SERBIA: ISLAM & BATHS

Posted July 27, 2009 by David McGuinness

So we picked up Andy from the bus station and myself, Mikica and Andy went for a mixed grill dinner in a place recommended by some locals – very tasty. As Novi Pazar is mainly a Muslim town there were few places serving alcohol, but being Irish we found one and had a few nightcaps before calling it a night.

Then yesterday morning we made an early start and after checking out a few more hotels in Novi Pazar including the communist-era Hotel Vrbak, described by the guide book as “almost exquisitely ugly”. It was certainly a sight to behold with weird spiral pillars, hexagonal shapes and a restaurant that sprawls across the river. From there we drove to the lovely St. Peter’s church dating from the 9th century. An old lady came and opened the church for us with a an enormous key that must date from that period too. The inside was beautiful with some fantastically preserved and very beautiful wall paintings. The graveyard surrounding the church was also very picturesque.

After that we drove to Sopocani monastery, a UNESCO-heritage site with incredible frescoes, all the more incredible because the church went more than 200 years without a roof. This was to be the last monastery for a while, and after a lunch of roast lamb and cabbage we started heading east. We drove to Kapaonik, a ski resort in winter but perfect for forest walking in the summer, with thick pine forests. Myself and Andy went for a walk through the forest and managed to find a lovely viewpoint after climbing up some rocks. Then we drove on to Pomlom Banja, a spa town with water that supposedly cures all forms of intestinal problems.

We had dinner and then met our hosts for the night, a Serbian family. The rooms are immaculately clean, very comfortable and our hosts were very friendly, an ideal place for our groups to stay I think.

This blog is part of an Off-The-Beaten-Track Travel Diary. Click on the links below to navigate through this journey.