BALKAN RIVIERA Guide to a slightly different summer break
“IRON GATES” GORGE Swimming on the “Danube Sea” Once the Danube passes through the narrow “Iron Gates” of Đerdap Gorge, it suddenly widens and calms near the town of Kladovo, creating an area that more resembles an inland sea than a river. Kladovo is Serbia’s sunni- est city, with the annual number of sun- ny days rivalling some Adriatic coastal cities, making it a perfect – though still insufficiently discovered – summer des- tination. Kladovo’s main asset is its city beach. A long, spacious sand beach with fine river sand, it is reminiscent of the Adriatic’s most beautiful beaches. The Danube’s water here is pleasant for swimming during the summer, while the wideness of the river makes it feel like being at the seaside. The distant riv- erbank opposite, on the Romanian side, is often lost in the mist. The beach is equipped with cane parasols, sunbeds, courts for beach sports and cafes offer- ing summer music. A second beach is located a little upstream in the village of Tekija. This area was the centre of life in the region during antiquity. It was here that Roman Emperor Trajan built his famous Trajan’s Bridge early in the 2nd century AD, enabling his legions to cross into Dacia (modern Romania). The bridge was over 1,100 metres long and was the world’s longest arched bridge for more than a millennium. The remains of its pillars can today be seen near the village of Kostol. Be sure to take a boat cruise from Klado- vo through the Đerdap “Iron Gates” Gorge. You will see Trajan’s tablet, carved into the rock above the water- line, and the 40-metre-tall monumen- tal sculpture of Dacian King Decebalus, carved into the rock on the Romani- an side. Other “musts” include visiting Kladovo’s Đerdap Archaeological Mu- seum, which preserves priceless Ro- man artefacts, and exploring the Otto- man Fetislam Fortress.. IN THE NEXT ISSUE, WHEN THE AUGUST DAYS WARM UP, WE WILL TAKE YOU TO THE BEAUTIFUL SERBIAN LAKES - SREBRNO, BORSKO, VLASINSKO...
The arrival of summer heat prompts most of us to habitually turn towards the seaside. However, the Balkans hides gems that not only compete successfully with the coast, but in many ways provide a more refreshing, meaningful and authentic summer break I magine endless expanses of the Danube where you can’t see the op- posite bank, turquoise lakes where you can swim in the lea of moun- tain peaks still covered in snow, and ingenuity. The secret of its production is preserved exclusively by two Ohrid fami- lies and involves coating mother-of-pearl grains with an emulsion made from the scales of the endemic bleak fish, which lives solely in this ancient lake. When you tire of sunbathing, hop
mystical springs that hide ancient secrets. For all those wanting a holiday without salt in the hair this summer, but with a lot of style, top cuisine and unforgettable stories, we offer this guide to the region’s most beautiful summer oases. LAKE OHRID The Balkan freshwater sea With depths reaching almost 290 metres and estimated to be over three million years old, this lake is rightly given the title of the Balkan Sea. The water here is so clear that you can see everything even at a depth of more than 20 metres, and during the summer months temper- atures reach a perfect 25° C. The Ohrid Riviera offers something for everyone. If you like an urban at- mosphere, café-bars and sunbeds, the beaches of Kaneo and Potpesh, locat- ed just below the old town and the leg- endary Church of St. Jovan the Theo- logian at Kaneo, enable you to bathe under this magnificent place. For those seeking wild nature and turquoise water reminiscent of the Caribbean, there are the beaches along the route to the Saint Naum Monastery – primarily Ljubaniš- ta and Gradište. Ljubaništa is a long sand beach with a shallow bay ideal for sunbathing, while Gradište is the epi- centre of youthful energy, with wooden bathing platforms, bars and a pine for- est that extends to the water itself. Ohrid is a city with 365 current and former churches, which is fascinating in and of itself, but the biggest secret of this place is still worn around the neck or on the lapel. The famous Ohrid pearl is not a product made of shells, but of human
aboard a rowing boat and head to the Bay of Bones - a faithful representation of a prehistoric settlement on the water it- self, then continue to the springs at the source of the Black Drim river near Saint Naum Monastery. The water there liter- ally bubbles up from the sand at the bot- tom, creating cool, crystalline backwaters. DURMITOR’S BLACK LAKE Swimming under the gaze of mountain wolves For those who can’t abide summer crowds and humid coastal air, the town of Žabljak and Durmitor National Park represent a dream holiday destina- tion. The Black Lake is this mountain massif’s largest and most beautiful of its 18 glacial lakes, which are poetical- ly nicknamed the “Mountain Eyes”. It consists of two smaller lakes connect- ed by a narrow strait that dries up dur- ing the summer. Yes, you really can take a swim on the mountain! During July and Au- gust, the surface level water of the Black Lake reaches a pleasant 22° C. The main “beach” is actually a grassy and pebbly shore under a dense black pine forest, which gives the lake its characteristic dark hue. Bathing in clear water, while the rocky peak of Međed (2,287m) rises above you is an experience that cannot be matched by any tropical island. The air carries the scents of resin and wild mint, while sunbathing on wooden pontoons is cooled by a perfect breeze.
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