Monastery Mission

We head east from Zlatibor for a completely different face of Serbia. We pass through the picturesque Ovčar-Kablar Gorge but the hidden gems are the 17th Century Monastery Churches hidden in the dense woodlands on the gorge slopes.

It's not possible to visit these with the 'van on the back so we head for the next 'site' which is a sporting centre basketball pitch, drop off the van and head out some 30km or so to visit the famous Studenica Monastery  - after setting up the dish to record the Monaco Grand Prix... of course.

We take a couple of motorhomers and have a really interesting time, also visiting the local Žiča monastery, which provides a contrast. These are working monasteries, allowing visitors to view the buildings and original frescoes. We feel privileged to be allowed into these communities - no photos of the interiors allowed of course.




How do you get eighteen motorhomes/caravans onto a basketball pitch? Here's how:

The Studenica Monastery (more info)

Žiča Monastery (more info)

Montenegro tomorrow, all being well. That means a new post. See you soon.

Serbia - moving south

We follow the route from Siófok to Zlatibor as devised by ACSI, who are running the tour. Can't believe how pot-holed the roads are in places - although we were warned. Extremely interesting, though, as we pass through small towns and the National Park.

..they get much worse than this....

The sat nav says it all - apart from the steep gradients, that is....

Oh, forgot the donkey carts...

But it all makes for a memorable journey.. and that's why we're here. It's noticeable what a positive attitude this group has; no one seems to be negative.

And here we are... from green to grey.. (blobs, that is)

More tomorrow - here for three days.

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It's raining again but we take a trip west some 25km from the site on narrow winding roads to see some local Serbian sites, including the Stopića Pećina (caves), a waterfall at Gostilje and a restored wooden village made up of real 19th Century houses that have been transported and re-assembled to show how Serbians lived at that time. Fascinating, actually.
We enjoy a really nice coffee (Turkish again for me) in Gostilje before we move on.
Each of these places charge - but a couple of pounds in total at the most. We just miss coachloads of schoolchildren at each of these sites; apparently it's visits time in the Serbian school calendar - and it certainly shows.

The Wooden Village

On the way back we call in at the local Ski Resort town of Zlatibor to shop and also take a walk up to a memorial above the town in memory of Serbs executed by the Nazis towards the end of the war.

Upon our return, we're told that a local car rally passes close the the campsite so off we scamper to watch, returning after the first leg for a late dinner. We hear that there was a nasty accident in the second stage unfortunately.

I set up the satellite dish to record Monaco F1 qualifying tomorrow - because we're out on a trip to see a pretend wooden village, which is actually a film set, and to travel on a narrow gauge tourist train which rises 300m in 1.3 km by travelling in a figue of eight. Clever stuff.  This used to be a vital transport link when originally constructed with great difficulty.

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Film set:

With old cars from the communist era

Including a stretch Trabby

Our tourist train, it's not..

But this is - made in Romania

A Peugeot 504 train thingy

The driver obligingly opens up the engine cover for us train fans

So - back 'home', I find the recording of Monaco qualifying from German RTL has been successful so a couple of F1-fans join me in watching it in the 'van. Sad to see Jenson's successful return rewarded by having to start from the back because of yet another Honda power unit failure. Ouch!

A short journey to stay in a 'campsite' on a sporting stadium tomorrow to see a Serbian monastery.
Bye for now.

Serbia!

Note: limited connectivity means delayed pictures...

Breakfast in Hungary, Lunch in Croatia, Dinner in Serbia.
Not bad, I say. As the dinner in Serbia involved local beer, wierd schnapps, followed by strong Serbian coffee (think quadruple Turkish coffee) it's best that this post is continued tomorrow..
........

Fresh as daisies next morning, we use the Touareg to visit the local town, Scremska Mitrovica, which sits atop unexcavated Roman ruins. In sunny hot weather we see local historic churches and take lemonade in the square, which seems to be the thing to do. It's also cheap. Clearly, there aren't the resources to maintain the historic buildings (or maybe some buildings have negative memories...) but, with it's footbridge over the wide Savi river, it looks a nice place to live.

We decide to head some 60km to Novi Sad, the second largest city in Serbia but as we head there the darkening skies release lightening and sheets of rain causing the road to turn into a river in places. Negotiating this and a couple of accidents, we make Novi Sad and, eventually, park the car in a park where we can pay without opening a telephone account.

A (very) wet Novi Sad... Note the preparations for the EXIT festival

The city is big, thriving, and has some of the EU chains; clearly there is money around. We eat, take a look at the cathedral then motor over the Danube to see the Petrovardin Fortress and museum which is smallish but the staff are very helpful and allow us to see the underground tunnel and well system. Well worth a look. We decide we're wet enough after the museum and forego exploration of the large fortress itself,  heading back 'home', getting there around 6.30.
A good day and we feel lucky at being able to use the Treg to explore in this way.

A trip to Belgrade tomorrow, led by our intrepid 'Jack of all trades' and campsite owner Jovan, a man of considerable influence around these parts.
.......

Belgrade, a city of some two million inhabitants, proudly modern but with a tumultuous history, set at the confluence of the Danube and Savi rivers.

