12th-19th November 2020: Kopaonik (Serbia)

With another negative PCR test (which unfortunately no one at the border or in the hotel wanted to see) we enter Serbia and drive to the Kapaonik mountains via Nis. We have already passed by here in August on our way from Montenegro to Bulgaria and were thrilled by the views over Kosovo.

We now have the same view directly from our hotel, which, like many others, is built on the ridge of the mountain range at an altitude of just under 2000m. In the summer, we didn't really realize that this place is a purely tourist region, where new hotels, spas and restaurants are constantly being built around the ski area. The winter sports season doesn't start until December 4th, but the slopes are already being prepared, snow cannons are being taken to the peaks, and renovations and new constructions are taking place everywhere.

We are more into hiking, but on the first day we notice a flat tire on our car. In the past few months, we have driven along several gravel roads, bumpy tracks, and pothole-ridden streets, so we are not really surprised. We are just glad that the tire didn't burst while driving and that we were picked up by a breakdown truck from the ADAC on the mountain summit in southern Serbia.

Since the new tires can only be delivered and installed after four days, our exploration radius is limited to the two walking paths around the hotel. From there, we again have fantastic views in bright sunshine over the peaks that rise like islands out of the sea of clouds below us. However, our motivation is slowly decreasing: the children can only enjoy the walks if there are rocks to climb or at least rose hip bushes to cause some itching powder action.

We too have been affected by the November blues. Maybe it's also because of the early darkness, as the sun sets here already around 4:30 pm after switching back to CET. So we are increasingly looking forward to coming home, where hopefully we can see friends and family again after the necessary quarantine, even though it is different and more difficult everywhere this year than usual.

Originally, we wanted to go to the Iron Gate, but since the forests are now more gray-brown than autumnal, we decide to go straight to Belgrade, as the younger participants in the trip are not interested in hiking and 'boring nature' anymore, and we expect to find more real life and hustle and bustle in the city - despite everything.