Danube Days in Veliko Gradište.

Danube Days in Veliko Gradište, Serbia.

July 2021.

The summer of 2021 was a really exciting one for Sladja and I. Slowly but surely all the inconveniences and hubbub surrounding the pandemic had begun fading to grey. As such, it felt like we were now on the cusp of a new era. Having recently had our second shots, we’d also started seeing a bit more of Serbia. Which, sure enough, had reawakened our wanderlust from its drowsy dormancy.

After fantastic trips to Novi Sad and Subotica, it was now time to head out on a grand cross-country adventure. Our mood was positively celebratory, not least due to the fact that this would be a joint birthday trip. What’s more, we considered it something of a pre-wedding honeymoon to boot.

You see, for various reasons we wouldn’t have time for a honeymoon after the wedding. A pity you might imagine, though in truth this was because we were going to be busy gearing up for three months living, working and travelling around Montenegro and Bosnia.

The first stop on our Serbia summer trip came in the tiny River Danube town of Veliko Gradište. We took the bus from Belgrade, which certainly opened my eyes to the hard lives that many Serbians have in rural areas. Indeed we passed through countless run-down towns and villages where the poverty people clearly lived in was impossible to ignore.

Danube Days in Veliko Gradište.

But there was also plenty of beauty along these rural landscapes. Not least with a series of lovely sunflower fields that sit in and around the nowheresville village of Beranje. Happily, I was able to grab a hasty snapshot of one such field through the bus window.

Our base for those first few days was in a wonderful boat guesthouse called Boatel Copacabana located just outside Veliko Gradište on the edge of a resort village called Srebrno jezero (Silver Lake).

The boatel definitely didn’t look like much from the outside. Not even the faintest hint of the Brazilian coast, you might be unsurprised to read. But once inside we were exchanging smiles as we took in our very cosy and modern double room with ensuite. Yes, this would be just fine after a day’s exploring.

Above all, our room came with a fantastic little balcony overlooking a fine stretch of the River Danube.

Boatel Copacabana.

It was so ridiculously idyllic we decided to simply settle in on the balcony for a few hours with a bottle of complimentary red wine provided by our host Bojan.

Before too long we were enjoying our first Veliko Gradište sunset. I have been lucky enough to see a lot of The Danube over the years during my time exploring Austria, Hungary and Slovakia. But I can wholeheartedly confirm that its section in eastern Serbia is the prettiest I’ve visited.

Post-sunset we threw on our shoes and set off on the short walk to the resort village at Silver Lake. Being summertime it was busy of course but not overwhelming as we made our way down the leafy main street with its many cafes, bars and restaurants.

Silver Lake itself meanwhile sits behind the street; a manmade creation dating back to the 1970s that exists as an arm of The Danube. Locals refer to it as “The Serbian Sea”, a playful reference to the fact that the country is landlocked.

Silver Lake.

A number of beaches serve the lake and its village. Although I imagine it can get horribly busy on summer mornings and afternoons, we found it rather lovely that evening. In fact, the day’s frolicking had clearly wound down as families and couples turned their thoughts to dinner.

As for our own dinner, from the sea of establishments on offer we took a chance on a joint called Kod Brke. The name is amusing in Serbian, as the word kod means “at” while brke loosely translates as “dude with a moustache”.

The place was a bit too chaotic for our liking. Everyone around us smoking and kids running amok. Nevertheless, we had no complaints about the food. Sladja went for a plate of grilled fish with mashed potato, while I devoured a slab of grilled pork with French fries. A plate of garlic roasted peppers (Belolučene paprike) rounded things off nicely.

The next morning we woke up early and enjoyed some sublime French press coffee on the balcony before heading out on a riverside trail walk to the town of Veliko Gradište itself. It was a forty five minute route that began right from the boatel and treated us to gorgeous Danube views just about every step of the way.

It was as perfect a summer’s morning as we could have hoped for. In that early part of the walk we passed through an immaculate hamlet of say half a dozen large gated residences. I’m not sure if these were local homes, summer homes, second homes or rentals, but it was all very swanky.

Exploring Veliko Gradište.

The entire lane was spotless with pruned hedges, trees providing shade to the stone path and the gentle sound of water running from a hose in one of the gardens.

Beyond the hamlet the trail widened into a long concrete path suitable for pedestrians and cyclists. As we progressed there was barely another walker, though a local lady on her way to town did clunk past us on a rusty bicycle.

The beauty of The Danube captivated us with its mesmerising blue-green azure and absolute stillness. Adding to its allure, we marvelled at the fact that the little communities huddled across the other side of the river were in fact not Serbian but… Romanian.

Here and there, the water around the banks became entirely suffocated by a multitude of stubborn floating leaves. Were they little water lilies? Or the less pleasant sounding duckweed, also known as water lenses or Lemnoideae if you want to get all scientific. 

Danube Days in Veliko Gradište.

We were drinking in this lovely vista when, quite suddenly, something delightful happened. “Is that a family of swans in the middle of the river?” asked Sladja, pointing towards a small cluster of bodies. “I think so” I replied. Then, much to our amazement, the swans spotted us and immediately bobbed over.

