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Wine Tasting at the Kovačević Cellar

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Responsible Mom and Aunt, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

Yesterday we visited Kovačević Wine Cellar located in the village of Irig, which is about 70 kilometers north of Belgrade. The village lies in the Fruška Gora National Park. Fruška Gora means “Frankish Mountain” in English. It is a region of hills that are in the middle of the flat plains of Vojvodina. The hills were a natural frontier of the Frankish Empire back in the 400s. I prefer the Roman name for the area, Fertile Mountain because it is a great region for growing grapes. The Franks have not been around in a long time. Besides wine, Fruska Gora has some hiking and 12 Serbian Orthodox monasteries, and we will come back again for those.

We found the address of Kovačević in a guide to the wines of Serbia and it was recommended to us by friends. It is not the vineyards and elegant tasting experience of the wineries we went to in Australia, but a nice experience nonetheless. There is no sign in front and so we went around the side of the building. The workers were busy with crushing the grapes and the kids got to see the process of fermentation and storage.

 

The Kids Save the Grapes from Being Crushed
The Kids Save the Grapes from Being Crushed

I was most excited to try the Bermet, which is a type of wine only produced by the Fruska Gora wineries. It is a strong dessert wine, that is infused with herbs and spices. It used to be very popular with the Austro-Hungarian royalty and it was on the wine list of the Titanic. Today, it is not known outside of Serbia. We liked both the white and red versions of the Bermet. We bought two bottles of the red. We also liked the Aurelius, a mix of Cab Sav and Merlot, aged in the barrels below. Nadia also bought a Rajninski Reisling and Chardonnay. I also liked the Reisling, which had tones of green apples. We will be visiting the region again! After the winery, we had dinner in Novi Sad and walked around the beautiful old part of town. 

The highlight of the day however was not the sightseeing, but just spending time with the kids. Below they are eating another of my delicious breakfast entrees. It is good also to have my nephew Sebey visiting us. 

 

 

Sunday Breakfast
Sunday Breakfast

My Take on Budapest

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Budapest, Hungary is one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Above is just one tiny example of the amount of architectural beauty that abounds. Everywhere one looks, down hundreds of streets, towers, facades, statues, etc. can be appreciated. And all of the buildings are massive. It felt a bit like Washington DC in the fact that there are so many areas with landmark buildings and squares. I can see why most of the city is an UNESCO World Heritage site. I can’t believe all of the buildings survived WWII and the communist era. 

The international school is also spectacular. It is set about 7 miles out of the city amidst orchards and villages. The K-12 campus is huge and it looks like a university campus. If I was working at the school, it would be nice to live in the village near the school.

Now the bad side – The over 3 million inhabitants of the Budapest metro area and more than 20 million tourists make the city feel crowded. Every where we went, from the cinema, to the grocery store, to the zoo, was packed with people. We felt it and it must increase the stress level of everyone. It will be something to consider when we make our next move to another international school. Many international schools are located in large cities and this will be a consideration. Belgrade is a nicer size. We also saw many more homeless people in the streets. I am not sure where they are in Belgrade, but you just don’t see them. Only the occasional gypsy, but they usually have a home. We also noticed that the street people were drinking publicly, bottles full of a yellow alcohol.

Our first hotel choice was hilarious. Nadia picked it over the internet and it looked like a nice family apartment. When we got there, it was in the middle of the red light district. They did not accept credit cards – only cash and I had to go to an ATM. While walking to the ATM, a prostitute said hello to me. Nice, with the family in the car 10 meters away. We called the owner and got out of our obligation and found a nice suite hotel in a better part of the city.

The Hungarians were much nicer this time than when we went in Christmas of last year. They make a big point of helping tourists and I had locals explain the IKEA parking lot ticket machines, people apologize for rude salespeople, etc. I imagine tourism brings a lot of money to the city. We saw tour buses and groups everywhere!

The country is much more developed than Serbia. The standard of living and cost of living are both much higher. This is good and bad, especially for expats living in the country. In talking with the international school’s principal, childcare and domestic help would be too expensive there.

The Hungarians look central European and Slavic, but their language and ethnic background is distinct from their neighbors. The language is very complex, with most words having over 10 letters and lots of symbols above the vowels. it is related to Finnish, but distantly related and the Finns don’t understand it. There are around 10 million Hungarians and the country is one of the biggest tourist destinations in the world. With the architecture, wine industry, thermal baths, history, I can see why.

This was our second trip to the city. Our first I blogged here. There is still more to explore and we will definitely return.

Family Trip to Budapest

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Outside the Budapest Zoo
Outside the Budapest Zoo

This weekend we headed 4 hours north to the capital of Hungary, Budapest. Our boys’ soccer teams were playing the American International School of Budapest. I brought the family up to watch the game and enjoy the weekend in a beautiful city. The kids are shown above playing in the hotel room.

