The Beauty of the North

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Last week we visited friends in Sweden and Denmark for our October Break. We stayed in Helsingborg, a small city on the southern coast of Sweden. Denmark and the beautiful city of Copenhagen was just a ferry ride away, so we also spent a day there.

It was a relaxing and interesting trip. Our hosts, Per and Maria Akkeson were beyond great, and they showed us a wonderful time. We got to feel how Swedes live and they showed us all the spots as only locals do. Ollie is shown above on the windswept cliffs of the Kullaberg Peninsula.

The area reminded me much of my native Michigan, especially the coast of Lake Superior. The only difference was a bit older buildings and many city buses. The socialized system of Sweden and Denmark have resulted in a clean and prosperous region.

Ocean at the canals of Copenhagen

We had an enriching afternoon at the Luisana Museum of Contemporary Art in Denmark. Other highlights included fine dining, bike rides and hikes in the fresh Scandinavian air, and many laughs with the Akkesons.

Owen in a Modern Art Room

I hope someday to return the favor and host them. We all enjoyed our visit to the north of Europe and want to return to explore more, especially further north towards the arctic regions.

Beautiful October Days

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Belgrade is so lovely this time of year. When the sun is shining in mid-October, with many of the leaves turning yellow,blue skies, and a cool breeze, it really doesn’t get any better than this for weather.

We have been taking advantage of this by getting out with the bicycles and going around the city. We are pictured above at Ada Ciganlija where we went for an 8 kilometer run/bike ride and then had a delicious late lunch at the Oaza Restaurant.

Owen and Ollie on the Zemun Quay

On Saturday we rode up from New Belgrade to Zemun along the bike path and had a wonderful day along the river. The kids complain a bit at first, but then they too get caught up with exercise in the gorgeous weather.

Master Distillers – Serbian Rakija

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October is harvest time in the Balkans and last weekend I had a special experience of learning how the national drink of Serbia, Rakija is made. Rakija is fermented and distilled from a variety of fruits, the most common and classic rakija being the šliva, or plum. It can also be made from walnuts, quince, pears, apricots, etc. Friends from the school took us to the small town of Obrenovac, which is about 30 kilometers from Belgrade, on the Sava River to see it being made first hand.

With typical Serbian hospitality, we got the royal treatment with a hearty BBQ meal of lamb, sausages, cabbage, and homemade bread, which was absolutely delicious. We were hosted by the Master Šliva (plum rakija) Distiller and restaurant owner, Ljubo Pljevaljčić. We also toured his restaurant, Pećina (The Cave) which is considered the best in the town. He is pictured in the front row next to me.

They had quite an operation going! In the foreground of the photo is the stove, where the fermented plum juice is heated. The fire needs to be consistent temperature, not too hot, which will burn the juice, or not too cold so it does not evaporate. The guys were adding wood when needed, mixing air and waiting for the moment to release the valve which brought the gas through the pipe where it is cooled in the water tank and condenses. They do the process twice, and after this first distillation, the percentage of alcohol is around 25%. They will do it again and will get the percentage up to around 40-45%. This is where a lot of šliva can be made with a poorer quality. Some people in order to produce more, add sugar to the left over mash and do the process again. This lowers the quality of the final product. Ljubo is a professional and never adds sugar.

They take the left over mash and dump it in a big pit in the yard and later bury it. They had several huge tanks of fermented plums. There is an incredible amount of juice that comes out of the plums, so much so that I thought they added water. The homemade rakija is quite smooth for having such a high alcohol content. It is much better than the cheaper rakija one finds in the supermarkets. Ljubo sells it in his restaurant and he gave us complimentary bottles. I do not drink alcohol often and find šliva a bit too strong for my taste, but it was fascinating to see how it is produced and it gave me an appreciation of the craft and this part of Serbian culture.

The leftover fermented plum juice

It was truly a Serbian evening and I was touched to be treated so nicely. It was a privilege to learn how authentic rakija is made. This is illegal in the USA, but here in Serbia it is quite common, with many people distilling their own “moonshine” in their back yard. Of course, it is not on the scale of Ljubo’s operation. When I asked about safety and did they know of distillation operations going wrong, and I always thought it was quite dangerous.

