Today was a bit crummy, I woke up at 1am with a dozen mosquito bites. I’m not sure how they got in the room, but when I turned on the light I couldn’t find them. It was still really hot, so after a few hours of tossing, turning and scratching, I woke up early to get on my bike and avoid some of the heat.

The road was super new and empty, one of the perks of riding on a Sunday. I was making good time, so I stopped once at a petrol station for some snacks, a bathroom break and free wifi. It was amusing that the iced coffee was more expensive ($3 AUD) than beer ($2 AUD), but I figured I’d treat myself to some caffeine.

At the 80km mark I got pulled over by a police officer, it turns out I wasn’t allowed to be on the freeway. I found that odd because we were on the same freeway when we left Belgrade and the toll operator let us through without any trouble. It was midday and I was crouching next to the police car just to get some shade while he made some phone calls. Neither of us could speak the same language, so there wasn’t anything I could do, except pay the 250HRK fine ($50 AUD). It was probably dodgy but I’ll need to find a police station to figure it out, but I doubt I’ll get my money back.

Eventually I was allowed to go and I made it to my hostel which was really close to the river. I was keen to get some proper food and went to a nearby restaurant for lunch. Judging by the big woodfire oven, I ordered the pizza and ate the whole thing in one sitting.

It was still ridiculously hot, so I went back to my room to relax and watch the only English speaking TV channel available. It was the drama channel, playing episodes of Dawsons Creek, which temporarily distracted me. I was still really frustrated about getting the fine, because I couldn’t find any information about it and Google maps was only showing me police stations in Bosnia. I tried to get it off my mind and went to see fortress nearby. It was built in the 18th Century and unfortunately it’s still in ruins. From what I’ve read, it was incredible, from a bird’s view, it resembles a star formation and it had loads of firepower for its time, but never had the chance to show it.

Officer's Hall

St Anne's Chapel

Afterwards I was too full from lunch to think about food, so I skipped dinner and did some writing until I fell asleep. I had some other things on my mind too and I was hoping to sort it out so I don’t mull over it when I’m cycling for three hours tomorrow. I was probably just tired and in need of proper rest, let’s
hope tomorrow picks up.