Week in Review: Week 15
This week we were in Serbia, exploring the beautiful city of Nis on the eastern side, before heading west to the Uvac Special Nature Reserve near Nova Varos. We loved having a mix of city and nature, and this itinerary gave us such a great opportunity to experience two different sides of Serbia.
Highlight of the week
Sharleen and Darrell: Visiting the Uvac River and Canyon. Our Airbnb in western Serbia was in the Uvac Special Nature Reserve. We picked this place because of how close it is to the Uvac River. It’s a beautiful river that curves and winds its way through a deep canyon, and there are a few lookout points that offer a fantastic view!
On our first day in the Nature Reserve we went on a boat ride that took us to the Ice Cave and on a hike up to one of the view points. It was an interesting adventure, and not touristy at all! In fact, our guide didn’t speak English, and didn’t try to explain anything to us, so we just enjoyed our trip and the views. The Ice Cave was really cool, and surprisingly quite natural. There were no lights, so we had to use flashlights and phone lights to make our way 1km into the cave. It was fun to see something so pretty in such a natural way.
After the Ice Cave, we went up a steep mountain climb to reach a lookout for the Uvac River. It took 30 minutes to climb up around 350 meters, but the climb was worth it! We were treated to such cool views, and we were able to enjoy them for close to an hour before needing to head back down to the boat. We also were fortunate to see so many griffon vultures - a giant bird that calls the Uvac Special Nature Reserve home.
The views of the river were so cool, but we wanted to try to get to the other side of the canyon for a different view. So, the next day we drove around the river and hiked 5 km to another popular lookout. Once we got there we decided to keep walking along the ridge to another view point further down the river. It was so much fun and there were almost no people on the path. We really only walked by 8 people during our 4 hour hike, and that included the people we saw at the popular look out point. Again, the whole place seemed so natural and not touristy at all, which made it so much fun to explore.
Least favourite part for the week
Sharleen: Grocery shopping in Nis. This really isn’t anything bad, but on our first day in Nis we headed to the grocery store to pick up a few things for dinner. Little did we know that the best place to buy produce is actually from one of the many produce stands throughout town. We didn’t know this until the next day, when we walked into town and saw dozens of stands with amazing produce! We stopped by one after a long day of exploring Nis, and I was shocked at the quality and the price. Everything was so fresh and the quality was so good - we picked up 2 cucumbers, 5 peppers, and 5 tomatoes for only $1.39 CAD! We couldn’t believe the value. For the rest of our time in Nis our produce was amazing.
Darrell: Having a small car. When we picked our car we wanted something that was big enough for all of the gear we are carrying around, but also small enough to navigate the small and tight roads throughout most of Europe. So far, our little Renault has fit the bill every time. But in Romania and Serbia I kind of wish we had something with more off-road prowess. Some of the secondary roads in these countries have been less than ideal for a small car with low profile tires. The roads that are paved (I use that term loosely) are one thing, but anytime we have to venture onto a road that is gravel or dirt, I am left wanting something with a little bit more tire and ground clearance. I suppose we could have gotten a car with a bit more size for this portion of the trip and gotten a small car for the truly tiny roads of Italy, France, and the UK. Hopefully the little Clio will survive the remaining month of our Eastern European adventures!
Favourite city/town/village visited
Sharleen and Darrell: Nis. Nis was really the only city/town/village we visited this week, as most of the other places were in remote areas. Nis is the third largest city in Serbia, and was our home for 4 nights. It was a great place to stay as we explored the town and nearby sights. It has quite a few things to see, and we easily spent two day walking through the town, checking out the Nis Fortress, visiting the Skull Tower, and shopping for fresh produce at the markets. We also took a day trip to the ancient Roman ruins of Felix Romuliana. Nis was the perfect place for us to start our Serbian adventure, and it is well situated for day trips. Even the winery we visited on our way to Nis last week could easily be done as a day trip, as it is only an hour away.
Favourite meal
Sharleen: Our meals during our stay in the Uvac Special Nature Reserve. We lucked out big time staying near the Uvac River. Our place was pretty remote, and not very close to a town. To buy groceries we would need to drive about 30 minutes, and half of that is on a gravel road. However, the neighbour of the Airbnb has a family farm, where they have their own garden and animals. The sweet grandmother who lives at the farm makes amazing Serbian dishes, using only food that is from their farm, or a farm nearby. All of the meat, vegetables, milk, cheese - you name it - is all from the local land. Everything was so fresh and tasty, we ordered all of our lunches and dinners from her while we stayed in our Airbnb. We ate like Kings! And it was so reasonable, a lunch or dinner for the two of us cost between $8-$12 CAD total. For that price we couldn’t buy groceries for cheaper. It was also such a great way to experience local Serbian cuisine and culture.
Darrell: Our meal at Dva Brata. Sharleen found this place called Dva Brata (Two Brothers) in the town of Zajecar. It was on our way to the Felix Romuliana, which is an archaeological site of an ancient Roman complex. We sat down and flipped through the menu, struggling to pick from the large selection of tasty sounding options. The waiter was awesome and made our decisions very easy. He suggested a few items that were fresh and not on the menu as starters, so we let him pick everything we were going to get. We ended up with two different cheese dishes, a couple of vegetable ones, and two fresh pieces of bread. They were all so good, but the two vegetable dishes were especially tasty! The salad was tomatoes and red peppers that had been grilled, just enough to slightly soften and sweeten them, then cooled to make a salad with garlic and onions. It was very fresh and flavourful. The other veggie dish was sliced zucchini, which were charred and then slathered in an olive oil with a ton of garlic. These are two dishes that we plan on trying to replicate when we get home! Lastly, our waiter suggested the pork ribs and lamb patty as our mains. These were also very good! This might have been one of, if not the best, meal that we have paid for on the entire trip. If we were staying in the area for a few more days we probably would have driven back to this town, just for a second round of delicious food!
We both really enjoyed Serbia. Its picturesque landscapes, beautiful cities and towns, friendly people, and the amazing food really impressed us. Today we are leaving Serbia to head to Montenegro for a couple of weeks, and we are so excited to be back on the Adriatic Sea for the first time since our trip to Croatia last year! We will be spending most of our time on the coast, soaking in the sun and enjoying the warm waters.
