There is an unusual event of welcoming a New Year in Macedonian village Begniste (Бегниште­) on every January 14^th. A sense of pagan times revives, and if you happen to be there you will see people with beards made of goat hair, dressed in strange clothing belted with heavy bells. One man is always dressed in white and he represents a New Year, while there is also another one dressed in black that represents a year that is behind. This living pagan ritual called jolomary (џоломари) is not very well known, but is extremely interesting to see. So on January 14^th, village Begniste is where I like to be. If you speak Macedonian you can read more about jolomary here.

        – Aleksandar Elenin

A place of wonder it is, the town that I live and work in. And I am not the only one with a unique strong feeling for Gjirokastra. There has not been a single visitor in Gjiro that I have met without vivacious impression. But only few were lucky enough to witness a snow in Gjirokastra. Snow is magic by itself, and it always gives new dimension to everything. Of course to daily life too, traffic jams, lack of electricity and so on, but when I look through my office window and see the view, it all goes away. Time disappears and suddenly, Gjirokastra is a main character from a fairy tale.

– Elena Mamani

I don’t know what view is more appealing to my heart. When I am on the fort and look down on the Danube or the other way around. Petrovaradin fortress is a brick construction, built for military purposes in XVIII c. Fortification is covering surprisingly wide area, but a lot of it is not recognizable since a big part of it is made of underground tunnels and magazines…

Nowadays Petrovaradin is one of the favorite places of Novi Sad citizens. I am one of them; in fact I have always liked it so much that I've chosen to live in Suburbium, the Lower Town of Petrovaradin Fortress. Even the cold weather, snow, wind and frozen Danube are not stopping me to explore it and enjoy in it.

Even though Novi Sad and Petrovaradin are so close to one another, do not be mistaken to think it is the same town. Petrovaradin is older and has more vivid history. Novi Sad started as a trench of Petrovaradin fort. A proud inhabitant of Petrovaradin will emphasize its own roots and how atmosphere in Petrovaradin will always be different from the one in Novi Sad.

– Bojana Karavidic

Growing up I lived across the street from Kalemegdan Park, but I grew up in the fortress. It was the 1980s and large portions of the fortifications were neglected and overgrown with vegetation – the perfect setting for adventures. I met my three oldest friends exploring the underground chambers and peering into sarcophagi. Time has moved on. The fortress is better maintained these days, and adventures have given way to a more organized life. My knowledge and understanding of history has improved a lot too. Kalemegdan is still there, only these days it’s the place where I walk my dog and go running. But its ramparts and moats tickle my fantasy as much as they always have.

– Vuk Tosic