A slice of serbian culture at Alex's 18th birthday party

The make-shift tent for 400 guests

The long table / the official photographer/videographer / a kid running out from the kitchen

Welcome to Cacak, a quiet and peaceful town where I witnessed a big 18th birthday celebration of Ivan's first cousin, Alexander last weekend. I have seen many celebrations similar to this in Manila but nothing compares to Serbia's long list of traditions so this is one occasion that's really worth sharing. I actually thought it was a small low-key gathering until we got there.

400 guests is a rather large number!

I was not only astonished by the size of the party but also by the fact that certain Serbian traditions are just lovely to share!

Serbians give 3 kisses on the cheeks as a custom! Here, Alexander greets his guests at the gate one by one!

Just for trivia records, cheek-kissing people do over here with friends and family. Doing it with acquaintances upon meeting means you are friends. This is also true for men to men. One reason I think why most Serbian men I know are highly-sensitive people. When Ivan meets old male friends on the streets, for instance, I can't help but smile when they give each other 3 kisses. It is a treat to see men respect each other in that way without thinking of it as ridiculous. In another place, other men would probably gonna die in annoyance just thinking about this whole kissing thing...

But here, basically, it is culturally normal :)

Serbs dancing KOLO, a traditional collective folk dance; relatively the same as Hassapiko of Greece (at least to me)

For drinking (the reason why we all like to party), the choices are kafa (coffee), pivo (beer), water, juice, cola, and of course, and their very own rakija.

Overflowing rakija

Rakija, Serbia's national drink is too strong for me. I always describe it to be as strong as tequila. And since they drink it pure, one shot is always enough for me. It is home-produced, so every household (literally) always have it. At Ivan's country home for example they have maybe 3 gigantic barrels of rakija stored.. Phew! O.A. diba?!

The gift table manned by Katarina

And just like on weddings, large monetary gifts are bestowed on the celebrant by families & friends. There would be a gift table, with one person manning recording everything. So when you come to a party, this is initially your first stop. According to Ivan, 50 euros is appropriate, unless you are fabulously wealthy.  Big investment = yes! But if you do the math, it's really not bad :D Brilliant, eh?

Alexander, Mira, Ivan, Diana & Katarina

Srećan Rodjendan, Alexander!!!

or

Maligayang Kaarawan sa iyo!!!

Thank you for this day of cultural immersion :D

Tara na sa TARA!!

A title inspired by my friend's comment on my facebook status when I posted yesterday that I was going to the famous TARA mountain. "TARA" is a filipino expression for "Let's GO"!

Alex, on top of a huge rock pretending to jump off the cliff. Afternoon sun at TARA Mountain at around 230pm!

We planned this trip earlier this week, since they knew how we enjoy roadtrips to Zlatibor 2-3 times a week if we can. There was really no plan. Except to spend some quality time with Mother Nature, to have a couple of beers, some good music to listen to in the car, and carry a swimwear!

The beautiful lake! Serbia does not have a seaside thus people spending their summers swimming in rivers and lakes!

The boys: Ivan, Marko & Alex

The 3 of them racing  :)

Fully-clothed--yes!! ME lying on the rocks cause I don't have the nerve to swim in a lake!! :p

It takes about 2 hours to reach the lake from Uzice. Quite a long zigzag drive, but the view is entertaining. There are a few stops for coffee, a little bit of shopping, but nothing very touristic like Zlatibor. Many (like Marko) prefer Tara over Zlatibor mainly because it's not over-hyped. I like both. And i think most people do, it can brighten up yet any miserable day. We made stops as much as we could, then carried on until it was late.

We even made it into the wilderness.

With Pogi :)

And just when were walking into the deep forest, I asked "So, what is special about this place?"

Surveying first my curious face, Ivan then said in jest "This is where serbians kill little filipinas"!!!

Hahahaha, o-k-a-y, bad joke!! :))

The peak of Tara Mountain

The sun was still up but there was perfect breeze that was so welcoming to tourists!

 
I am running out of superlatives to describe Serbia now. It's been good 2 months so far! Typically, we wait for sunset before leaving,  but this time we had to rush back home for a client presentation. Nonetheless, it was another adventure. And I have no doubt that I am more at peace with myself now all because of the trips we've made to the mountains! It's the best therapy I should say, better than coffee & shopping!