That is the funny thing about kids, they enjoy different things than adults. Nadia and I were appreciating the amazing architecture of the buildings of Budapest. Most of the city is an UNESCO World Heritage site and I can see why. Everywhere one looks, there are huge, ornate facades on these magnificent buildings.

The kids enjoyed most the hotel rooms and the swing at the zoo.

More later on our trip and the city.

Owen & Ollie’s Grand Hiking Trip

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On Saturday I took Owen and Oliver with me on the CAS hiking trip. CAS stands for Creativity, Action, Service and is part of our International Bacchlaureate program at our school. One of the seniors, Luka, is an avid hiker and he planned out a great route for us. The trail is part of a larger system of trails in Serbia and there are hiking clubs here. Trying to find basic information about them is difficult and I haven’t seen any maps. Because of Serbia’s isolation for many years, these types of things aren’t developed yet for tourists.

The hike took place outside of the village of Slavkovica, which is located north of Čačak. It is part of the central Serbian region known as Šumadija (Wooded Land). The land of Sumadija is a mix of rolling hills, pastures, pine and deciduous forests, villages, and orchards. The hike contained all of these and was a very pleasant day. This specific hike and village are not mentioned in the Bradt guide to Serbia. The route began at a restaurant, and it was under 2 hours from Belgrade.

The high school students were patient and kind to the boys and they loved hanging out with the high schoolers. I had to carry Oliver in some of the parts, but both of them did very well. We hiked from 10:30 AM until 5:00 PM and they kept up the entire way.

 

Owen Overlooks a Beautiful Wooded Valley
Owen Overlooks a Beautiful Wooded Valley

Šumadija being central Serbia, was and is the most “Serbian” part of Serbia. The two uprisings against the Turks started here as well as resistance to the Nazis in WWII. It was the center of the Belgrade Pashalik in Ottoman times. I think at its heart, Serbia identifies itself with the small family farm. Although Belgrade is cosmopolitian, many Belgraders have relatives still living in the countryside. 

 

Vrh
Vrh Suvogora (Dry Hill Peak)

 

 

The trail is well marked, although there were several trails intersecting that might be confusing. Red and white circles and signs (above) guide hikers. You need to read Cyrillic and the top sign indicates the direction of our goal. A WWI battle occured at Suvagora Summit between the Serbs and the Austro-Hungarians. There were several parties of hikers and there is the occasional farmer or local that you can ask if you get lost. We spotted some hang gliders on the way back.

And with many of my hikes with Oliver, it ended up with him falling asleep on my shoulders as we headed down the final decline to the car. 

 

Hitting the Wall We Made It!
"Hitting the Wall" We Made It!

The Beautiful Women of Obrenovac

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Gordana, Zhana, Nadia, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

Lots of gorgeous women in the city of Obrenovac! These three friendly ladies made for a delightful afternoon. Zhana (middle) and her husband Hido hosted a wonderful party at their home. We went with the family and a classic Serbian BBQ (pork, gibenica, roasted peppers, etc.) and a warm, sunny day poolside. Couldn’t have ask for a better day! Thank you!

 

Šumidija Road - Obrenovac, Serbia
Šumidija Road - Obrenovac, Serbia

 

 

Obrenovac is about 30 kilometers south of Belgrade located in the region called Šumidija, which means “land of forests” in Serbian. This is the heartland of Serbia where the Hadjuks sought refuge from the Turks and where Black George began his rebellion. The area is exactly like the guidebooks describe it, a land where time has forgotten. There are bucolic scenes of old men tending their cows and sheep, bontiful orchards of apples and peaches, and lovely farmhouses. It is an area that harks back to a more rural, agricultural, past and this is how it must have been a couple generations ago.

 

The Kids and Adults Enjoyed the Pool
The Kids and Adults Enjoyed the Pool

Administrative Retreat – Kovačica “Relax Center”

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Tim and Bane, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

This week we took two days and one night to get out of Belgrade and the school for our annual administrative retreat. Above are Tim M. the lower school principal and Bane N. the IT Director. They are enjoying the Dr. Evil like white Naughyde chairs in one of the conference rooms of the hotel.

We stayed at the Relax Center in Kovačica which is a small town located about 50 kilometers north of Belgrade. It is located on the Pannonian plain of Vojvodina. Kovaćica is one of the few towns that have a non-Serb majority. While Serbia is 85% Serb, Kovaćica has a majority Slovak population. When we went for a run around the town, we noticed it to be a big farming community, with many fields of corn, beans, pumpkins, sunflowers, etc. It reminded me of Iowa, with its flat topography and rich soils.

I couldn’t recommend staying at the Relax Center. It was Eastern European in design and quite modest, but it did have a nice pool. We also enjoyed the outdoor restaurant. We got a lot of work done and got ready for the year.

