Today I managed to follow marked trails through oak woods, vineyards and hawthorn scrub, passing distinctive wine cellars with rounded arches traditional in the area.
Trails marked by "Tourist Triathlon" signs had been difficult to follow on previous occasions but I had been advised that following them from the signpost 100 metres before the Mokranje waterfall to the village of Rogljevo and then Rajac would not be too difficult. So abandoning my preplanned route I allowed myself to be guided by the signposts, using my compass and checking distances to make sure I was following the maps I had photographed of information boards. Success! I followed the trail through woods to Rogljevo. Just before the village I saw my first wine cellars or "pimnice" with their characteristic round, masonary arches.
The path from Rogljevo to the wine cellars at Rajac was marked with red and white waymarks as well as signs. It went through the little village of Smedovac passing curious but timid goats. Apart from one sign pointing the wrong way the path was easy to follow, passing vineyards and fields dotted with blossoming hawthorn. The path finished at Rajačke Pimnice, where there was a ghost town of wine cellars. I was before the tourist season, which starts in May apparently, although even after May only a small number of places would be open to passing visitors, although they are visited by organised tours.
At my B&B in Rajac at the Villa Milenovic my hosts were very friendly and helpful. It seems the village has far fewer inhabitants than previously as people have moved away to towns or other countries leaving many empty houses, some very old ones in need of restoration, some apparently abandoned and others smartly renovated waiting for their owners to return from working in far away places. The football pitch had been left to the sheep, it appears a team can no longer be mustered. They took me for a walk around the village, everyone seemed to know everyone. They pointed out some Hungarian police, sitting in a matt green Czech registered van, on the look out for refugees crossing the border. Rajac is Serbia but they pointed out the next village was a Vlach village. Vlachs are an ethnic minority in Serbia speaking a version of Romanian, their music was on the television that evening while my hosts fed me some lovely food - stuffed cabbage, a sort of corn porridge, battered peppers, some good white wine, rakia and coffee.
I will not eat so well for some time...
A gentle 16.9 kilometres walked today. A gpx file of my route can be downloaded from wikiloc.com or wandermap.net. The route can also be downloaded from my.viewranger.com as johnpon0029.
Trails marked by "Tourist Triathlon" signs had been difficult to follow on previous occasions but I had been advised that following them from the signpost 100 metres before the Mokranje waterfall to the village of Rogljevo and then Rajac would not be too difficult. So abandoning my preplanned route I allowed myself to be guided by the signposts, using my compass and checking distances to make sure I was following the maps I had photographed of information boards. Success! I followed the trail through woods to Rogljevo. Just before the village I saw my first wine cellars or "pimnice" with their characteristic round, masonary arches.
The path from Rogljevo to the wine cellars at Rajac was marked with red and white waymarks as well as signs. It went through the little village of Smedovac passing curious but timid goats. Apart from one sign pointing the wrong way the path was easy to follow, passing vineyards and fields dotted with blossoming hawthorn. The path finished at Rajačke Pimnice, where there was a ghost town of wine cellars. I was before the tourist season, which starts in May apparently, although even after May only a small number of places would be open to passing visitors, although they are visited by organised tours.
At my B&B in Rajac at the Villa Milenovic my hosts were very friendly and helpful. It seems the village has far fewer inhabitants than previously as people have moved away to towns or other countries leaving many empty houses, some very old ones in need of restoration, some apparently abandoned and others smartly renovated waiting for their owners to return from working in far away places. The football pitch had been left to the sheep, it appears a team can no longer be mustered. They took me for a walk around the village, everyone seemed to know everyone. They pointed out some Hungarian police, sitting in a matt green Czech registered van, on the look out for refugees crossing the border. Rajac is Serbia but they pointed out the next village was a Vlach village. Vlachs are an ethnic minority in Serbia speaking a version of Romanian, their music was on the television that evening while my hosts fed me some lovely food - stuffed cabbage, a sort of corn porridge, battered peppers, some good white wine, rakia and coffee.
I will not eat so well for some time...
A gentle 16.9 kilometres walked today. A gpx file of my route can be downloaded from wikiloc.com or wandermap.net. The route can also be downloaded from my.viewranger.com as johnpon0029.
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| Rajačke pimnice, these are wine cellars with characteristic round masonry arches |
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| One of the rooms in my B&B with a traditional bed and furniture |
Rajačke Pimnice is an old Vlach sttlement; they elevated the famous tombstones with decorations.
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