temperature and other properties, make it possible to treat and cure almost any illness for which spas are recommended. 
Monasteries – medieval orthodox monasteries such Studenica, Manasija, Žiča, Ravanica are an excellent opportunity to see part of Serbian history. If you are interested in art, there are excellent fresco masterpieces, especially the Beli Anđeo (White Angel) fresco in Mileseva monastery.
Nightlife – Belgrade is one big night club from 10pm until the early morning, especially during the summer time when most of the bars are open on the banks of rivers Danube and Sava. Drink domestic beers as the bars don’t stock a huge amount of foreign beers and they often run out of them. Try the national drink, rakija (raki) which is usually made of plums and is 40% alcohol. Older people swear by its medical attributes.
Festivals – Visit EXIT festival  that is happening in the beginning of July, in Novi Sad, on Petrovaradin fortress. The EXIT festival came into being in the year 2000 as an act of rebellion against the regime of Slobodan Milosevic, that had for years been keeping Serbia out of touch with the outside. The Belgrade Beer Festival, takes place at Ušće in Belgrade every August. Anotehr famous Serbian Festival the Guca trumpet festival also known as the Dragacevo Assembly is an annual brass band festival held in the town of Guča, near the city of Čačak, a three-hour bus journey from Belgrade.

What to eat? 

The main dishes are based on meat, usually pork. There are some vegetarian dishes available, and it’s vegetarian heaven in the weeks before the Orthodox Christmas or Easter when Serbians fast, or eat no meat.

• Gibanica – filo pastry pie with spinach and cheese or just cheese (like spanakopita or tiropita in Greece)
• Pasulj – beans, a national speciality, often cooked for a long time and delicious with cured meat.
• Prebranac – cooked and roasted beans with various spices and vegetables. Completely meat-free
• Punjene Paprike – stuffed peppers
• Roštilj– various meats grilled on an open fire, charcoal grilled. 
• Paprikas – stew with paprika, usually made with chicken
• Gulas – stew with paprika with beef
• Sarma – cabbage rolls, similar to dolmades but made with sauerkraut instead of vine leaves
• Riblja čorba – Fish soup using freshwater fish, very good at the barge restaurants along the Danube and Sava.
• Proja – a type of corn bread with white cheese, and a national speciality.

And don’t forget to try domestic product – rakija – ( raki) which is usually made of plums and has 40% of alcohol. Older population swears by it’s medical attributes.

Do not 

Talk about war. Especially the recent one. If you have to – talk about WWI and WWII. If you are gay do not show affection publicly – it is still a rarity here. 
If you need more information about travelling in Serbia please email Tara@ReadyClickAndGo.com or check our website at http://www.ReadyClickAndGo.com/