Godspeed to Olympos, Mon, 04 Sep 2023 | written by Simon
Simon at a Temple, Waterfall in Europe, Serbia

  • Miljkov Monastery
  • Miljkov Monastery
  • Miljkov Monastery
  • Miljkov
  • Dobreš monastery
  • Zlatenac
  • Zlatenac
  • Radošin
  • Zlatenac
  • Radošin
  • Radošin
  • Saint Sava
  • Tomic monastery
  • Tomic
  • Jakovic
  • Manasija
  • Manasija Monastery
  • Manasija

Today I discovered why you shouldn’t sleep by a monastery. They very much still ring the bells for prayers at 3am, and then at 6am, and then at 7am, and then at 7:20am… next time I will probably park and a few hundred meters away.

The monastery I slept by, Miljkov Monastery, was named so after the merchant who rebuilt it after it has been destroyed numerous times as the Serbians, Ottomans and Austrians conquered these lands. Interestingly, they’re just building a new church here, so I could not only see the old monastery church but also watch the new one being built. I got a tour of the new construction site from the workers clearly proud of their work, and then the Mother Superior of the convent gave me a tour of the old church. Between her Serbian and my Polish I managed to understand a fair bit, including that my hair colour is dreadful and that I can’t make the sign of the cross properly, the Orthodox way. She taught me though, three and two fingers joint, remember. They have surprisingly many little relics here, and I had to kiss quite a few paintings on the way to show my devotion, while wondering how the spread of COVID turned out amongst devout Eastern Christians.

As I drove on, the asphalt road ended. At the Dobreš monastery I was met by a pretty vicious dog only.

I moved on, trying to find the right way as at this point the roads were no longer marked on Google Maps I had to rely on satellite photos and vague sense of direction to find my path. I was also wishing that the Baron was a 4by4, as going uphill on gravel is pretty hardcore. But he managed. I’m proud of him.

There were dogs in the Zlatenac monastery, too, but they were very friendly. I couldn’t see any people though, despite the fact that a couple cars were parked here. At least some goats looked out of a barn to say hi. Fortunately, the church itself was open so I could just let myself in. And even better – they had an open toilet, so I could finally shave! This monastery is placed right above the Great Morava River, so I walked down towards it. The dogs decided to keep me company. I wanted to take a swim and wash a bit, but the water is so muddy that it looked like I would walk out dirtier than I was.

Next, I drove Monster Radošin. It is another female monastery and just as I was walking into their church, one of the nuns was starting a prayer. It was funny to notice a satellite dish and lots of bottles of wine and the living quarters. Incidentally, the internet is patchy on the way between the monasteries, but once near them, it’s lightning-fast!

On the way to the Tomic Monastery I found a church that looked work visiting – St Sawa. I got someone to open it for me – it’s just amazing how richly decorated all of the orthodox churches are on the inside! Every centimetre is covered in colourful frescos. I think that fresh frescoes are one of the most interesting things to see here – I’m so used to seeing frescoes that are worn, aged and falling apart, but in here all of them are so new! And no wonder, as most of those churches would have been destroyed and rebuilt after the Ottoman invasions, in the 19th or 20th century.

The Tomic Monastery turned out to be hard to find. The road that Google led me through turned out to be impassable for vehicles. I obviously did not realize that until I drove about 100 meters in and realized that I just cannot go any further. Nor could I turn. Reversing through a very narrow and overgrown path was quite an adventure. I tried to find another road I could drive down but at some point just gave up and decided to walk instead. To be honest, walking down through a narrowing and turning into a completely overgrown path, I was losing hope that I will ever find the monastery. But then, the view opened up. Boy, was it worth the treck! Not only was it super beautiful, with the most stunning little garden and the most well-kept grounds of all the ones I’ve seen so far – I was also given the best welcome! At the beginning, I was worried that they will throw me out because the main gate was closed and I arrived from the back road – but no! Instead, the nun that came out opened the church to me, gave me a tour, and then offered me a coffee. As I was sitting there, a middle-aged couple showed up. Between their Serbian and my Polish, I understood that they are here for religious reasons, seeking guidance. As we started chatting, the nuns followed the coffee with delicious apple pie done in a Serbian way, with something that resembles a French pastry. What a delightful adventure!

The Jakovic Monastery was next on my way, but it was closed and it seemed there was nobody there. But the next one, Manasija Monastery, was quite a gear change. After all the tiny monasteries meant for maybe a couple dozen inhabitatants and lost in the forest by the river, this one is a real beast. Massive stone walls, large church, visitors centre… It’s definitely impressive, though I do think that some charm is lost with size.

To end the day, I visited a couple waterfalls. Krupaj is wide but low, and has an amazing azure blue water. I had my late lunch there, dangling my feet over the water. I adore the lack of security here – walking on planks thrown over the water, jumping onto platforms – that’s a place for Simon!

But the Veliki Buk waterfall, tall but thin, turned out to be a complete Simon-paradise. I didn’t realise that at start, since this is quite a tourist destination. There are dozens of hotels and cafes around, and one guy I met told me that over the weekend they had hundreds of people doing some run up and down a nearby hill. But now it’s Monday late afternoon and there is nobody there.

Nobody there, but a waterfall, with its delightful cold water just asking me to…

Yes. Of course I did.

  • Krupaj waterfall
  • Veliki Buk waterfall