Journey Along the Danube

If Belgrade sounds familiar, oddly, the word Serbia seems much more mysterious! Many of you showed curiosity on social media during our stay: a destination often overlooked by travelers that sparks interest due to its novelty. Traveling differently also happens here in Europe!

Arriving in Belgrade the day before, we are already leaving the capital to explore the country (for those who missed it, the first article dedicated to Belgrade and my initial impressions in Serbia can be found here).

As we drive along the winding roads of Serbia's rolling landscapes, I discover the colors and nature of this beautiful country. Green becomes the dominant hue, soon giving way to blue: hello Danube! The road ends here as we board for a short cruise towards the Iron Gates.

An evocative name: the > conjures images of The Lord of the Rings. Will I catch a glimpse of the Argonath, the Gate of the Kings?

The Danube doesn't sweep us away with the famous waltz of Johann Strauss II, but rather to the tunes of ABBA. Waterloo in the heart of Serbia? More Belgian surrealism, perhaps...

With a Serbian beer in hand, the passengers' gazes are lost on the towering cliffs that embrace us more closely with each passing second.

Sunk into our lounge chairs, life feels like a fun cruise. And it has vibes of the end of the world... The Iron Gates border us, with the Carpathians of Romania to our right stretching for about 135 km.

The last rays of the sun play with the treetops, coloring the firs clinging to steep slopes. Between ABBA's songs and glasses clinking again and again (Živeli!), a guide tells us about the places. The Danube is no ordinary river. A national pride, it is part of the country's and region's history dating back to the Roman Empire and even beyond. A powerful, proud, and strong river... Much like the Serbians. A river with changing reflections that, on a second glance, resembles a calm and welcoming lake... Like the Serbians.

Listening to our guide, one might forget that this second largest river in Europe is not (only) Serbian. The long Danube flows through no less than ten countries: Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova, Ukraine... and, of course, Serbia. And within its waters bathe several European capitals: Vienna, Bratislava, Budapest... and, of course, Belgrade. A long river that is almost tranquil, the Danube Delta is protected (biosphere reserve) and declared a UNESCO World Heritage site.

The Danube doesn't just hold the title of one of the longest rivers; it is also one of the deepest in Europe and the world, with a record depth of 90 meters. And at some points so wide (up to 2 km) that you might feel as if you are on the shores of a lake... Numbers and figures aside, with glinting pride in our eyes (and a few Živeli later), we return to our departure port, leaving behind the famous Iron Gates.

While Serbia's history is mainly known for the last few centuries, it actually goes back much further. As archaeology enthusiasts, we took interest in Serbia's ancient and prehistoric history by visiting two sites: Viminacium, a Roman city, and Lepenski Vir.

I learned among other things that 16 Roman emperors were born on the current territory of Serbia and that no less than 30,000 people, including 5,600 soldiers, lived in the city of Viminacium, making it one of the largest Roman cities of the time (and yet I had never heard of it!). Visually, not much remains aside from ancient baths, an amphitheater... and a mammoth!

Okay, fine, the mammoth isn't Roman! But even though it was discovered after the Roman remains, it was there long before them (a million years ago). Our guide's voice is filled with emotion as she presents this female mammoth: only about 10 complete mammoth skeletons have been found in the world, making her a true international star!

No Roman ruins here: Lepenski Vir takes us much further back into human history (well, not all the way back to the mammoth!): it was 9,000 years ago that humans decided to settle on the riverbanks, facing a large trapezoidal mountain that influenced them to shape their rudimentary houses. This site is absolutely extraordinary on a human scale... but, even though the building housing the remains is quite impressive, the pieces themselves are not so striking for untrained eyes.

More information about these sites Website of Viminacium And if you have the opportunity, I recommend stopping by its restaurant > for a meal: a chance to taste delicious and exotic cuisine while traveling through time. Website of Lepenski Vir

These two sites primarily provided us with purposes for our wanderings across the territory, a direction for our explorations. For those not passionate about old stones and ancient tales, these sites might taste like >. But the nature surrounding is a pleasure for the eyes, and the people we meet along the roads give true meaning to these stops.

Before leaving, Serbia conjured beautiful images of hiking and cycling through the woods and along the beautiful Danube... This journey was too short to allow me to fully immerse in these landscapes as I wished, but it sparked my desire to discover these settings more.

Our too brief hike in the Djerdap National Park offered me a magnificent view of the Danube and the chance to enjoy the gentle rays of the sun in nature.

And if nature and sports rhyme in your ears (or almost?), I recommend a kayaking trip along the shores of Belgrade: nature in the heart of the capital. For more information, check out the article on Belgrade.

I already shared some good addresses in Belgrade in the previous article; I have one more > to share, but it is truly excellent!

This ethnorestaurant is a superb spot not to be missed (not far from Lepenski Vir): a setting in nature, with a magnificent view of the Danube, a family-like, warm and picturesque welcome, and specialties to taste to the tune of traditional music.

Address: in Donji Milanovac

It's difficult to summarize this trip to Serbia. I who set out to write just one article to summarize my discoveries and travel impressions quickly realized that I would need at least two, leaving plenty of room for beautiful Belgrade... And even still, I feel a sense of incompleteness. Perhaps mirroring this journey, too short. The feeling of having only touched the surface, merely sampled appetizers... and left behind a whole array of dishes to discover. Serbia was my first trip to Eastern Europe... and certainly not the last!

Travel by invitation from the Serbian Tourist Office.

To continue reading

2 days in Belgrade: first impressions in Serbia Other trips in Europe:

Barcelona: tips for an unforgettable city trip Rome in 3 days: mission impossible? Lisbon: practical information Northern Ireland and Game Of Thrones: from the set to reality Adventures and emotions in Cantabria