Finally, chilly air has arrived and we even have had several days of rain. I know, for most of the female species rain is not good but for me, I love it when it is dark, wet and cold. Perfect weather for reading and hopefully this means we will see some fall colors.
Since our anniversary, we have been taking day and overnight trips to a couple of fortresses, and this has inspired a “Game of Thrones” re-watch, as “House of the Dragon” is an abomination and sullies the GoT legacy. Speaking of interesting series, has anyone watched the “The Mayor of Kingstown and Tulsa Kings”? I really enjoyed Jeremy Renner in “The Mayor of Kingstown”, and it reminded me of “The Wire.” Tulsa Kings is just fun to watch. Sylvester Stallone returned to his roots by channeling his inner gangster. Both shows are a master class in how to tell a story without bowing to the Woke Gods.
Speaking of Wokeness, we voted! The Commonwealth of Virginia really is efficient and e-mailed us our ballots in late September. Unfortunately, we have to mail them back, so our friends Tim and Lopa, who we visited in Turkey last week, were kind enough to carry our ballots back to the US so our votes will count. I am really looking forward to the election and firmly believe Donald Trump will win. It just feels like 2016 when Trump vs. Clinton and everyone was sure Clinton would win. Going to be interesting come Thanksgiving, if it turns out that I was prescient.
Bač and Golubac Fortresses
As Serbian immigrants, we are striving to visit historically important locations throughout the country. What is funny is that a lot of our Serbians friends have never visited these fortresses. I guess this is not that surprising, as when I lived in Arizona my family never visited the Grand Canyon. Bač Fortress is a medieval fortress in Vojvodina, Serbia. Founded by the king Charles Robert I, the fortress was the most important Hungarian rampart against the invading Ottoman forces, and today is the best preserved medieval fort in Vojvodina. Fortunately for us, it is an hour’s drive from Novi Sad, and the drive itself is through farm country.
Honestly, the moment we arrived I was thinking this would be the ultimate haunted house location. Although in ruins, the remaining structures are enchanting and the central tower was rebuilt and partially furnished, so it provided a nice example of how people lived back in the 13th ~ 17th centuries. One of the most charming moments happened when a gaggle of local children arrived and held an impromptu picnic. The girls were probably 5 ~ 7 years old and were very curious about us and immediately started practicing their English skills. They were so cute and the fact that their picnic was held in the shadow of the fortress, with no adult supervision, made it even sweeter.
The following week, we traveled South-East to Golubac Fortress (Голубачки град or Golubački grad) and spent the night enjoying the Danube river and some tasty fried food. Golubac Fortress was a medieval fortified town on the south side of the Danube River. The fortress, which was built during the 14th century by medieval Serbian state, is split into three compounds. It has ten towers, most of which started square, and several of which received many-sided reinforcements with the advent of firearms.
Golubac Fortress has had a tumultuous history. Prior to its construction, it was the site of a Roman settlement. During the middle ages, it became the object of many battles, especially between the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary. It changed hands repeatedly, passing between Turks, Bulgarians, Hungarians, Serbs, and Austrians, until 1867, when it was turned over to the Serbian Knez, Mihailo Obrenović III. The fortress has a distinction of successfully repelling over 120 attacks.
Golubac is two hours east of Belgrade and is a great example of a preserved fortress. We spent the afternoon climbing the ramparts and viewing the various exhibits. This is one of the nicest fortresses we have visited so far, and is just a great place relax and enjoy the scenery.
I have discovered my new guilty pleasure – Karađorđeva šnicla. What is this you ask? Karađorđeva šnicla is a breaded cutlet dish named after the Serbian revolutionary Karađorđe. The dish consists of a rolled pork loin, stuffed with kaymak, which is then breaded and fried. It is served with tartar sauce and french fries. No vegetables soil this dish, and it is so good. The pork roll is super crispy and the Kaymak cheese is soft and gooey. The french fries help to cut the richness of the cheese, and are excellent for sopping up the juices. I paired it with several glasses of Rakija as it seemed fitting.
Tim and Lopa’s Big Adventure – Ölüdeniz, Turkey
Our friends Tim and Lopa visited Turkey, so we joined them for part of their vacation. Ölüdeniz is a neighborhood of the municipality and district of Fethiye, Muğla Province, Turkey. It is a beach resort on the Turkish Riviera, at the conjunction point of the Aegean and Mediterranean seas. It is located 14 km south of Fethiye, near Mount Babadağ. As beaches go this is alright, the water was still warm and the color spans deep green to various shades of blue. I would hate to be here during peak tourist season, as the beaches were still crowded even in October. If you do visit, bring water shoes as the beach is entirely made of stones and they hurt when walked on.
The Brits love this place and their influence is everywhere. This is the first place outside of the UK where you can order a full English Breakfast and lobster-looking Brits abound; have these people never heard of suntan lotion or skin cancer? Also, unexpectedly, the Chinese have landed. I would say that a good 40% of the tourists were from China. Tons of single ladies who spend all of their time photographing themselves on the beach, near the water and don’t get me started with meals. I swear some of them spent more time taking pictures of their food rather than eating it.
By far the most popular activity is paragliding. For a mere $160 ~ $190 USD, you too can jump from a mountain, and as the Steve Miller Band sings “Fly like an Eagle to the Sea”. From morning to night, the sky is dotted by literally hundreds of gliders. What is even more crazy is that the landing zone is an active sidewalk, where it was typical to hear the glide-master yelling for the tourists to get out of the way. After having experienced Sky Diving and Hang Gliding in the past, I wasn’t tempted to try this but I will say it looked fun and with over a thousand people partaking daily it is a major economic driver for the local economy.
It was wonderful catching up with Tim and Lopa, and I was especially grateful when they delivered two bottles of Goslings Black Seal Rum 151 Proof. Yes, you read that right, it is 151 proof, and is the essential ingredient for the perfect Dark N’ Stormy cocktail. If you haven’t tried a Dark N’ Stormy yet, come on over for a visit, and I will baptize you into the brotherhood of inebriation.
Final Thoughts
Brenda, one of Eunjae’s longest friends, will be visiting us in Novi Sad this week. We plan on rolling out the red carpet and ensuring she enjoys the best of Serbian food, drink and hospitality. We will also take her to Budapest to enjoy the sights and sounds. Serendipity struck and it happens to be Serbia Fashion Week, so we will join the runway crowd to view the latest couture.
Our home renovations are finally completed and the house looks amazing. It should go on the market shortly and we are confident that it will sell quickly. Click on this link to see the pictures.
Soon we will visit America to see our friends for Thanksgiving and then change our residence to South Dakota. A lot will happen in the coming weeks, and we will share the interesting parts with all of you.