Do all life roads somehow and in an unexplained way lead to the roads, streets, squares, forests and meadows of childhood? It seems to me so.
In my case these roads always lead to Vojvodina. Are those the roads to places where we felt happy, safe and loved – the feeling only childhood memories can resonate with? Perhaps.
When I speak about things that make people happy, things that fulfil them, things they dream of, I realized recently that I can talk about those things more to my friends who are expats than to my fellow countryman and countrywomen. It seems that for the locals the simple Joie de vivre is somehow not a natural and easy topic these days or when I think more about it, pretty much last 10 to 30 years. It seems that speaking about joys of life is constantly shadowed by more serious and existential topics my friends here carry with them from dusk till dawn on their shoulders; being persistently worried about trivia such as how to buy a new washing machine of fix an old Fiat punto, how to find the money and bravery to finally move out from their parent’s flat and start living their own life at the age of 35+ or daring to say no to the dull Balkan habit of watching tv and discussing politics over a bottle of beer – I mean that ugly plastic 2 litters beer bottle – as the only affordable pleasure or a cheap way to become comfortably numb while the rest of the family members dream of a better life by scrolling the endless Facebook timeline posts.
Remember the lyrics comfortably numb from Pink Floyd’s song “The dream is gone I have become comfortably numb” (The Wall -1979)?
I spoke with some friends who moved from Serbia to Sweden 3 years ago. So, the most recent brain drainers and those who seek a normal life outside the borders of Serbia. They no longer speak about daily politics, lack of trust for institutions, corruption and minor existence issues – the mentioned washing machine and 20-year-old car that might be fixed one more time. But instead they speak about simple things like spending time together, reading some new books, riding their bicycles on weekends, picking mushrooms in forest nearby their house, listening to birds and exploring the nature in their surroundings. No more gloomy looks when you ask them how they feel.
So, where is the remedy for us who stay here on the “crazy” Balkans.
Seek shelter in nature and do everything in your power not to pollute it and destroy it. Ride a bike instead of a car whenever you can. If you can afford it, buy an electric one. Do not use so much plastic- glass is so much prettier, try to reduce consumption, reuse as much as you can and join one of many environment cleaning initiatives in the communities where you live- The feeling is so good!
Visit Vojvodina and turn the hectic Belgrade volume down! Whenever we drive to Banat I remember how we used to live before the 90s when I as a child who spent Summer school breaks in Vojvodina, used to eat so called “žuta supa“ (yellow soup) a warm chicken soup made from homegrown *Banat chickens with home-made „rezanci“ (noodles). My grandad Živa and I were famous in our family for our almost „crazy“ passion for a very warm „žuta supa“. I remember us sitting at the table during the 80s in Banat village Ferdin and my grandad sipping carefully the soup but the very next moment he says with disappointment to his daughter, my aunt: „You call this hot Maro?“ Please put the soup back on the stove and return it to us – referring to me and him, the super heroes of the very warm soup pleasures- „when it is properly hot, I mean really, really warm. „
Banat is a geographical and historical region straddling between Central and Eastern Europe that is currently divided among three countries: the eastern part lies in western Romania, the western part in north-eastern Serbia and a small northern part lies within south-eastern Hungary.
Yes, those were the days when life was treating us good, when true values mattered and simple Vojvodina food like chicken soup or “rinflajš” tasted good and children waited in their rooms on a hot summer afternoon to hear a bicycle bell ringing in the street calling the sleepy Banaćani to buy some ice cream being sold by a guy who rides a bike from the neighbouring Banat village Dobrica with two milk cans filled with frozen ice cream – vanilla on one side and chocolate on the other side of his bike. “Saved by the Banat ice cream bell” in its true meaning because the Summers in Banat can be very hot so the ice cream could literally save one’s life.
Visit Vojvodina these days – Autumn is so beautiful- the scent of old times is still in the air, the spirit of Austro-Hungarian empire is on every facade, in every neighbours greeting, in the charming smile of Vojvodina lady looking at you from her “kibicfenster” as you pass by the gentle pastel coloured Pannonian houses that passionately stick close to one another and lean on each other to fight “košava” wind more efficiently during cold winters. Explore the quiet little towns and villages of the Northern province, taste the amazing Vojvodina cuisine, look at the sunset from the famous Bač fortress or Vršačka kula, walk the streets who keep the memory of good times, ethnic tolerance and kindness to each other, good manners and meet the hardworking, tidy and disciplined people who live in Vojvodina. Or buy the handcrafted carpet made by the Weavers from Stapar village. You might hear the whispers of old times.
Rinflajš is a dish traditionally made in the province of Vojvodina – German word Rindfleisch meaning Beef. A whole beef brisket, which has been slowly simmered in a broth with carrots, bell peppers, parsnip, onions, parsley and cauliflower is usually served on Sunday with a side of vegetables from the broth as well as mashed potatoes covered in a tomato sauce made from slowly simmered flour, tomato juice, paprika and sugar
Autumn in Vojvodina offers so many unique experiences- from cultural heritage adventure to wine tourism- from spiritual journeys with so many monasteries who witness the history and tell stories of past times – to hedonistic “pilgrimage” looking for the best Vojvodina sausage or “paprikaš” followed by “štrudla sa makom” and similar sweet Vojvodina delights.
Autumn is the ideal time of year to explore one of many wine tours of Vojvodina because grape harvests are completed and you know that Vojvodina wines are known all over the world. Mt. Fruska Gora – The Serbian medieval Athos and Sremski Karlovci – town located on the slopes of Mt. Fruska Gora are a must visit because of their cultural and historical monuments, numerous wineries and natural beauty. We at DC have tasted recently the Sila wine in the Bajilo wine cellar or if you prefer the sweet dessert aromatic wine it is in Karlovci you can taste Bermet, the Serbian wine that was served on Titanic.
Text by Vanja Kovacev
“Invest in Vojvodina 2020” special edition