Mummy swan was magnificent, while her scruffy collection of cygnets had a cuteness of their own in addition to an obvious vulnerability. Upon reaching us they launched into a maelstrom of noisy snorts, whistles and growls. Which of course translated as “Come on, you’ve gotta have something for us in those backpacks. This Duckweed is rubbish”. 

As we got closer to town, Sladja and I stumbled upon several information boards celebrating the lives of Veliko Gradište’s most famous sons and daughters. There are some amazing success stories for a town that is home to just six and a half thousand people, seventeen thousand in the wider municipality.

The first board trumpets the achievements of locals who became award-winning olympians. One is a woman by the name of Slavica Đukić, who was part of the handball team that won gold in the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

Olympians of a small Serbian Town.

Furthermore, we greatly enjoyed learning about the colourful and controversial life of Žanka Stokić, considered by many the greatest Serbian actress of all time. Born in the town in 1887, a troubled upbringing saw her run away from home at the age of 14 to join a travelling acting troupe.

An exceptional comedic and dramatic talent, Žanka soon worked her way into various local companies before signing a contract with the Belgrade National Theatre. She eventually went on to star in over 100 plays and one film, a 1927 silent romantic drama called Sinner Without a Sin  (Grešnica bez greha).

Unfortunately, Žanka’s personal life became riddled with bad luck, tragedy, poor decision making and ill health. As a young woman she was beaten by various husbands and lovers. She also suffered from severe diabetes and depression.

At the end of the Second World War she was charged with collaborating with occupying Nazi forces. Having been found guilty, the court stripped Žanka of her national honours and sentenced her to street sweeping. A pretty light punishment all in all considering some of her acting contemporaries were shot for the same crime!

Danube Days in Veliko Gradište.

She passed away on the 21st of July 1947 aged just 60 following a period of poor health. Tragically, she had just been given the opportunity to revitalise her career with a new acting contract at the Yugoslav Drama Theatre.

Leaving the board behind, we pushed on with our walk until we reached the town centre and its tiny but incredibly pretty Gradski Park. Beautifully cared for, there is a small playground, well-maintained benches, stone fountains and painted birdhouses.

The park is home to a fine collection of statues and sculptures. And who was the subject of the first statue we saw? None other than Žanka Stokić, who I initially mistook for a Serbian soldier!

Nearby, we stopped to admire a statue dedicated to the life of a man called Vlastimir Pavlović Carevac. A renowned violinist and conductor, he founded and then served as the director of the National Orchestra of Radio Belgrade.

And of course there are the expected war memorials. One remembers local liberation fighters who died in the various wars for liberation and reunification between 1912 and 1919.

Gradski Park.

The other thanks the efforts of anti-fascist fighters who fought to defend Serbia against German occupiers in World War II.

One of the town’s most popular cafes, Kasina Kod Ajduka, sits on the edge of the park. Thus we decided to drop in for some much-needed rest and a round of thirst-quenching juices and coffee.

The service meanwhile was just fine and there was a chilled atmosphere across the cafe terrace as pockets of locals chatted idly between bites and gulps.

It was all so relaxing we figured what the heck, let’s take care of lunch too. A short while later two generous portions of Palačinke (traditional Serbian pancakes) arrived. One covered in crushed cookies and chocolate sauce, the other filled and indeed topped with cheese.

In truth there isn’t all that much to the town. But we still enjoyed a pleasant wander through its sleepy streets where the occasional mural adds some colour and character. That’s Vlastimir Pavlović Carevac again on the violin.

Danube Days in Veliko Gradište.

In due course our aimless stroll brought us to the peaceful Church of St. Archangel Gabriel, dating back to the 1850s.

The church was pretty enough, though it was actually the garden that stole the show with its abundant greenery, wooden benches and delicious silence.

Moments after this photo was taken we saw the cutest kitten padding through the grass. She was gorgeous and friendly, so we petted her for a bit until realising there were more kittens mooching around!

There were perhaps four or five kittens in total. Investigating the garden further, we came upon a local woman sitting up against one of the church walls. There were two kittens with her, one under her hand receiving a stroke, the other sitting on her leg. Along the wall, she had set out a number of food and drink bowls for her feline friends.

Queen of the Cats.

Back at the Boatel we got some much-needed air-con before sitting out on the balcony for another spell of Danube-gazing. Before dinner we set off on a short local trail for some new angles of the river.

Along the way we saw just one fisherman who made no sign whatsoever that he was aware of our presence. The trail petered out at the end of a somewhat precarious stone pier.

From there we stood surveying the glassy water and hazy hills. In the distance a bird suddenly swooped down in an attempt to scoop up a fish. But then rose back up seconds later with an empty beak. You win some, you lose some.

That night we took our dinner at Silver Lake again. This time at the giant Restoran Srebrno Jezero, which is also the largest hotel on the strip.

The food was decent if not spectacular, a light summery concoction of salad, fish soup and warm bread straight out of the oven. Washed down with a beer for me, a glass of rosé for Sladja.

So far the town and its surrounds had delivered handsomely. Now we were looking forward to crossing off two of the region’s most historic sites on a half-day excursion via private taxi. I’ll be sharing both of these locations over the next few weeks. Until then…

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