 

Najda Higl Is Featured on a Billboard in her Hometown of Pančevo, Serbia
Najda Higl Is Featured on a Billboard in her Hometown of Pančevo, Serbia

Above is a billboard in the city of Pančevo, Serbia, about 30 kilometers outside of Belgrade. Nadia Higl won the 200 breaststroke in last week’s World Swimming Championships in Rome. She came out of nowwhere, literally, from the first lane and mostly unknown, even in Serbia. Her father tatooed her winning time on his bald spot on his head. Serbia celebrated her and the water polo team that also won gold in the championships. They defeated Spain, 14-13 in a tremendous game. Water polo is big here and everyone was following the team, as well as the duel between Milorad Čavić and Micheal Phelps. I didn’t like Phelps after he won, he didn’t shake hands with Milorad.

Goodbye Michigan

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Ocean and Owen, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

We are now back in Belgrade after a wonderful holiday. Owen is carrying his little sister into the house last week. The best part of any time off is I get to spend heaps of time with my children and wife. 

 

Lunch at the Airport
Lunch at the Airport

 

 

I would like to thank my father and Andy for putting up with us in the house and all of their help. It was great to see my brother Jim, sister-in-law Shelly – thanks guys. It was also nice to get in touch with the Bonettis, Bocieks, and other friends.

Fishing With Grandpa Kralovec

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Grandpa and the boys, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

Yesterday my father helped the boys go fishing for a second time this summer. We went to the nearby Caspian Mine Pit. It is a former open pit iron ore mine. The Caspian Mine had its heydey back about 100 years ago. In the 1960’s, my grandfather and mine employee, Arthur Heikkila, was the last man in the mine and as he shut down the pumps, the water began to fill in. The Iron County Museum is based in one of its buildings and the city of Caspian has turned it into a recreational area. The DNR planted trout in the pit this spring.

We had a few bites off of the fishing dock shown above. Owen is getting good at casting and even Ollie managed to bring a shiner up to the surface. Owen was so excited to get a shiner out of the water. I can imagine his reaction if he ever catches a fish.

It was a very cold and rainy day. Nadia went for a run in the afternoon and took Oliver and Ocean out in the wagon following her. Last night we watched movies.

Family Journal: Hike to Timber Lake

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Yesterday I took the boys on a hike to Timber Lake. The lake is located about 10 miles west of Iron River, just off of US 2. I really like Timber Lake because there is no public access to the lake for boats. There are also no cottages on the lake. The only way to get to the lake is to take the 1 mile+ hike in from the trail head.

We spent a wonderful afternoon on the shores of the lake. We were sitting around the house and my brother was watching television in the lazyboy. I don’t like the kids to watch too much television so I put them in the car and headed west. They enjoy hiking, as they pick up sticks and pretend they are weapons. We went for a swim and drank pop and I read from the “Choose Your Adventure” series. Owen had a leech on his sandal and we tried to identify it. We also saw a squirrel, woodpecker, and a slug. The highlight was when we were packing up. We had talked about all of the animals that could possibly kill you in the northwoods, such as a pack of wolves, bear, cougar, etc. All of a sudden a German Shepard dog came running up to us. It was a friendly dog and just wanted to play. It had a big red collar on it. But it terrified Oliver as he was caught on the shore of the lake and the dog between him and us. All of our talk on how we would defend ourselves against a hungry pack of wolves didn’t help him as he just paniked. I quickly intervened and put him on my shoulders. The dog was owned by a woman who was also coming to the lake.

We had the lake to ourselves for 4 hours. We also heard the call of the loon. A great day together and introducing the boys to the rejuvenating effects of wilderness. I wish Iron County had more lakes like Timber. Most lakes have cottages on them or one can hear the drone of motor boats. That is what makes Timber Lake special.

Can Anyone Identify This Species of Freshwater Leech
Can Anyone Identify This Species of Freshwater Leech

Kralovecs Celebrate Independence Day

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Yesterday we had the traditional 4th of July BBQ in our backyard. The kids ran through the sprinkler and around the neighborhood. The adults laughed a lot and we ate a tremendous amount of food and drink. It was a nice way to reflect on 233 years of USA independence. I had a copy of the Declaration of Independence for us to read. It is one of the sacred documents of our country. In reading it yesterday, the authors are pretty clear in their opposition to King George and England’s policies. I can see why war ensued after the King received it. I wonder how long it took him to get it?

In the morning we went to the parade in downtown Iron River. It was pretty lame with only the West Iron County marching band and fire trucks. Ollie and Beau liked grabbing candy that many people were throwing out.

 

Two Famous Icons - Smokey the Bear and Riverside Pizza
Two Famous Icons - Smokey the Bear and Riverside Pizza