Thrilling visit to Studenica Monastery in rural Serbia

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This was the first full day in the town of Kraljevo, Serbia for Masayo and I. My BG had been 340 the night before, and I took a bunch of Humalog to get it down. It worked, a little too well. I was 65 when I woke up today.

We went to the buffet breakfast in the hotel, which was made of lunch meat, bread, and cereal with milk (and coffee). It was good but not too big.

We wanted to go see Studenica Monastery, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site about 80 minutes out of town. The internet was very sketchy about public transportation there; most people seemed to have their own car, and the official websites were of no use.

So we thought we would forge ahead as best we could. First, we went to the bus station and got tickets for a bus down to the town of Ušća. The ride was nice — lovely mountains and a nice river the whole way — but there was garbage everwhere. That’s one of the most noticeable aspects of Serbia: people seem to dump huge quantities of trash anywhere and everywhere, as if it were a hobby. It’s pretty crummy, and really ruins the landscape. Who gathers trash and throws it into a river? Must be the same people that buy cans of spray paint and write all over buildings.

We got off the bus at Ušća, and I tried to ask our driver about getting to Studenica (which is down a smaller side road, where this bus wasn’t going). He pointed to another bus across the lot, a smaller green minibus. I read on one website that there was a bus at 11:45; this must be it.

We ran to catch it, but the driver said no, the bus we wanted was leaving at 12:30. So we had an hour to kill. A schedule taped to the unstaffed bus kiosk seemed to indicate that there used to be an 11:45 bus but it has been discontinued.

We went to a bakery and I got a coffee, while Masayo ate some burek. Finally at the time, we went and found our bus, which was indeed waiting.

We got on and the driver was asking us for our ticket. Well, we didn’t have tickets because the kiosk was unstaffed; we figured we’d just buy them from him as usual. He seemed perplexed a little, then gave up and motioned for us just to get on, without paying. Really? Yes. Thanks!

We got on, but the bus was full of kids and there were several of us crammed in the aisle. We started up the small, winding road, where the monastery lies 11 km ahead. Some kids got off at various stops and soon we had our own seats.

In 11 km we arrived at Studenica and got off the bus, thanking the driver for his kind choice to let us ride for free. The stop is just a bend in the road, with a market and a restaurant, and a sign indicating that the monastery is up a small hill.

We went to the monastery, where there were no other tourists, and where there is no admission fee. It is a small collection of religious buildings in a little courtyard, with a large church dominating the center. It was really quiet and nice, and well-kept.

We went in the church and there was a guy inside — he spoke English, and apparently worked or lived (or something) there. We gave us a little mini-tour, and explained the history of the striking frescoes that covered the walls. Many were painted in the 12th century, and though damaged by an earthquake and by subsequent visitors, they were still colorful and well-preserved. That’s why it’s a UNESCO site.

We took a couple photos before the guy told us we weren’t supposed to, so I didn’t get to get photos of everything I wanted. I don’t understand the no photos rule in some places. Nor the “photos ok, but no flash” rule. Do camera flashes really damage stuff?

Anyway we walked around the rest of the compound, looking all the buildings and soaking up the atmosphere. My BG was 87, and I took a photo with the church in the background. The ride back down the 11 km road to Ušća wasn’t until 6 pm, so we had about four hours to kill. We decided to get something to eat.

The restaurant (or “kafana”)on the main road was open, and again we were the only customers. I got some thin meat soup with bread, chocolate crepes, and a beer. It was pretty good.

Masayo had said, much to my surprise, that she wanted to walk the 11 km back to Ušća. It wasn’t like her, and I was surprised she was suggesting it. But waiting another three hours in this bend in the road was very unappealing to her. I agreed and had to factor that into my shot: a long walk directly after a shot was not my idea of fun. I calculated that under normal circumstances I’d take 8 units of Humalog for this meal. Because I was only 87 and we were going to be walking, I took only 4 units.

And we started walking.

I was nervous from the outset. I had a bottle of juice and two candy bars with me, but for 11 km (about 2 hours of walking) there would be virtually no civilization, just a quiet mountain road. And I just took my shot. Since I inject in my legs, walking absorbs my insulin faster than anything.

So I became paranoid about it, fretting with every step. After half an hour I checked, and was 135. Not bad, but I started sipping juice to make myself feel better.

The walk was nice — the quiet farmlands and views of distant hills was nice. A car passed every 10 minutes or so. I kept sipping the juice, but gradually began to feel ok about the endeavor.

The bus we wanted to catch in Ušća back up to Kraljevo was leaving at 5:20, and it was getting dark as we finally arrived to the outskirts of town. We had to pick up the pace since we were going to just make it.

We walked/ran the last part to get to the bus stop in time, but there was no bus. Masayo asked someone in a small kiosk, who indicated that the next bus was 6:30. It was only 5:22, but apparently the bus had left early (or something) and we had another hour to kill. We were already tired, and it was dark, and our hearts sunk.

We sat in a park in the middle of the “town”, and I checked: I was 161. Not bad BG management there!

Suddenly, a bus pulled up, and we wondered if it may possibly be going to Kraljevo, even though it was only 5:45. We ran towards it, and someone on the sidewalk noticed us and told the driver to wait. I jumped on, said, “Kraljevo?” and the guy said yes. Wow! We didn’t have to wait until 6:30!

We got on and sat down, and the guy came and took our money for the tickets. It was cheaper than the trip down had been. An hour later we pulled into Kraljevo. What a day!

We didn’t want to fuss for dinner, so we went to the Sarajevo-style ćevapi place downstairs from our hotel and got ćevapi in pita bread, plus a beer, to eat in the room.

My BG, though, had suddenly risen — to 323. I didn’t know why. The juice finally showing itself? Hours later? I didn’t know, but I took a large shot for it and the food. We watched the State of the Union address from last night on the internet.

I felt ok later, and was expecting good things when I checked my BG at 12:30. Wasn’t I in for a shock: 432. The highest BG of the trip so far.

It’s funny, when I’m in the upper 200s or 300s, I feel high. But often, my rare forays into the 400s often feel fine. I don’t know why.

Anyway this one shocked me. Why so high?? It wasn’t the carbs I’d consumed. As I took a 5-unit Humalog shot, I thought of the ill-timed 11 km walk that day. It must have something to do with that. It would probably have been better to wait 30 or 45 minutes after my shot to start walking. But the bus schedules didn’t lend themselves to that. I guess I should have eaten before seeing the monastery.

So that was a bad end to a good day. Hopefully things will be better tomorrow morning, but a 400 can be hard to completely overcome.

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