DAY 9: SUNDAY 7 AUGUST 2011
Camping Costs: Private room €20 – 1 night
We went to see the Ravanica Monastery near Vrdnik. They were having a service, which was to be expected as it was Sunday. We respected Catholic culture and crossed ourselves as we entered the church. We stayed a few minutes and listened to the priest give his sermon, not that we could understand his Serbian. We left and decided to go to another Monastery.
When we got to the next Monastery, there was a sign saying, “No short skirts or strappy tops”. Both Cassie and Wendy were wearing strappy tops and Dan didn’t feel comfortable going in wearing shorts. So we walked around the side to see if we could peak in, but the monastery had a high wall. We went back to the car and decided to go off and find the next monastery. Now this part was an adventure…. We followed the GPS directions and ended up following a gravel track. We carried on a bit further and found no monastery, so we decided to just head straight for Mokra Gora. The battery for the camera ran out at this point and we missed out on taking photos of the beautiful scenery we passed on the way to Mokra Gora. We stopped at a little bar for lunch and the lady made us, what we think was a Serbian Hamburger, it was more like a lardy shredded pork pattie. We then hopped back into the car and made our way. We stopped at a roadside stall to buy some Med (honey) and some Rakija, a plum brandy made in Serbia. We should have haggled with the ladies, but when you can only ask how much and understand the basics of what they are hand gesturing to you, bargaining isn’t quite on the cards.
Wendy had found a campsite mark on the map, so we tried to find it, to no avail. We don’t think they have campsites here and unfortunately, we just weren’t brave enough to free camp in the area as it looked to be mostly farmed land. As we saw the sign for Mokra Gora, we saw a sign for sobe. Dan went to go and enquire. The sobe turned out to be a small apartment. Cassie stayed free and it was €20 for Dan and Wendy for 1 night. Bargain! We stayed, and had to reverse Tusky into the track alongside the apartment. That was a little challenge. At one point Tusky tipped and it felt as if she was going to tumble sideways…but she didn’t.
That night we walked up to the film set town – Mećavnik to have dinner. The town was built by a Serbian film director for a movie. It is built as a typical 19th century Serbian town and serves typical Serbian dishes in it’s restaurants. There were some singers and a band performing classic Serbian songs. Which, according to Dan, gave the place a surreal feeling. We ate dinner, had a wonder around and walked back down to our room. We planned to leave early and catch the Ŝargan Eight Railway. After that, we were to head to Studenica and the monastery there.
Dan’s a windsurfing, adventure-seeking nomad with a passion for exploring the globe overland and an Engineer. Having grown up in the Middle East, he brings a unique perspective to Getting Lost Again, sharing his love for discovering hidden gems and embracing the unexpected. When he’s not on the road, he finds inspiration in windsurfing and other creative pursuits – and is equally at home under a vehicle solving problems as he is exploring a new place.