Visiting our family this Easter in Romania we realised we were quite close to the Serbian border, so we've prepared a plan to go visit our south - west neighbours.

Apparently you don't need a passport to enter Serbia, even though they are currently not part of the European Union, so having your identity card with you is enough at the border.

The line at the Serbian checkpoint was surprisingly high - with the Easter Holiday and all, we were expecting less drivers on the roads, but apparently many of us had the same idea.

Once we were in, we kept the road close to the Danube. Joining us were my parents-in-law, at their first trip outside the country, enthusiastic but also a little fearful. The grass is greener on their side, my mother-in-law quickly draw to the conclusion. But their roads are worse, my father-in-law added.

Serbia's nature is beautiful without doubt

Along the road you can see many green hills, "The boilers" of the Danube, the name people gave those bubbling waters between the Romanian and Serbian mountains, as well as the Romanian villages on the other side of the Danube and Decebal's rock sculpted face.

We first stopped at a small restaurant called Varnica, situated at about 50 km from Drobeta-Turnu Severin, where we crossed the border. The word for restaurant in serbian is restoran. (Not that good for Fazan games - just to make a small romanian joke :D). There was a serbian menu and a romanian one, and the waiters spoke both languages, so ordering and communicating was not a problem.



We stopped one more time after the restoran to take a bite at one of the many picnic areas you can find along the road, and in short time, at about 130 km from the border in total, we found the Golubac Fortress or as it would be translated:

The Pigeon Fortress





Nicely and newly restored (I think it opened up on 30th of March), the fortress seemed like a popular touristic attraction, with many serbians, bulgarians and romanians in the area. As my companions escalated the citadel towers I was lucky enough to find my self in a concert hall were I heard the most beautiful violin duo ever.

Wonderful!

If anyone is interested in the prices, we paid about 600 dinari (about 25 lei) per person for visiting the Fortress, and 200 dinari (8 lei) for a juice or coffee. 

Images don't do justice, so I encourage you to visit Serbia if you have the chance and see everything with your own eyes. I'm sure you will find it surprising.