We join the coach trip with the group to experience a guided walking and coach tour, with a little time to ourselves. The local guide provides vast amounts of detail of the history of Serbia and Belgrade, some of which we remember. Actually being here underlines the reading we've done - and the fact that massive change has been so recent, too. Clearly there are strong and different opinions about the recent past and the path that Serbia should take in the future.

Have some random photos:

Breathtaking opulence beneath the cathedral which is undergoing major refurbishment.

The residence of Princess Ljubica in the mid nineteenth Century - now a museum.

Protest against NATO bombings

...and that's it from here. Moving south tomorrow.

News just in... and quite remarkable, too. New Leader

Meeting the tour group

We trundle down from Budapest to a large site at Siófok on Lake Balaton, still in Hungary, which is the largest European lake apparently. It certainly seems to have lots of water in it in any event. It's really nice here when we arrive and the lake is like a mill pond..

..but before we get into that, we meet our tour leaders from ACSI, the Dutch camping organisation. They're really nice people and clearly intend to run a tight ship. The thing is, organising Brits in motorhomes and caravans is like herding cats; let's see how it goes. We chat to fellow travellers who, as always, seem like a good bunch of people and we enjoy a nice welcome meal with wine and All looks good.

We walk to Siófok (5km away) and enjoy the sites and feel of this small lakeside town. We also find time to explore Balatonfűred on the opposite side of the lake which, although clearly a tourist town, has it's own charm. Any thoughts of relaxing by the lakeside are literally blown away by the constant high wind that springs up on the second day - the lake is decidedly choppy, as a stark contrast to the first day.

We now know why the trees lean to the left...

Anyway, enough of that; Serbia tomorrow!

Beautiful Budapest

Beautiful - that's certainly our first impression; so much history, culture, architecture in a thriving city with an outstanding mass transit system.

We arrive mid afternoon after a drive through the city centre - but the roads are multi-lane and it's ok with the 'van on the back. The small ACSI site is fine, too. We get a really helpful reception with explanations galore. Transport into and around the city is easy and, for EU citizens of a certain age, it's completely free. Brilliant!

We need to shop and sort so we finish the day with a BBQ and chat with fellow explorers before spending our second day in and around the castle district in Buda. Remarkable and not to be missed. We're particularly impressed by the history museum in the royal palace, which puts the research in perspective.

We end the next two days seeing the plethora of wonderful sights in this historic city, travelling by metro, tram and bus as a European citizen (although not for much longer, of course......).
There are are many highlights, including a tour of the opera house complete with a mini performance. It's easiest to say what we haven't done; that will be a spa, a traditional folk performance and a night trip on the river and others that we don't yet know about probably.

We'll have to come back, then - and we don't often say that as a matter of principle. There are always exceptions.

Fountain at the Royal Palace

St Matthias Church in Pest

Inside it...

Over the Danube from the Castle in Pest

Pest from Buda

The seat of power

A memorial at the synagogue.. the Nazi snake being consumed by fire...
.....unfortunately, the fire turned out to be Stalin.

Joining the the group on Friday in Siófok on lake Balaton.... so that's all for a while... apart from a few more images when WiFi permits.

and so it begins....

The first leg (heading to Budapest)

A short drive through the Tunnel to a stop just over the Belgium border near Dunkirk so that we can make sure everything is working.... and we remember where we put the important bits.

Tunnel parking next to latest Discovery towing a Caterham

Arriving in Belgium.....shorts and sunshine weather rapidly turns into thunderstorms so we snuggle in front of the TV to watch Channel 4 news and Joanna Lumley's Postcards.

Important bits

It's all working...

We'll probably have a short drive to Maastricht tomorrow....

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The Netherlands...

...Maastricht, where it all began, before it ended, that is, if you get the drift.

We stop near Valkenburg some 8km or so from Maastricht - and what a great little town it is, best appreciated while sitting in the square with a nice beer.

A long grind through Germany tomorrow: great autobahnen  though....should I have said that??

.........

Another day, another country, this time we're at the fascinating little town of Ochsenfurt. The centrepiece is a, frankly, wierd building with a performing clock. Must do some research....
Best appreciated while sitting with a Bier in the 'square'.

That clock is odd, you know

Austria tomorrow, hopefully.

........

Austria...

.....and here we are, right on the bank of the Danube near a little town called Marbach an der Donau after a very swift but weird journey. 

It's Sunday, so no lorries, but lorries pack every conceivable slot in the rest stops on the motorways, so we drive for around four hours before finally stopping. After a number of abortive trips into various motorway service areas, I eventually squeeze the outfit up against a lorry on an iffy corner while we eat. Repleat with eggs and bratwurst, we wave thanks to the HGV mob and head off for the remainder of the journey. A running average of around 90km/hr for 530km when the max is 100km/hr says it all really. Brilliant outfit.

Very chilly but interesting church in Marbach

We're off to Hungary and Budapest tomorrow for a few days before starting the Camping & Caravanning Club tour bit of the adventure. Since starting, we've passed through a country per day apart from the first day when we managed three...

UK> France> Belgium> Netherlands> Germany> Austria> (tomorrow) Hungary.

So that's the end of this post. Budapest tomorrow, all being well. Just imagine all those pent up HGV's on the road again...