Days 56-61

Sometimes a change is as good as a rest
And porridge won't always suffice,
When a traditional Serbian breakfast
Can be found at such a good price.

Kopeçevo (Croatia) - Veliko Gradiste (Serbia)

And so it was we had a lovely time at the campsite in Croatia. All us cyclists ended up staying another an extra day due to the over-generosity of the campsite "Boss". His whiskey came out at 10am, which, according to him was NOT too early -6am is too early - and was followed regularly throughout the day with compulsory shots of homemade schnapps. Later he pulled out bottles of rosé wine, and regularly supplied us with whatever he happened to be preparing  - biscuits/eggy-bread/plates of cheese...
Tempted as we were to stay for the "Hungarian Friends party" he was throwing the next day, we all managed to get away before the 10am " open-house" began again. We had witnessed the amount of food and drink brought in the previous day and knew things could get very messy...!

It was a shame we only cut across the top of Croatia, but the river goes that way and that's what we are following this time. There was no mistaking the Croat/Serb border as there were exit and entry buildings, and we even got a stamp in the passport as Serbia isn't in the EU.
Immediately there were cycle signs, with useful information like which direction you were going and the number of kms to get there. The main problem was a lot of the time there is no alternative to the road - which is noisy, busy and perilous.
Another unexpected surprise was the hills. Yes, HILLS!! (Well, it is another big wine growing region). 8% decline down into the town, a glimpse of the river, then 8% incline up the other side. Again. And again. And again, zapping the last of our energy that the 35° heat hadn't yet taken.

Belgrade was a great surprise. Not only to arrive in one piece - the road in was nothing but madness - but also because we stayed 2 nights in a cool, quiet hostel near the old town, and eating out was very affordable.
Skadarlija Street is a famous Bohemian area, full of restaurants and groups of locals playing traditional music. Its quite a cacophony of noise in the evenings, but not to be missed. Young Romany types play accordions and violins in a slightly less professional manner...

We did another "Steve's City Bike Tour" and once again he managed to get us to all the major sites: Republic Square, National Assembly Building, Belgrade Fortress, and various churches and back in time for lunch at a local market.
It's all a bit shabby but still charming in its own way.

After leaving Belgrade we finally got our wish of getting off the busy roads...




It was marginally preferable, but the thunderstorm the night before had made the going heavy. Still, it was far more peaceful, with only the sound of frog song echoing across the silent marshes, and although the traffic can still be a little precarious, it's far slower moving...

Our new regime of up and away by 6am is the only way to cope with the heat. It's only a balmy 29° at that time, but by midday we are running with sweat and looking for a cheap hostel to sit out the rest of the day.
The locals continue to be super friendly, genuinely interested in us and very helpful - explaining menus, recommending local dishes and often paying for our drinks.

We took another ferry across the Danube to continue on the Serbian side (the other being Romania).
It's great to be back on the river again after endless hellish roads, and the scenery is beautiful once again, all marshlands and mountains, and here the river reaches a width of 2kms.

I've just got to add this...
It's finally cooled off here in Veliko Gradiste, and we decide to take a beer to the river to watch the sunset. There is a spectacular electrical storm occurring on the opposite bank above the mountains, and we watch in awe. No thunder or rain though, just a few black clouds rolling closer - it's a splendid light show.
Suddenly the winds arrives, fast and furious it tumbles over the river, bending trees and blowing great clouds of dust into our faces. Everyone who was enjoying the cool, calm of the evening has legged it. We, stupid foreigners, leap behind the bench to take shelter and see what happens.
It gets worse, so we down the beers (in true English style) and pedal like the wind as the thunder starts, and the rain spots.
We make it back to the room just in time to save the washing when Steve suddenly gasps,
"No!"
He's left the phone on the bench...
And I thought last time we pedalled fast!