The more everyday life is dominated by the modern way of life, which necessarily carries a lot of stress and fast pace, the more people become eager to escape from it. As fast as they can.
Escape – But Where?
“Somewhere where there is no noise, pressure, stress. To a place where nature is untouched and people unburdened, but kind… Somewhere I can get away from city chaos, sirens, traffic jams, phone rings… We just want to feel peaceful”.
These are the sentences that people, overwhelmed with work and stress, utter most often. And everyone wants one thing: To take a little break and slow down their rhythm. At least for a couple of hours, one day, all weekend.
And when they get the answer, “Well, you’re not looking for anything impossible,” they remain confused, and their expression becomes full of disbelief…
For those who think it is impossible to find a piece of peace, close to the capital city and accessible for travel, right next to the asphalt road, we discover one beautiful place: Ethno Park “Avlija” in Glusci, in Bogatić Municipality, in Machva.
It is exactly 100 kilometers and about an hour and twenty minutes’ drive from Belgrade, by car.
As soon as you reach the Machva plain, the rhythm slows down. The pulse is waning, and the time does not fly by as in the city.
The asphalt road leads us straight to the destination. Do not worry about parking as it is secured in front.
This ethno park is actually a restaurant and accommodation complex enriched with the traditional traditional outdoor and indoor part of the exhibition.
Walking through the courtyard, the view falls on the tastefully placed exhibits: old irons, pots, carpets, stoves, sidewalks, pictures with motifs of country life, old wooden sink, old beds, weaving looms, ovens…
The scene takes us back two centuries, but the service you get is 21. century, no doubt.
Friendly and unobtrusive hosts welcome guests with a wide smile and always want to please you, and they know exactly how: food is divine, space is clean and tidy, the atmosphere is friendly, and a sense of peace created at the first step you take is the most valuable.
Beyond the restaurant area, there is another beautiful site: Meadows and guesthouses.
Within this complex there are three accommodation units, with six beds. We were there in the middle of July and what realy struck me was the feeling you get when you enter one of the guesthouses. Outside it is 40 degrees and in there – the most pleasant feeling in the world, and all with no air-conditioner!
Natural shade, thick walls – as it used to be, so no machines are needed. Each unit has its own bathroom and comfortable beds. Pure joy.
Yes, it is, a real straightforward grace. After a delicious lunch, you take a walk, and the heat tires you, but then you come to the guesthouse, the one without any air-conditioning, with fresh and clean air, it is nothing short of perfection.
So, as I get down on the bed, the only thing around me is – silence.
I forgot what it felt like, and I am quite surprised to feel it again… God, I haven’t heard this in a million years, I murmur, so even my own voice sounds weird when there’s nothing else beside it!
When there is silence in the city, the noise is necessarily somewhere in the background. This silence is different: dead silence. And so kind. It relaxes as the most efficient therapy.
Tip: Turn off your phone for at least two hours. It’s healing.
After a good rest, be sure to walk to the meadow where the horses, good friends of man, are strong and so gentle. They look at you with the purest eyes and eat out of your hand.
If you are with children, they will be especially pleased, and if they like jumping and swinging, the hosts have made swings and set up a trampoline.
Depending on how it suits you – this ethno park can only be reached for lunch or you can stay here overnight, with bed and breakfast, half board or full board.
This text is part of the project “Seven Wonders of Bogatic” co-financed by the Municipality of Bogatic.
(Come to Serbia)