Some days, things just take your breath away and this is one of those days.
Room was comfortable enough, not the best I have ever stayed in but OK. I got up early to give the bike a bit of a clean & then enjoyed one of the biggest breakfasts ever, including 6 fried eggs. I've said it before, but it is so great that you can eat whatever you like when on a cycle trip across Europe.
My journey required a short trip across the Danube to the settlement of Ram first thing, although still staying Serbia side. The ferries were few and far between, and I didn't want to miss the early 8.30 one. Handily my accommodation was right next to the ferry port, so I met up with Bart and we set off.
The sun was shining and we met another couple of cycle tourists, Iraj who was Iranian but lived in Oxford and was cycling to Tehran for a local mental health charity Oxfordshire Mind and Ernst, a fairly recently retired Swiss biology professor from ETH in Zurich.
We all looked pretty cool as we got aboard the ferry with pretty much exactly the same panniers in the same colour even, like a professional team.
The atmosphere was just amazing, quite hyper and the views just wonderful. As we made our way towards Ram with its fortress high on a hill,
I decided that I would like to enjoy some alone time so let everyone get off first and felt sure we would all meet up again during the day. That's just how it goes.
I made a short video for the Czech students about the Ram fortress and off I went. Wow, what a journey via Zatonji to Beli Bagrem. Smooth roads, the Danube vast and huge on my left-hand side, opera arias on full blast. God it was stunning. I stopped by a small town to pick up some money, have a coffee and met up once again with Iraj and Ernst.
Iraj, it turns out, was on more of a mission to get to his destination and was so full of energy. Ernst was such a nice guy too and it turns out they had met a week or so earlier and just hung out together. Great coffee and some kind of roll thing, and then off I set in the sunshine once again. My journey took me on yet more superb roads to the magical seemingly floating Golubac castle marking the entrance of the Iron Gorges.
Deep forested slopes dropping to the river, at 87m in depth the deepest river in the world. The gorges high as 500m.
I made a video going through a tunnel. The road hugged the mountains with a total of 17 tunnels to pass through. Some traffic, including huge trucks but all of it manageable. I put the lights on my bike as some of the tunnels were about 250m in length, curved and pitch black. Had to pedal like the devil to get through in case a truck came. Exciting. Then a steep climb for 2KM, then swooping down to my campsite for the night in the delightful small town of Donji Milanovic.
The view were beyond extraordinary and I didn't really take too many pics as there is no point. You really had to be there.
It did get rather knackering as I ran out of water, although the majority of the route was in shadow on the road although brilliantly illuminated on the hillside opposite.
The next stop was the town of Donji Milanovac, which I think will be my last town in Serbia. It has a lovely feel to it, relaxed and bathed in a sunny evening glow. Turns out that it is a major filming location for Serbian movies, and has even been referred to as the Serbian Hollywood, and I can see why.
In reference to its prehistoric origins with the important settlement Lepenski Vir nearby and the fact that there remains of a woolly mammoth had been discovered in an archaeological dig a few years ago, there was a big sculpture on the banks of he Danube, which served as the unofficial mascot of the town.
Found the hostel, which has individual wooden cabins. Bart was already when I arrived. Had a shower, washed my shorts and off to eat as I had not eaten all day. My card was blocked so I rang them up, which is going to be super expensive.
So happy, especially with my current travelling companions.
Wow, this really is the trip of a lifetime. Feeling amped as can be. Serbia really is the greatest country, amazing people, stunning scenery and fab roads. Food is OK, had the biggest ever hamburger with no bread for dinner.
Cute dogs at the foot of my table.
I met a Serbian guy at the campsite who was on an electric bike and had high pitched dog whistles and fireworks with him, explaining that up in the mountains the dogs could be pretty vicious. I thought he was probably over exaggerating; how wrong can you be….
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