Border to Belgrade
I cross into Serbia by night, passing Slobomir City – billed “The City of Freedom and Peace” – that looked like a bit of an US and EU funded reconciliation project cum white elephant. It’s a crystal clear night and I stop a while to watch the stars over a bite to eat. I’ve squeezed over a hundred and twenty kilometres out of my legs in a nasty headwind and I am afraid that they’ll refuse to budge tomorrow, my last day before Belgrade – I even briefly consider cycling through the night while they are still warm.
I knock on a door to discover a mini-fiesta celebrating the the birth of the owner’s first child and I enjoy a few beers before sleeping in his absent sister’s chalet, decorated with life drawings.
The headwind continues unabated the next day and I can only manage a paltry fifteen km/h average speed. Sometimes I wonder whether it is better to be going downhill where you struggle against the wind or uphill where you struggle against the slope but the wind is blocked! The slipstream caused by passing trucks also causes some frustrations as you are suddenly jerked forward and then blown back when the truck passes.
The Serbian countryside is quite pleasant when not passing industrial areas and I pick up the trail of Sava river again. After some minor chaos entering Belgrade, I find myself relaxing with fellow travellers at the Three Katz Inn, where I enjoy the rest and city for three nights. I have started using a website called http://www.couchsurfing.com/ to meet local people (and possibly a place to stay) and my first experience of it isThe headwind continues unabated the next day and I can only manage a paltry fifteen km/h average speed. Sometimes I wonder whether it is better to be going downhill where you struggle against the wind or uphill where you struggle against the slope but the wind is blocked! The slipstream caused by passing trucks also causes some frustrations as you are suddenly jerked forward and then blown back when the truck passes.
meeting Marko for a coffee, football match on TV and a chat about Irish and Serbian politics and history. Even for Serbian university graduates it's a struggle to find a decently paid job and even harder to get a foreign work visa.In Belgrade I get some bad news, I need to be in England for a training course on the 8th of July - this 
means that part of the journey will have to be done by train and I have to pick up my pace on the road to Istanbul. With this in mind I take up my struggle against the wind which seems to be following my direction, during my rest in Belgrade it has changed from Easterly to South Easterly. Having enquired about the enforcement of Serbian motorway law I decide to go for it, and before the toll plaza I slip off my bike, walk through looking unconcerned and use the trucks to block the line of sight between me and the police.
means that part of the journey will have to be done by train and I have to pick up my pace on the road to Istanbul. With this in mind I take up my struggle against the wind which seems to be following my direction, during my rest in Belgrade it has changed from Easterly to South Easterly. Having enquired about the enforcement of Serbian motorway law I decide to go for it, and before the toll plaza I slip off my bike, walk through looking unconcerned and use the trucks to block the line of sight between me and the police.P.S. I'm hoping to do a big update now am going to switch the format to photo based with a few lines for context. Hopefully that will mean it will not only be quicker for you to read but quicker for me to write!
posted by Niall at
11:40 a.m.
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