Šumidija – Bill's Blog

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

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.

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!

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!

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.