I would like to thank Ljubo, Hido, Goran, and the rest of the guys for a wonderful night. I will never forget it!   Živili!

Ocean Turns Six

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Ocean’s Friends, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

Yesterday we hosted seven of Ocean’s friends to celebrate her birthday. She turned six on Thursday. We hosted the girls at our apartment and the theme was “Pinkilicious” and the girls played games, had a tea party, and it culminated with a fashion show and dance.

They were all so cute and most importantly, Ocean had a lot of fun. A special thanks to Nadia for her work and preparation for the party. It was a perfect afternoon full of laughter and song.

As most parents say, I can’t believe it has been six years since Ocean’s birth. She is such an vivacious, caring, smart, articulate, and busy little girl. It is such a privilege to experiencing raising a daughter. We love you Ocean!

Serbia Is the Tennis Capital of the World

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We really had a fabulous time at the Davis Cup Semifinals this weekend here in Belgrade. The Serbs defeated the Canadians, 3-2 with two thrilling singles victories on Sunday. Serbia now hosts the Czech Republic in November for the championship, going for their second Davis Cup title. They last won in 2011.

The amount of great tennis players this small nation of Serbia produces is extraordinary. Besides having arguably the best player in the world, Novak Djokovic (photo above) they also have on the men’s side, Janko Tipsarevic, ranked number 18 in the world and Viktor Troiki, before he was suspended for missing a drug test, was ranked as high as #12. Serbia also has a top doubles, player, Nenad Zimojnic, who is a former number 1. Playing for Canada was Milos Raonic, who was born in Montenegro and Daniel Nestor, born in Belgrade.

On the women’s side, they have two former number ones, Ana Ivanovic (#15) and Jelena Jankovic (#10) and Bojana Jovanowski, coming up the rankings at #39. Another ethnic Serb, Tuzla native Andrea Petkovic was #9 playing for Germany before her injury.

Why so successful? First the Serbian people have many tall, strong, and athletic genes flowing through the population. The Serbians are good at all sports and despite a poor infrastructure for sport compared to richer nations, they do extremely well on the world stage in most ball sports, especially water polo, basketball and volleyball.

Friday night’s match between Raonic (foreground) and Tipsarevic (background)

The atmosphere in the Belgrade Combank Arena was thrilling and it is a different experience watching live as opposed to on television. The crowd was totally into it and I am excited for the finals. The Serbs should win if Nole (Djokovic’s nickname) wins his two matches and Tipsarevic can beat the number 51 ranked Radek Stepanek or 46th ranked Lukas Rosol. With the home crowd behind them, Serbia should defeat the defending champions. It may come down to Berdych versus Nole if all goes according to plan. It will be a fantastic match.

A special thank you to Kevin and Lara from the Canadian Embassy for inviting us to the final day. It was fun to be a part of the Canadian fan delegation. They were almost more enthusiastic than the Serbian fans.

Owen and Me at the ISB Tennis Courts

Probably the best tennis of the weekend came from the ISB Tennis Courts however, with Dad (me) playing against Owen, Ollie, and Nadia. It is great to have nice courts at the school that we can use anytime.

Serbian Orthodox Relics

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Relics of Angelina, Maksim, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

This week I visited the church in the Krušedol Monestary in the Fruška Gora National Park. A kind priest showed our group the relics of the saints that founded the monastery, over 500 years ago. Krušedol, after Studenica and Hilander, is the third most important monastery of the Serbian Orthodox Church. Above are the remains of Mother Angelina and her sons, Maksim and Jovan. Relics in Eastern Orthodox Churches are often displayed on Sundays and the priest nice to show us the relics on a Thursday.

It is very interesting this concept of having relics and all of the major religions have this tradition. I would like to see a DNA test of these to trace the genetic heritage of the Serbian people.

The Church at the Novo Hopovo Monastery

I visited three monasteries of Fruška Gora and they always give me a sense of calm and awe. The combination of the ancient and dark mosaics, the beards and black dresses of the monks, and the beautiful natural surroundings of them make for a good visit. It is one of the things people do in Serbia.

I will have to visit Studenica sometime this year.

Interior Chapel of Novo Hopovo

The Real Hungarian Goulash

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Mangalica, originally uploaded by bill kralovec.

