Far Left: Palace in Budapest
Left: Wine Cellar dating back to 1940’ s
Below Left: Face of Dacian ruler carved into rocky cliffs along the Danube
Below: Plum Brandies, stored in exquisite handpainted bottles in shapes of musical instruments.
protection from invading troops during World War II. Winery owners showed us vintages dating back to the 1940s.” Travelling through Iiok, Croatia, Jennifer said everyone marveled at the pastoral landscape.“ There were vineyards and fields of sunflowers in every direction, literally as far as the eye could see.”
Serbia
While in Serbia, the Tates visited the capital city of Belgrade. They strolled through the Belgrade Fortress and Kalemegdan Park, located high on cliffs above the confluence of the Danube and Sava Rivers. The park is dotted with fountains and the famous national monument, Pobednik“ the victor,” which commemorates Serbian victory in the Balkan Wars and World War I.
They also saw the Cathedral of Saint Sava, one of the world’ s largest church buildings.“ You don’ t see many churches in parts of Europe that were once under Communist control,” Jennifer said.“ The marble and granite exterior of this domed cathedral is a lovely landmark on the Belgrade skyline.”
The riverboat AmaPrima cruised quietly through the Iron Gate, or Gate of Trajan, which is actually a series of gorges in the Danube that stretch for about 80 miles along the border between Serbia and Romania. Along the shore of Romania, known in ancient times as Dacia, the face of a Dacian ruler and hero named Decebalus is carved into the rocky cliffs above the river. Decebalus stubbornly resisted Roman Emperor Trajan in the 1st Century AD, but it wasn’ t until the 1990s that the carving was made.
The Tates also got their first taste a traditional Serbian libation,“ sljivovica,” or plum brandy. Ripe plums are stored in barrels for a couple of months, and when autumn rolls around, the fermenting fruit is boiled in a still. The condensed vapor is captured in oak barrels and aged anywhere from six months to several years.
“ Every family makes plum brandy according to their own family recipe,” Jennifer said.“ When Serbs get together and someone brings out the plum brandy, plan on staying for four or five hours and enjoying good food, good conversation and good brandy. It is potent!”
“ To refuse a shot of homemade brandy would be unforgiveable. Instead, you smile, raise your glass and say“ Zivili,” sharing a toast to life. Serbian families are known to bury a keg of plum brandy on a couple’ s wedding day, and dig it up on the day their firstborn child arrives.”
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GILROY • MORGAN HILL • SAN MARTIN SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2015 gmhtoday. com