A Road Trip: Montenegro to Serbia and Back Again

And so it was. We were blessed to be invited on a road trip to the town of Zlatibor, Serbia, where we’d meet up with the family of our landlord and relax for a couple of days. This would be New Country Day for us, as we’d never been to Serbia.

We jumped in the car and headed out, knowing that we’d be treated to some wonderful sights along the way. The landscape of Montenegro is something to behold, varied and beautiful, and like nothing we’ve ever seen. We already knew this, of course, but this trip would take us through places we had yet to see.

We drove out of the Boka Kotorska and through the coastal mountains, driving by the lake of Slansko Jezero, which covers quite an area with its inlets and outlets, and islands that dot the water.

In keeping with our landlord’s ever-present sense of curiosity and desire to talk to the locals, we stopped off at a very rural kafana (think café-bar that may or may not serve food) to have some coffee. Because we all love a good coffee break or twelve.

I was told to stand by the wild boar for either a side-by-side comparison, or the hopes that it’d come to life and eat my face, at which point everyone would get a good laugh. I’m not sure which of those it was, but I’m still here and I still have my face. Point, me. Point for them as well, because everyone laughed anyway.

This place was full of old tools, weapons, and plenty of dead animal pelts and heads. I can only imagine the stories and history attached to each one of these, a scenario that has become par for the course during our time in this country that we love.

After some chit-chat with the owner, we were off again, reaching the UNESCO World Heritage site of Durmitor National Park and Tara Canyon. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves – this place is every bit as breathtaking and jaw-dropping as you think it is.

We had to make another stop. This time, it was so our landlord could see his good friends and colleagues at the local television station in the city of Pljevlja. Known for its coal production and processing, an eerie fog lies across the town. The rain didn’t help make it seem cheerful, but I suppose the energy has to be processed somewhere.

We didn’t get to see many of the sights of the city, as we were on our way to Serbia, but it was noted to us that there are some very old and very important Ottoman and Muslim sights and structures in the area.

However, we were treated to a very entertaining sit-down with our landlord’s friends at the TV station. By now, you should know that this means the rakija and coffee came out, and there was a lot of joking, business talk, and ensuing hilarity. A cast of characters, I tell you what. My bashfulness prevented much picture-taking, but I got this one photo. I should also note that it was probably 11am. Unsurprising at this point in our life here.

With that, we crossed the border through the mountains and landed in Serbia. New country! The autumn colors were starting to pop, but our speed in the car made most of the photos look like finger-painting.

Landing in the rolling hills of Zlatibor, we checked into the very nice duplex we rented, which was surrounded by tall fir trees…

…And got down to the business of eating. Goulash, check. Ham hocks, check.

It was raining off and on. Double rainbow! (Crying did not ensue.)

Later, pancakes…

Right then. Zlatibor is in western Serbia, and what people call a “climatic resort.” Its clean air and cool climate have made it the destination for Serbians going back decades (probably longer), and it is truly set up for the onslaught of tourists it gets during both the summer and winter.

It was autumn downtime while we were there. Some shops were on break for this part of the season, while others were open. It kind of made the central area feel like a movie set missing all of its extras.

I cannot lie, though. It’s a nice town with a lot of relaxing activities, great landscape, and crisp climate. I have no problem understanding why tens of thousands of people escape to Zlatibor every year.

Puppies!

Also, Serbian money makes you feel like a baller…

…That’s less than €17 though.

After our short time in Zlatibor, it was time to head back to Montenegro. First, though, our landlord had another of his great ideas and we headed toward the village of Sirogojno. After encountering some back roads closed for construction and wondering how the hell we’d eventually find this town, we began asking random locals how to get there until we eventually found it.

Sirogojno contains an open-air museum showcasing an entire 19^th century village, complete with historical and authentic (albeit renovated) homes, bakeries, inns, and more. It seems to be a tourist destination during the warmer months, and during most of the year for school field trips of youngsters.

It reminded us a bit of colonial Williamsburg, but without the cheesy “citizens” and without a million kitschy souvenir shops. It was quite nice, and we were free to roam, exploring its nooks and crannies while our landlord educated us on the details of pretty much everything in the village.

Our favorites were undoubtedly the beekeeping setup…

The tobacco…

And what village would be complete without its own rakija distillery?

After our investigation of the site, we moved on to the kafana and had fresh-squeezed juice, “tobacco cracklings” (actually pork cracklings), and rakija. By now, the latter shouldn’t come as a surprise.

Knitting is also a big business for locals in this region, and we were treated to viewing some very fine winter wear before we left town. Not exactly our style, but if I lived in these temperatures during the winter, you’d probably catch me rocking one while I huddled in front of the heater and/or fireplace whilst hiding from the onslaught of snow, wind, and winter darkness.

Heading out of the area and on our way back to Montenegro, we stopped at a konoba (traditional restaurant) on the side of the highway and dug into a traditional meal of lepinja (Serbian flatbread) filled with kajmak (a sort of cream cheese), eggs, and gravy. Gluttony.

We cannot even begin to describe its gloriousness, so have a look for yourself…

And so we wrapped up our 48-hour jaunt across the supremely wondrous landscape of Montenegro and into Serbia. We certainly want to extend our gratitude to our landlord and his family for inviting us to go along. We are very fortunate to be included in activities like this, and appreciate both the hospitality and the opportunity to learn about and experience all the things this area has to offer.

I know, I know: You want more pictures. We’ve got tons, and you can see them all on our Facebook page.

Questions or comments? Let us know what you think down below!