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The day trip from Belgrade to Šumadija, Western Serbia has begun.
We hurtle again with our friend Toma on the new A1 highway South of Belgrade.
Our schedule again includes a few church visits, a bit of hiking (and accidentally a bit of splashing), delicious food, and interesting urban architecture.
The day trip from Belgrade to Western Serbia is easy hence the good road connections.
We made this trip already in 2020 and this article is translated from my previous article written in Finnish 4 pysähdyksen päivämatka Belgradista.
Šumadija day trip itinerary
- 13th-century cemetery and the temple of Saint John the Baptist
- Vraćevšnica Monastery & grave of the Baba Višnja & the museum
- Mount Rudnik & Borački Krš
- Medieval church of Archangel Gabriel, Boračka crvkva
- Lunch stop at the Mustang restaurant
- Kragujevać – the first capital of Serbia – architecture tour
- Šumarice Memorial park & Lake Šumadija
- Tips on where to stay overnight in Krakujevać
Day trip from Belgrade fast or slow
Unlike on our previous day trip wine tour in Valjevo, this time we don’t turn right at the Valjevo intersection, but continue a little further and exit the highway in Ljig.
We turn along road no. 22 towards the small village of Dić.
This road leading to the mountains used to be the main highway of the area.
It was far too narrow and caused many accidents.
We are also on our way to the cemetery, but fortunately not in a negative way.
With the new highway, the old one has become a peaceful and at the same time safe and scenic route.
Choose your pace, take it slow, or speed past the villages.
The Celtic-looking cemetery and the Church of the Baptist
Our first destination is the end of the 13th-century cemetery and the temple of Saint John the Baptist. Don’t ask me why this is called a temple, there are no colonnades in this church.
Tombstones in the yard remind me of runic stones. Many patterns seem confusingly familiar.
They are reminiscent of Celtic patterns and symbols. Some rocks have faces, literally carved into the rocks.
The villagers are still being buried in this same churchyard.
The small church, stone on the outside, whitewashed on the inside, also reminds me of Ireland or the Swedish island of Gotland.
The church is vacant but open to visitors.
If you wish, you can light a candle and leave a little money in the basket next to the candles.
Time to hit the road again
I could’ve spent all day photographing the tombstones. Toma has to order me back to the car as we are at the beginning of the trip.
We need time to see the other destinations we have planned for our day trip from Belgrade.
Bye-bye, ancient gods and other stone faces, we’ll be back to find out more about you.
The busy people of the postmodern age are now trudging forward in their tin box.
We get back to the highway the same way we came, since there is no exit at Dić, even though it is along the motorway.
We dive into a long, nearly kilometer-long tunnel.
When we get out of there, we’re already in the mountain scenery and heading towards the mountains.
Toma informs us that deer almost disappeared in these mountains during the Second World War.
Lately, they’ve been placed again in the region, and there is a ban on hunting in the area so that the population can strengthen.
The temple of John the Baptist glimpses once again on our right as we speed towards the next church.
Vraćevšnica Monastery
Medieval frescoes, furniture of the Royal family, and the resting place of the family’s progenitor. We have arrived at the courtyard of the Vraćevšnica monastery.
There are a lot of cars in the parking lot, even though it’s a weekday. During the pandemic, Serbians also found travel destinations in their home country.
A stone church stands out in the middle of the monastery area. There are an enormous amount of churches in Serbia, so they are often small. Like our previous destination, this one is also small and beautiful.
The church, completed in the early 15th century, has wonderful frescoes.
Photographing is not allowed in all churches, here I get permission to do so.
It wouldn’t probably have been necessary to ask for it separately, but it’s always a good idea to make sure in advance.
The baptism of two babies is about to start in the church. During the pandemic, only the closest family members are present.
We sneak out and go behind the church to light a candle.
Due to fire safety, a place has been reserved for candles in the stone wall of the courtyard, and they are not burned inside the church in front of the icons.
We will also visit the museum located in the adjacent building. In the one-room museum, you can see, among other things, the 19th-century furniture of the royal family.
The progenitor of the Obrenović royal family, the mother of Prince Miloš Obrenović, Baba Višnja is buried in the monastery yard.
And then we get lost
Toma has written down our daily program and route carefully, but the navigator leads us astray.
We continue to drive upwards and little by little the road starts to turn into a dirt track.
Our friend has a habit of making music compilations for our trips, and just when we’re ascending the mountain the music turns dramatic. I’m almost certain that Toma planned this in advance!
The situation is so funny that I film a short video of us driving a bumpy road.
I think I’ll need to find it and upload it here too.
