Balkan Championship in orienteering

Do you like hiking in the mountains? Well, if you do, you will probably like orienteering.

The term represents a sort of sport – in it, the participants use their navigational skills, assisted by a map and compass to navigate in an unknown terrain.
The goal for competitors is to move from one predefine points to the other, and the first team or individual to reach the last one wins.

Balkan Championship in orienteering is an annual event that brings top team from the region, and this year, it will be held in Serbia, Jastrebac mountain to be precise. Jastrebac is located in central Serbia, near the cities of Nis and Prokuplje. Its well-forested hills and surrounding valleys are well known to aficionados of both hiking and mountaineering.

The opening day of the Championship is the 23 of October 2010, and it will last for two days. If you choose to visit Jastrebac in that period, you will have a chance to learn a lot about orienteering from the right people, and I bet there will be a lot of additional activities for non-competitors.

Find out more about the event by calling Serbian Mountaineering society on +381 11/2642 065.

Almasi and its traditional candy

We all know that dining is an essential part of travel, but sadly, small local deserts and other sweet snacks are usually off the radar, or at least don’t get the same amount of attention as the lunch-diner type of meals.

For most of us, when we crave something sweet, ice-cream and chocolate based treats from big international companies work just fine in any part of the world.

But, if you’re traveling to or through Senta, a small town in Vojvodina (northern Serbia) there is a place all you sweet toots shouldn’t miss, and it’s a candy store called Almasi (Almaši in Serbian).

Why is this store special?

Well, mainly because they specialize in production of marzipan.
Marzipan is a generic name for candy product based on almond meal – this store still makes them in the traditional way.

A single piece of marzipan weights around 30 grams, and has a very thick and sweet taste to it. They are formed in simple shapes like cubes or wheels and there aren’t many different flavors to choose between. It might not be trendy, but the owners stick to the traditional recipes. The price should range between 0.80 and 2 Euros per piece, but don’t worry – after few marzipans from Almasi, you won’t need anything sweet any time soon.

It’s almost guarantied not everyone will like the rich taste, but those who do will remember it for sure.

The address of Almasi candy shop is Sečenjev Square 3, Senta.