#140 Farewell to the Balkans

June 4th - 5th, 2022: Mitrovica, Karlovci, Novi Sad

J. On our journey north through Serbia, it was incredibly hot. Despite having the windows open and the ventilation on the highest setting, we were completely drenched in sweat when we arrived at the Fruška Gora National Park, south of Novi Sad. We refreshed ourselves in the relatively warm reservoir and enjoyed the wildflower meadows. In the evening, some locals came who used the overflow tower of the reservoir as a diving platform and rocked on air mattresses on the lake.

We have already left the high mountains of Serbia to the south, the Fruška Gora National Park is known for its gentle, densely wooded hills and countless monasteries. In the south, due to the heat and the strict dress code (long sleeves, men: long pants, women: long skirts, headscarves; definitely too much clothing for this heat), we did not visit any monasteries. However, here the dress code was not kept so strictly, so we visited one and even encountered some Orthodox monks who were gathering to pray in the church.

Near the Fruška Gora National Park lies the city of Sremska Mitrovica, formerly known as Sirmium, one of the four capitals of the Roman Empire and at that time one of the largest cities in the world. Unfortunately, only a few meager columns on a roundabout and a very small covered excavation site remain of this former gigantic city. We wondered what happened to the triumphal arch, the theater, the amphitheater, and the forum that surely existed in this great Roman city. Are they buried somewhere beneath the city or were they demolished to build something new? Although Sremska Mitrovica does not have interesting excavations, it has a beautiful beach on the Sava River.

We drove through the dense forests of the Fruška Gora National Park to Sremski Karlovci, a pretty little town where a festival was taking place.

Then we continued to Novi Sad, the capital of the region. Novi Sad is currently the European Capital of Culture and has a beautiful castle from which you have a wonderful view of the Danube River and the not-so-pretty city. After a short walk around the castle, it was so warm that we decided not to walk through the city as well. Instead, we drove directly to Hungary.

After only three days, we are already leaving Serbia and the Balkans behind. The Balkans were one of our main destinations on our journey, and although we have only seen a small part of it, it was definitely worth it. The landscape is beautiful, but above all, the people are incredibly hospitable and warm-hearted. A man we met in Montenegro said about the Balkans: "The Balkans are a powder keg full of different ethnicities. A crisis can occur at any time, but the people are incredibly friendly." (freely translated) I definitely agree with that. The conflicts can still be felt to some extent. On our first night in Montenegro, the two men who invited us for coffee and schnapps explained that all the people in Kosovo and Albania are generally bad or evil. I was quite shocked, especially since we had just met and embraced the friendliest people in the world in Kosovo. Several Montenegrins also told us that Kosovo is part of Serbia, although Kosovo is recognized as an independent state by Montenegro. But even in Kosovo, we heard negative things about Serbia. I am curious about the political and personal tensions, the people, the history, and the landscapes of the many other Balkan countries such as Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Romania, and Bulgaria, which we have not yet visited. We definitely have to come back.

Day 233 - Total tour 17,615 km

---- Subscribe ----

If you want to subscribe to our blog, you can either sign up with Vakantio and click on subscribe or send us a message and we will add you to our own mailing list. We appreciate feedback as well!

Email: querfeld2@gmail.com