What would suit the situation better than a piece of dramatic classic music?
Especially when we’ve got lost.
Quite clearly the road is heading up towards the mountain, but this could not possibly be the route we were aiming for.
And it isn’t.
Mount Rudnik represents the sceneries of the whole world
We’ll go back a bit and investigate the situation. The right way is found.
And finally, the mountain we’re going to climb.
Aah, after the immobility of the coronavirus year, mountain hiking!
Except that this isn’t even a mountain, but some sort of lava rock formation. What’s the difference between them..?
– During the Jurassic period, the earth split, and the lava plunged and formed that, well, formation. Jurassic period? The 13th century of the previous object was a bit more understandable.
Ah, well then. With everything.
At this point in the day, we don’t even know that we will experience many of the countries we have already traveled to. Again. Today.
As the scenery changes, we keep sighing that it’s like New Zealand here and this is like Japan. Ivana and Toma start asking us which country are we in now.
Fortunately, in the middle of our nomadic life, we ended up in Serbia, where you can find half the world in terms of scenery and quite a lot of different cultures, not to mention a long and versatile history.
It’s significantly easier to stay put while taking day trips when the whole world is a day’s journey away.
But now let’s hike the mountain, no, I mean the lava rock formation.
Borački Krš
Toma parks the car in front of another monastery church, quite close to the main gate, but we escape to the mountains.
The terrain is gentle, we’re walking on a dirt road, and even for the weight-gained-corona-lockdown people, the path is easy. We take it easy and sometimes stop to eat plum-like fruits from the trees. Culinary travelers, however.
Every-mans-right? Maybe not, but no one threatened us with a gun (like once when I was a child in Finland when I was found guilty of apple theft) and we followed the example of our Serbian friend.
We walk along the dirt road, but we don’t see any cars. If only they could even fit or be able to drive without getting caught in the bottom.
In any case, hardly anyone would want to dirt their car on this kind of trail. Not even their shoes, but you can’t always avoid it. We are now facing big mud puddles. We roam around them, treading carefully.
Hike …and take a dip
Ivana decides to jump over one and before we have time to warn, she is already lying lengthwise in the mud. It was not only her shiny white sneakers that got muddy.
A tenacious guerrilla doesn’t give up, even if the rest of us are laughing. So does she.
My blog’s hiking & swimming category didn’t originally mean exactly this, but apparently this too.
A mud bath like a mud bath.
But honestly, the route is really easy. For the whole journey from the bottom to the top – there and back – you only need to reserve an hour and a half at a leisurely pace.
Admiring the scenery and taking the obligatory selfies included.
Borački Krš is after all, just under a kilometer high.
So at first, we walk along the road, then through the field. Next, we move to the forest path and start climbing upwards.
Not terrible even for someone who has a fear of heights (me).
Except for the scenic spots at the top.
– Yeah, the rest of you just go to the edge, and I can take a group photo of us from here a few steps away!
It’s really a great place, yes yes!
Maybe next time I’ll dare to climb the steep, pillar-like karst rocks, like many braver ones seem to do.
However, you shouldn’t plan hiking here in winter. It’s slippery even without snow.
Ascending to Archangel Gabriel
We ascend – or slide – the path back down, through woods and fields, dodging mud pools – luckily or less so.
We eat more plums or similar and after a strange detour, we are back at the parking lot.
We don’t jump into the car just yet, but visit the medieval church of Archangel Gabriel, Boračka crvkva, in front of which we have parked the car.
This church is undescribable, go there to see the frescoes and to feel the atmosphere yourself.
Before entering, we make use of the water tap intended for watering the flowers in the cemetery and try to wash the worst mud stains from our clothes.
After the church visit, we continue towards the city of Kragujevac, which is only a tens of kilometers away.
Kragujevać – the first capital of Serbia
The history of human habitation in the area goes back some 40,000 years, what’d you expect?
Dealing with and understanding Serbia’s past would need a whole human life, so let’s try to stay in the present.
However, it’s quite difficult to explain Serbia without relating things to history.
Though an unnamed actress did try her best when she told in one of the most famous morning TV shows in the US that Serbia is “a country that is about thirteen years old”.
The Finnish proverb says “If you are given with the spoon, you can’t demand with the ladle”, freely translated as ten cents short of a dollar.
So let’s continue with the Serbian scoops and try to find out about this soup without mixing it up too much.
Now I’m getting hungry here, so let’s stop for lunch before learning more about Kragujevać.
Racecourse Mustang – what we’ll eat?
We park next to the horse racetrack. Are we getting some horse meat?
