Niš Nightlife, Craft Beer, and Live Music

I feel a youthful beat of energy as I wander the streets of Niš, the southern and third largest city in Serbia. The city is rooted in history, stretching back many millennia with influence from the Celts, Romans, Turks, and Austro-Hungarians. Early today, I uncovered some of these influences and history through Nis’s food and […]

Discovering History In The Old Cellars & Lost Vineyards of Niš Serbia

This morning Natalija and I stroll through the city center to the Niš Fortress where we find a table under the trees at Caffe Pozornica near the amphitheater. It’s sunny, breezy and more and more people shuffle into the outdoor cafe as we sip our coffees. Moments later Predrag Jankovic joins us. Predrag owns this […]

Welcome To Niš, Serbia—A Long Tradition And History Of Delicious Food & More

I arrive into Niš, Serbia just as dusk disappears and streetlights illuminate the sidewalks and roads. Niš (pronounced like niche) with a population of just under 200,000, is Serbia’s third-largest city. Named after the Nišava River which winds its way through the city, Niš sits in southern Serbia and sits at the cross of the major […]

Walking Through Some Of The Oldest Vineyards In Serbia—Vinarija Vujic

Riding through the bucolic Serbian countryside, crossing rivers, flanking mountains, and drifting across valleys, it takes just over two hours to ride to Aleksandrovac. The small city is nestled into the hills which today are showing beautiful fall colors of orange, yellow and red. As I get closer to the city center, I smell the unmistakable […]

The Serbian Wine Renaissance: At Virtus Courage & Passion Help Lead The Way

I ride just over an hour, and after crossing the great Morava River, I get closer to my next destination Virtus Winery outside the town of Svilajnac, southeast of Despotika, near Vitezevo, a small village named after the medieval knights who there prepared to battle the Ottoman Turks—Vitez is the Serbian word for knight. I’m […]

A Vision for Serbia That Goes Beyond The Past: Vinarija Despotika

It’s brisk and sunny when I roll out of the Hotel Majestic garage. I’m heading south and will explore some of Serbia’s central wine region, then spend a day in Zupa in the south, before ending up in Nis, Serbia’s third-largest city. After about thirty minutes of riding the main A1 toll road, I dip […]

Belgrade Nights

Everyone tells me Belgrade is a party town or the “New Berlin.” So for the next two nights, I explore Belgrade at night. With fall weather moving in, I realize I haven’t made it as far on this journey than I thought I would. So while I would love to join the all night to […]

New Brakes, Belgrade BMW Bike Maintenance & Taxi Scam

It’s a mild, breezy and sunny day in Belgrade. It takes a few minutes to find the security guard to unlock the door of the garage. I push the bike past several buckets of paint and drywall mud and ride the short distance down the sidewalk promenade and let my GPS guide me to the […]

From Banker to Blogger: The Challenge & Opportunity For Serbian Wine (and it’s good)

Leaving is always tough. There’s ever the fear I missed something. I wonder about Novi Sad. Sadly, I cannot see and experience all the possibilities. Instead, I relish the memories and new friends made here in Novi Sad and move on—promising and intending to stay connected with all. I like this town. Tonight in Belgrade […]

Harvest Party On The Danube: Wedding Cabbage, Turkish Baths, Legendary Syrah

Mirjana and Lenka pick me up at Hotel Zenit just after 9 am. We cross the Danube passing through Petrovaradin and make our way around Fruska Gora and up into the hills, before dropping back down to the Danube in Stari Slankamen to the home of Milan and Snezana Spasic and their Acumincum Winery. Before […]