Donji Milanovac, Serbia, Lepenski Vir & Scenic Sailing: The Iron Gate

 July 31

We started with a short walking tour of this small but charming town. Set along the banks of the Danube River Donji Milanovac has been relocated three times because of persistent flooding. There were really only a few streets in the town. Our guide told us about the monuments from World War I and II and told stories of the town’s residents.

sail in - the building is Lepenski Vir in the distance

Our first stop was at the elementary school where we were taken to a classroom to learn a little Cyrillic, the official script of Serbia. Two students came in and told us about their interests and answered any questions the group had.

start of the walking tour

the school

student art in the hallway

our guide gave us a short lesson on the Cyrillic alphabet (Greg could have taught that class)

the boys answered all kinds of crazy questions the group came up with

continuing the walking the tour

The next stop was at the St. Nicholas Orthodox Church built in 1840. Where the church choir performed an a cappella singing performance. Very nice. 

St. Nicholas Orthodox Church

he introduced the choir

the choir entering

the men were hidden behind the tall women - there was a whole line of them back there

shot of the church (right into the sun)

We continued our walking tour and met for our next tour to Lepenski Vir. (same guides that we had in town)

I ditched the tour to run back and get a magnet I saw - it was just a short distance, but the guide said since we had extra time, he'd show us more of the town so it would run into the next excursion. There were kiosks set up in the square, but none said the name of the town, so off I went....

Our next tour was right after the walking tour meeting right in town. We had a different guide, but all of the guides did all tours that day. 

We chose Lepenski Vir as an option today. The Djerdap National Park stretches out along the Danube River and is famous for its sweeping views of the Iron Gate gorge, within which lies Lepenski Vir, one of the most important archeological sites in Serbia and the oldest planned settlement in Europe. The site was discovered in 1960, unveiling several pristine sculptures representing human figures as well as tools made of bones and stones, and settlement ruins. It was a beautiful drive to get there.

arrival at Lepenski Vir

It was right about here that Mrs. "I have to be first" decided to charge into me. I had been walking right along the far side of the path and she had been in the middle. I didn't see her veering sideways and forwards until it was too late. I tried to bolt forward out of her way, but I managed to clip her shoulder. She acted like it was my fault. Sheesh! (Cathy, you know the one)

We started by watching a short film on the discovery of the site and its findings. After that we visited the small museum and then the guide explained the ruins before giving us free time to walk entirely around it and visit the small gift shop.

the dig site

stunned hawk (it ran into the windows and was taken by the workers to recover - it flew away

walking back to the bus

From here we drove to the ecovillage of Kapetan Mišin Breg. It was an open-air art gallery with some very interesting pieces. We were greeted with honey brandy. We also had a sampling of some local foods. The owners had huge gardens, and most was home grown or locally made. The juicy plum was to die for. After taking in the views, we wandered through the upper gallery to get back to the bus for the scenic ride back to the ship.

arrival at the gallery

group entering the gate

owner serving us honey brandy

owner telling us about his garden

it was a lovely setting

views

After lunch we went topside for the views of sailing the picturesque stretch known as the Iron Gate. We went through narrow gorges through the Carpathian Mountains to the north and the Balkan Mountains to the south. Towering white limestone cliffs draped with forest. 

locals enjoying the riverside

cemetery

more campers along the river

tunnel through the mountain

where the road comes out of the other side

front of the ship

stairs to a cave

The Romanian Mracunia Monastery was also lost when the dams were built, and a new one was erected on the bank of the Danube close to the site of the original to commemorate it. 

On the Romanian bank is a carving of Decebalus, the last king of Dacia, who fought against the Roman Emperors Domitian and Trajan to keep his country independent from Rome. Carved between 1994 and 2004 at 42.9m high and 31.6m wide, it is the tallest rock relief in Europe. 

The Tabula Traiana (Trajan's Tablet), on the Serbian bank of the river is a Roman marble plaque honoring the ancient military road, built by the Emperor Trajan, that once linked Rome to the province of Dacia. This area was impassable by ships for centuries until Trajan built a canal.

plaque commemorates the final defeat of Decebalus by Trajan in 105, and the absorption of the Dacian kingdom into the Roman Empire

from the balcony

approaching the lock

A memorial to Tito overlooks the lock from the Serbian bank.

back on the balcony to see how close we were to the wall

magnet

magnet

Tonight, we had a unique dining experience called Taste of the Balkans. Sharing platter for the table of appetizers, then a platter of many different foods for each person and then a dessert of several different baklavas & more. What a feast! (though not everyone was pleased, we heard later) We shared a table with 6 people from Australia and it was a fun night.

For larger photos: 

Donji Milanovac. Serbia - Lepenski Vir & Sailing The Iron Gate https://photos.app.goo.gl/dX7WsGqActS224Dm8

Tomorrow, we visit Vidin, Bulgaria. We also had to set our clocks for a time change, and we lost an hour of sleep.