Today's ride was scorching hot, the highway had zero shade and it felt like there was a hairdryer blowing in my face the whole time. There wasn't much I could do, except keep pedaling and drinking water. I pulled over to force myself to eat, which was quite unpleasant, but my body probably appreciated it. … Continue reading EU Day 51: Riding Novi Sad (SRB) to Osijek (CRO)
Serbia
EU Day 49-50: Riding Belgrade (SRB) to Novi Sad (SRB) and rest day
It was the last ride with Leo and we managed to knock it out very quickly. The road was perfectly smooth and there was a mild tailwind to help is along too. After lunch and some ice cream, we parted ways and it didn't seem real. A month had gone by and it was so … Continue reading EU Day 49-50: Riding Belgrade (SRB) to Novi Sad (SRB) and rest day
EU Day 47-48: Riding Pancevo (SRB) to Belgrade (SRB) plus rest day
We took it easy today and caught the train from Vrsac to Pancevo and cycled for only the last 18km. We arrived in Belgrade after lunch and went to explore the city, Leo went on the communist tour and I went on the free walking tour. Both started at Republic Square, near statue of Prince … Continue reading EU Day 47-48: Riding Pancevo (SRB) to Belgrade (SRB) plus rest day
EU Day 46: Riding Vinci (SRB) to Vrsac (SRB)
Today's ride was split in half by a nice ferry trip, where we met a group of British cycle tourers, going in the opposite direction to Turkey. It was quite hot and the ferry left at 12.15 so we were keen to cycle quickly to our accommodation. We arranged an airbnb booking and stayed with … Continue reading EU Day 46: Riding Vinci (SRB) to Vrsac (SRB)
EU Day 45: Riding Drobeta-Turnu Severin (ROM) to Vinci (SRB)
It was a lovely day on the Danube River, but the scenery was completely different, there were plenty of sheer cliff faces with a mixture of colours and shapes. Luckily there were tunnels to take us through the mountains rather than over them and the roads were so smooth and quiet. There was one climb … Continue reading EU Day 45: Riding Drobeta-Turnu Severin (ROM) to Vinci (SRB)
EU Day 43-44: Riding Zajecar (SRB) to Drobeta-Turnu Severin (ROM) plus rest day
Strava's Gran Fondo challenge for August is to cycle 150km in one ride, or you could do it over 24 hours, but I prefer to just knock it out in one go. Leo was happy to pass on this event, so we rode to the first checkpoint at 55km, then split our paths afterwards. It … Continue reading EU Day 43-44: Riding Zajecar (SRB) to Drobeta-Turnu Severin (ROM) plus rest day
EU Day 42: Riding Pirot (SRB) to Zajecar (SRB)
Today's ride was particularly scenic, at times it felt like I was in New Zealand again, surrounded by sheer cliff faces while cycling alongside running water. We started our day with some borek, a common breakfast food comprised of pastry and a filling of ricotta cheese and spinach, plus other sweets from the bakery. It … Continue reading EU Day 42: Riding Pirot (SRB) to Zajecar (SRB)
EU Day 41: Riding Sofia (SRB) to Pirot (SRB)
We were still feeling a bit sore today, so we decided to get a taxi since the train from Sofia to Pirot only runs at night time. None of the taxis wanted to cross the Bulgaria/Serbia border and we understood why. It took over an hour and a half to get through passport control, meanwhile … Continue reading EU Day 41: Riding Sofia (SRB) to Pirot (SRB)
