Last Saturday, I left the city to enjoy Serbia’s beautiful natural landscape. My friends and I rented a car and drove west to the small town called Ovča Banja to hike Serbia’s famous Kablar Mountains. The Ovča mountains are nearby, and the West Morava River separates the two mountains. This is where the name of the nature reserve comes from: the Ovčar-Kablar Gorge. The river twists and turns, and it looks really cool from all the way up top.
Do you know what a gorge is? A gorge is like a giant opening or deep valley in the earth, with steep, rocky sides. Gorges are usually made by rivers that flow through an area for so long that they carve away the rock and dirt. For example, the Grand Canyon is one of the most famous gorges in the world!
Since the 14th century, over 30 monasteries have been built in the gorge. Monasteries are similar to churches, except people (called monks) live together to pray, work, and study religion. Monasteries are usually built in calm, faraway places, like mountains or forests. Some monasteries are really old and look like castles or big stone buildings.