Last weekend we traveled to the Srem part of Serbia and had a delicious goulash made with the rare Hungarian breed of pig, the Mangalica. Srem is a flat, agricultural area next to the Croatian and Bosnian borders. We spent a glorious late summer day at the Zasavica Nature Reserve, a farm and ecological area located outside the town of Sremska Mitrovica.

Pictured above is a Mangalica breed of pig. They have thick, curly hair and used to be quite common before World War II. They were a favorite breed of Franz Josef, the Austro-Hungarian Emporer, who kept them for their lard. They are a fatty pig and have been replaced by leaner breeds. The Mangalica has made a comeback in Hungary however, and in this region of Serbia that has Hungarian influences. They are used mostly for sausages and the Hungarians regard them as a traditional food. They are also catching on in the USA, as this New York Times article featured. They are also known to have less cholesterol than other pigs.

The farm borders on one of the rare wetlands areas in Serbia. It has been somewhat preserved as a park and is a great spot for bird watching, fishing, and boating. The nearby Sava River provides water for the lowland ground.

We had a nice meal and lounged around and played football in the sun. Owen and I also went for a walk through the Podolian Cattle herds, another rare breed of livestock.

I recommend spending the day and the next time we go out, we will certainly rent a boat to explore the wetlands.

First Day of School

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It was an exciting morning today as we started the 2013-2014 school year. The kids were up early in anticipation and we eager to ride their new scooters to school and see all of their friends. Owen is in his final year of the PYP programme and is a big fifth grader. Oliver is “a new man” and promises to listen to his teachers and obey the rules, and Ocean can’t wait to “learn the small letters” of the alphabet and start reading. Nadia is teaching first grade for the second year and really loves it. I am starting my sixth year at ISB and we welcomed over 200 students to the Upper School.

We also love the convenience of living right next to the school. It makes our lives soooo much easier. I highly recommend ending commutes for families. We are all looking forward to another year of adventure and growing for our family.

The Best of Šumadija

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Last weekend we escaped to the heartland of Serbia – Šumadija. Šuma is forest in Serbian and the area used to be covered in forests and the Serbian people have been in this region for a long time. It is just south of Belgrade and today is full of small farms and rolling hills with pockets of forests.

We visited the Radovanović Winery in the small town of Krnjevo. It is one of our favorite wines from Serbia. The country has an excellent wine industry and it is growing. They were very friendly and gave us the full tour of the premises and arranged for a wine tasting. They even had low alcohol wine for the kids to taste. We are not that big of wine drinkers, although I did take a wine-tasting course at Western Australia University years ago and am interested in science and pleasures of fermenting grapes.

Fresh Grapes Ready for Wine Production

We then spent the night in the spa town of Aranđelovac, home of the famous Knaz Miloš bottled water. They opened up a large new hotel and water park. The park was quite crowded but the kids liked it. In town there is a huge park where the original spa used to be and it is filled with these beautiful statues carved from the local venač marble. We walked around and the kids played on the statues. It was a glorious mid-summer evening and lots of people walking about.

The Marble Statues of Aranđelovac

It is only 78 kilometers from Belgrade and makes for a perfect overnight get-away. I also highly recommend Radovanovic wines and visiting the mali podrum (little cellar).

Hot In The City

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I’ve been loving the extremely hot temperatures in Belgrade this August. The day time temperatures have been up into the 90s Fahrenheit and even the nights have been in the 80s. We have been spending as much time as possible in the water, both at Ada Ciganlija and in swimming pools. Owen is shown above diving into the pool at a friend’s house.

This weekend we went to one of the many “green markets” in Belgrade, this particular one in Blok 44 in New Belgrade. It is funny how in the US they make a big deal of the “Farmers’ Markets” and in Serbia they are everywhere. Many of the stalls do buy directly from local farmers as the ties to the countryside and small farms have not been lost like in the USA. The family is shown below shucking corn.

Finally, our recommendation for the best ice cream in the city, Moritz EIS located downtown on Ulica Vuka Karađića near the walking street. The Austrian owner has high quality homemade ice cream that come in interesting flavors. There is a nice outdoor area to sit and it is convenient to go for a stroll afterwards down Knez Mihajlova Street.