Outside of Bujanovac, Serbia, 2015
Kutrubes Travel planned an exquisitely complicated tour for me through “eastern” Europe, helping me to make the most of seeing the highlights of these countries in the most meaningful way, without just zipping through.
I started out in Romania, flew to Bulgaria, then drove through Serbia, next to Macedonia, Kosovo, Albania, Montenegro, Croatia, Boznia-Herzegovina, Slovenia, and ending in Venice, Italy.
In the capital Belgrade, a great site to visit is the Belgrade Fortress, which overlooks a nearby park and river. The fortress is a tribute to how old Belgrade truly is; while other parts can look more modern, the fortress carries memories of a long and vibrant history beginning around 7000 years ago.
Travelers who love outdoor adventuring should visit the Vinatovača rainforest, a nature reserve that is over 350 years old. Chopping down trees, picking plants, and moving fallen trees are all prohibited activities, making this forest untouched by humans. Also amazing to see is Devil’s Town, or Đavolja Varoš, known worldwide for its spectacular rock towers – over 200 of them!
In Serbia, there are about 7.2 million people and the capital is Belgrade. The official language is Serbian, but because Serbia is nestled between many other countries, many regional languages are spoken as well such as Polish, Turkish, Romanian, Albanian, Russian, and Ukrainian, to name a few. The dominant religion is the Serbian Orthodox Church.
A unique fact about Serbia is that the raspberries you eat likely come from Serbia, which has been at times the largest raspberry exported in the world! Also interesting is that Serbia is full of natural and manmade attractions, such as Gostuša, a village made entirely of stone, mud, and natural materials that people still live in today.