Ivana with her used-to-be white sneakers has already started to have enough of our walking tours. When the waiter at the restaurant Mustang tells us that there is no room for our group, Ivana fortifies herself on the terrace. She announces that she will stay there to enjoy some coffee while waiting for the table. – Just go on your city walking tour!
The stomachs of the whole group are already grumbling and to our delight, we get a table after a short wait. We are lucky.
Toma has been given a recommendation for the restaurant from a local culinary friend.
Praised as the best in the city, it’s rare to get a seat without a reservation.
We arrived here between lunch and dinner time and the place is still packed.
We later heard that our friends who visited Kragujevać for a couple of nights couldn’t get a table in the restaurant for the whole weekend.
So make your reservation in advance.
We don’t get horse meat this time, but heavenly good meat nonetheless.
Our sommelier friend, Toma, who is from the region, rightfully chooses the wine.
Kragujevać architecture tour
With 150,000 inhabitants, Kragujevać is the fourth largest city in the country.
Today, Kragujevać, known for its car (Zastava/Fiat) and arms industry, is not only the first capital of modern Serbia but also a place for the first constitution of the Balkan region promulgated in 1838.
We leave the car in the park again and go for a short walk.
We get to know the history of Kragujevać through architecture. One of my favorite hobbies too.
We are going to inspect the outside of the building next to the railway station, which is the first meeting place of the Serbian Parliament.
Other historically significant buildings
- The market hall of Kragujevać is one of the oldest in Europe, while the theater building is the oldest in Serbia.
- The old church built by Prince Miloš Obrenović was the first episcopal cathedral and court church of independent Serbia.
- Prince Mihailo’s palace is European-influenced in style, while the adjacent Amidža Konak, the residence of the court’s entourage, represents the region’s more oriental-style architecture.
- Those interested in the architecture of the socialist era should check out the town hall, which is said to have a relief created by a friend of Tito’s on the outer wall.
It’s easy to take over the city on foot. In the pedestrian areas of the center, you can find charming cafes and restaurants, as well as small shops for those who like to shop.
A day trip from Belgrade – or maybe an overnight stay?
If you don’t want to drive, Kragujevać can also be reached from Belgrade by train or bus.
A car is necessary for the other destinations of this excursion.
If you need a rental car you can compare the prices of car rental companies *here.
When you have more time than just a quick day trip from Belgrade or you are touring Serbia, Kragujevać is a good choice to stay for a night or two.
Accommodation – where to stay Kragujevać
- *Zelen Gora Hotel, located on the edge of the downtown pedestrian area, is a local classic.
- *Industrial 1853 spa hotel is one one the places we dream of staying a couple of nights. I imagine spending the whole day in saunas and spa treatments. A couple of our friends especially praised the cleanliness of the nice pool area of this hotel.
- *Woodland Resort seems like a cool combination of Bali and the Balkans. – Here’s one more new country memory for this day trip. If you are more interested in staying in the heart of nature than city life, you can find various accommodation and restaurant services around the Šumadija artificial lake, close to the city center. Woodland Resort is one of the best ones around.
- For travelers on a shoestring budget, there are also plenty of affordable apartments to book on *Booking.com for as little as 10-30 € per night.
Šumarice Memorial Park – remembrance of the sad history
If the lively university town of Kragujevać was glorious in the 19th century, its more recent history is less attractive and not very lively.
The Second World War is not easily forgotten here.
In the Šumarice park surrounding Lake Šumadija, there are about a hundred memorials to the Kragujevać victims of the Nazi massacre.
In the battles in the vicinity of Kragujevać, the partisans killed ten German soldiers and wounded twenty-six.
With Hitler’s mathematics of revenge, one killed German soldier justified the execution of one hundred Serbian civilians, and one wounded German soldier equaled fifty civilians.
The evil’s math was practiced also elsewhere, but the results only in Kragujevać were horrendous.
Nazis killed at least 2778 men and boys in Kragujevać in just one day, October 21st, 1941.
The basic school math is enough to understand that Hitler added some “bonuses” to his already sick mathematics.
A1 back to Belgrade
It’s time for us to go too. Fortunately, in a happy mood.
The day trip from Belgrade to Šumadija region has come to an end.
We have drinks on the terrace of Woodland Resort by the Šumadija Lake.
Ones for the road.
The driver is satisfied with coffee, even though he is the wine man.
At sunset, we take a walk by the lake.
Then it’s time to head back from the old capital towards the current one, our home Belgrade.
The light board above the new highway A1 is flashing
“Somebody loves you, please drive carefully“.
Been there, done that?
How about a Wine tour in Valjevo or taking a ride on a museum railway Sargan 8?