This post sees us drive from Nis to Pirot in Serbia via the awesome Sicevo Gorge featuring the Sicevo Panorama, Manastir Svete Petke Iverica and the town of Bela Palanka. Today marks the exact HALF-WAY point in the MAIN FEATURE of BALKANOPOULOS with Paris doing the entire trip of 102 days !!!
Sicevo Gorge is another eye-popping geographical feature and highlight drive and classic photo of our trip so far. It is a very tight and close second after PAVLOVA STRANA in Montenegro. The Sićevo Gorge is a river gorge in south-eastern Serbia and the most prominent geological and topographic feature formed by the Nišava River. The gorge is located between the towns of Bela Palanka and Niška Banja. It is 17 km (11 mi) long and 350 to 400 m (1,150 to 1,310 ft) deep, in some parts developing canyon-like structures. The gorge is cut into the Kunovica plateau, between the southern slopes of the Svrljig Mountains and the mountain of Suva Planina. The surrounding areas are known for their high-quality vineyards. The best place to see the most prominent features of the gorge is from a place called THE SICEVO PANORAMA, which is a wooden platform next to the soccer field of the town of Sicevo – breathtaking as you will see from the photos.
Manastir Svete Petke Iverica is a medieval Serbian monastery from the first half of the 14th century and has the strange honour of being the first and only military monastery in the Serbian Orthodox Church and was called the Royal Serbian Military Monastery "Sveta Petka Iverica". What the heck has the word “military” in common with “monastery” you ask? Well, the only Nun in the Monastery told us that senior military personnel from all ages would come here to pray and be blessed by the local Bishop before going into battle. This was especially the case during the Ottoman occupation and also occurred in Greece with special churches designated also as “military churches” – you can see famous examples of these types of churches in Kalavrita and Akovo in Greece. For this reason the Sveta Petka Iverica Monastery is classified as a “national monument” and looked after by the Serbian Government.
Pirot (Pop 40,678, Elev 367m, Founded 1183) is a small city near the border of Serbia with Bulgaria. It is rich in Roman ruins, most of which have been left to deteriorate. It was 39C when we visited so we limited walking time outside to the Fortress and downtown. The Fortress is very well kept and quiet compact. Downtown is not that great. A pedestrian mall with very few restaurants and cafes and many older decrepit apartments from the Yugo era.
This would be our last night in Serbia before crossing into Bulgaria tomorrow but we would be back in many weeks for a second visit to Serbia as we make our way back to Zagreb CROATIA for the conclusion of the Balkanopoulos Main Feature – enjoy the half-way point of our journey…
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