The village of fruit meant for the king’s dining table
Jelova Gora, Ribaševina, Gostinica, Karan, Gubin Do, Trnava, Tatinac
If healthy nature is a cure for the tired and those overwhelmed by duties, then the wood covered and preserved area of Jelova gora, in which village tourism is starting to develop, is the right place to be healed and cured. There one can find a kingdom of healthy forest fruits and centuries old trees, not far from Uzice, on a hill which is only a dozen of kilometers far from the urban areas. And there are more beautiful and fertile villages in the vicinity of Mokra Gora: Ribaševina, Gostinica, Karan, Gubin Do, Trnava and further to Tatinac and Užice, each of them appealing for an enjoyable country holiday.
A beautiful vacation area Jelova Gora has something that the other villages lack – spacious area covered with wild blueberry, which is a very healthy kind of fruit. Everything becomes blue here when the blueberry, which can be found only in higher, unpolluted areas, bears fruit. While it has disappeared in some regions, here this “forest beauty” has been preserved, probably because this area remained intact during the past decades. In the old times, here, upon being picked, this rare fruit was transported to the capital city, to the dining table of the king, and later even Tito enjoyed in the blueberries from Jelova Gora. Nowadays, by organizing an ethno-tourist event “Blueberry Days” a lot of effort is made to preserve this value and to promote The beauties of Jelova Gora which haven’t been popularized enough.
But Jelova Gora is not known only as the kingdom of this rare fruit, but also as the area with lovely houses and cottages, clear water streams, old water mills, perfectly clean springs such as Jovan’s water, the mountain paths…The hosts are ready to offer all they have to the guests: nicely arranged gardens which resemble the scenes from the filmed versions of the Russian fairy tales, everything is rich in flowers and fruit trees, and the fragrance of the pine trees is thrilling. Here and there, helped by the hosts who know the nature so well, the guests can pick the wild fruits and herbs and prepare different juices and beverages in the summer kitchen. Or they may tale a walk along some of the pedestrian routes, have a wonderful view from Konder, and fully enjoy in the colours and fragrances of the nature…
The village holiday in the nearby villages Ribaševina, Gostinica, Karan sis completely different from the mountain holiday spent in Jelova Gora. These are the villages located on the rolling hills, picturesque and fruitful, bent under the burden of the fruit. The village people are hard-working and vigorous,there it teems with healthy orchards and abundant vegetable gardens. The best supplies of fruit and vegetables have been coming from these villages since the earliest times. However, these tireless villagers find time for their guests, too, to show them the beauties and places of interest in this region.In Karan, for instance, there is the White Church of Karan from the 14th century, which remained undamaged during all the past centuries.
The original frescoes from that distant period can be found in it. In Ribashevina, there are two old water mills (the one of Vule and the other of Mika), fishponds with trout, and there is a viewpoint on the hill called Matijevica hill. As for the village of Gostinica, its very name tells of hospitality, which dates back from the Middle ages, when a lot of people who used to visit the White Church of Karan would find accommodation here. Nowadays, Gostinica is famous for its skilled craftsmen, the best blacksmiths and barrel makers, for the new church in Ceteniste, for which the foundation stone was brought from Lelic, and the memory of bishop Nikolaj Velimirovic is also linked to this place.
In these villages it is especially pleasant during the autumn days, when the orchards are full of fruit and the fields can boast of bountiful harvest. When it is season for swine slaughtering, the fat is rendered and cracklings are made, fresh meat is grilled and potatoes baked in the open fire. The hosts spend their days by the brandy still, making the brandy which is thought to be the best in the whole region, for it was made from the best quality plums, using the clean dishes and the traditional recipes. The housewives make different kinds of jam and preserves, they dry the apples, plums, walnuts to be used for compote… And all this is available to each guest, he can eat as much as he wants, take part in the household jobs, but also take back home what he has prepared.
These areas are still to be discovered and explored by the tourists, and those who come and experience everything, always return to these villages. Recently some painters from Russia stayed here, they created surrounded by the beauties of Gostinica, and found accommodation with the village household. In Gubin Do, each year there is an international colony of fine arts in memory of the artist Mihailo Milovanovic, and in Ribasevina the poets’ gathering. The beauty of the word and the painting is inspired by the loveliness of the landscapes…