>> Up coming blog will be about summer fashion in Uzice!

a blessed sunday

watching kids play during sunset up at Zlatibor Mountain

Today I heard my 1st catholic mass in serbian. In a small church of not more than 20 people w/ 9 kids and 9 adults (including me & the priest). A service that ran for 1 hour in pure serbian language. A service that was extraordinary for the kind of mass I grew up attending. But probably one of the most meaningful masses in my life. I felt blessed right in the beginning of the day.

And the rest of the day we spent exploring our favorite Zlatibor area. A 30-minute ride from Uzice.

more than 1,000 meters above sea level. this was at the ski center, in an open cable car!

the view on top of the hill after the cable car ride

If there is one thing we enjoy doing recently aside from photography, that is to take roadtrips, and watch the sunset. If we could do it everyday up on a mountain, we probably would. We have high moments in the car, but most of the time, we are both quiet, enjoying each others' peace.. and that's always the best part!

People-watching is my favorite. And my favorite lens for that is 105mm macro. Always sharp.

Ivan has taught me (since the first time I met him in 2008) to appreciate nature, and to love what is free. Today, and everyday I am thankful for everything, but most especially for our energy to enjoy life!

watching the sundown from the Zlatibor mountain

Pretty much in raw format,  using Nikon D7000 + 70-200mm; i increased brightness a little bit on my face. Purple orange sky all nature's work!

Last night in Zlatibor, the sky was MAGICAL.

I had one of my most intimate talks with my GOD while enjoying the sundown.

We did a time lapse of the sunset using my Nikon D7000 and when we find time we will edit & upload soon!

Serbian KAFA

I'm in Serbia enjoying my vacation. But the best part of it all, aside from loving the nature & loving Ivan's family is: serbian coffee.

Coffee in Serbia is very similar to turkish coffee, if not the same. It's called "KAFA". 

Thanks to my mom who introduced me to coffee at a very young age. I was in grade school when i started drinking coffee for breakfast, and after dinner sometimes. But just instant, nothing grand. And even before Starbucks came to Manila, I was already a fan of cappuccino. And when Starbucks came, I became a consummate coffee addict even more. And then I got sick of Starbucks and shifted to Select's Nescafe Freeze, which later also reached to an obsessive point :p

I enjoyed cruising in Europe for many many reasons but one of them is because they serve the best coffee in the world. Italian cappuccino, the .80 euro kind is probably my favorite. Even the ones you get from vendo machines in the middle of terminals and train stations-- panalo!! Later in Istanbul, I discovered the famous "turkish coffee" and then Ivan told me they have the same kind of coffee.  In my head, I said YEESSSSSS!!

Over here, it's a custom to drink it with family and friends everyday. People meet for coffee. I think people live for coffee. Every corner stands a coffee shop. I can live here if only for their coffee.

But some days like yesterday it's more than the usual. Stojanka made it a little more extra special. I cleaned the house and as a reward she prepared chocolate ice cream with coffee. She mixed the two... and voila!!!!

serbian cofee with a lot of choco ice cream!!!

It's now my favorite pick-me-up treat!!! Try it!!

"Fruits of Labor"

July & August are the months for wild harvesting for blueberries! It's a serbian tradition to pick and turn them into jams for winter. Oh no... Winter is coming :p

It took us 30 minutes by car from Uzice to go up the mountain & find the site for those yummy blueberries. They naturally grow in the forest and hills. The site we found was not owned by anybody. It was a little wild. High bushes left & right. And I was pretty glad to be in my boots that day.

I only know of blueberries because of blueberry cheesecake (I like the crust, not the berries). Not a fan of fruits myself before I came here, I'm actually enjoying eating them lately. And fruit-picking is really fun! And since I'm the competitive type, I was trying to beat everybody with my speed. Hahaha!!

We ended up filling 5 containers!! YEY!

Next up... how to whip my own version of blueberry cheesecake! :)

-- Me, Ivo, Slava, Stojanka --

And what could be a better reward for the hardwork----- Of course---- A PICNIC FOR LUNCH!!

This was how we spent the 1st part of our Sunday Morning! 

Eating fried rice, fish, eggs, bread, cheese, yogurt, ensalada & Stojanka's yummy dessert w/c has no name!       

I LOVE FAMILY DAYS! :D