Tags 44 to 46 flat Vojvodina, Drina, interesting encounters

Sa, 3.9.

In the morning, while I was packing, a 'middle-aged' man with in-ear headphones, shabby clothes, and a bottle of iced tea came straight up to me. I was already preparing for a conversation, but then he sat down on the tree stump next to my seat and stared at the water... Very strange 🤔 But then we started talking and he was super friendly and open-minded. Milos spoke a little bit of German (he had been a guest worker (plumber) in Germany a few times) and he overall enjoys the calm and relaxed life. Especially when he talked about marijuana, he grinned widely and said 'relaaaax' in a stretched manner. We had a long conversation. An interesting and also funny encounter 😁

I finished packing, then I drove to the beach bar, treated myself to a coffee, had my water bottle filled (with the same disgusting tasting water that I didn't want to fill in my bottles at the beach, a mix of chlorine, metal, and garden hose) and talked to the waiter in a friendly manner in German and even nicer in French - he was much better at it due to his previous work. And for me, it was also nice to speak French again, even if it came somewhat unexpectedly 😄

Then I crossed the Danube passing the two border posts, a small, strenuous stretch through Croatia, and then I took an extended break in the shade of walnut trees between a vineyard and a cornfield. Since I was in Croatia, I could also make phone calls, and I did that with many dear people!

When I set off again, it was already afternoon. I followed Predrag's advice and took the left border post, which led me back through Serbia.

I cycled uphill and then further on deserted roads in Serbia towards Sremska Mitroviča. Two young dogs were sitting on the road between garbage at a cemetery (unfortunately, there is a lot of garbage everywhere).

I filled my water bottle with somewhat better water and gave each of the dogs a piece of bread and water from my hand, which one of them lapped up eagerly, while the other one didn't dare. Then I continued cycling and one of the dogs sprinted after me for almost a kilometer. I felt sorry for him, but I couldn't take a dog with me. Eventually, he let go. I thought about the situation for a long time.

I changed my plans: the campsite 10 km past Sremska Mitroviča was too far for me in combination with cooking myself and shopping beforehand, so I drove into the city already in the advanced twilight and found a bed and breakfast hotel. When I stood in front of it, I actually wanted to leave again because everything was so strangely trimmed in white (later it turned out that wedding celebrations are often held there). I got an interesting room with a moldy bathroom, strange air conditioners in the room, and a glittery bedspread. And it was warm. But the droning monster of an air conditioner next to the bed had to be turned off! My room didn't smell like smoke, but the rest of the hotel did. People were smoking everywhere, even the waiters. And there were no smoking signs everywhere... Very strange. The light in the staircase didn't work. The waiter who led me there, an old, sluggish man, pressed the light switch - nothing happened and he went up the stairs. The same game again upstairs 😄 The wiring was also interesting. There were open, scorched, patched, and oddly laid cables to admire on the way to my room. Overall, the hotel was a mix of shabby and intentionally chic. Nevertheless, I slept well. 😴

Before that, I had dinner in the city, and it was a real highlight! It was Saturday evening and I passed by the youth party mile on the river. Interesting but not for me. I was looking for something more sophisticated! I chose the Old Promenade restaurant based on Google reviews. As it came into sight, I could also hear it: lively Serbian traditional music 🎶 Great.

I got a table on the terrace and the mischievous older waiter refused to give me the menu (he explained that it is in Serbian 😏), instead, I should just tell him what I would like. I ordered a fish dish (he should choose one for me), a Serbian salad (cucumber, tomato, and grated Serbian cheese on top), and a beer. The waiter spoke little German and no English. But he proudly told me that he had chosen Šaran for me. I smiled kindly... Serbian fish names again. And it wasn't even on the menu of the fish restaurant in Sombor! When bringing the beer, the waiter also told me the German name. Something with K, nothing more could be understood. I asked, carp? It won't be pike-perch. He shook his head, said K again, and then left slightly disappointed... It was, of course, carp. We just didn't understand each other's pronunciation 😣😂 I researched it in the restaurant and told him and showed him. Then we were both happy. And the fish was delicious.

The musicians played the whole time and sometimes people sang along. And the musicians didn't take any notable breaks. I was impressed - here's a sample: Music 🎶

Sun, 4.9.

There was a rich breakfast with great cheese in the hotel, just way too much! Half a loaf of bread, a plate full of delicious cheese cubes (2 varieties), not one but two boiled eggs, a huge portion of butter, two tasty types of jam. It doesn't look like much in the picture, but it was a crazy amount...

I had already finished half of the breakfast and planned to eat on calmly, when the group at the next table made use of the flower vase, which apparently was a disguised ashtray 🤔😤 But seriously: smoking indoors during breakfast - that's not acceptable. I took the egg with me and fled. When paying the bill, the waiter told me that he packed up the leftovers, especially the cheese. I found that very sympathetic. 👍

And off I went through the flat landscape. I passed a huge rubbish dump.

Then I dare to take an unpaved shortcut suggested by Komoot. It's quite okay. Flat, not really smooth, rather bumpy-undulating.

In Lesnica, I do some shopping and just as I'm about to continue, an old man with only one hand approaches me. He speaks a little German and really wants to buy me a drink. When I choose a small bottle of soda, he insists that I take the large one instead. He pays for it, asks me where I'm staying, and invites me to his home. I think about it briefly and decide to accept the invitation. It turned into a very interesting evening. Mico lives alone with his uncle (a very old man who would make an authentic motif on a postcard with his sheep) on a large farm. They have sheep, chickens, pigs, and quite a lot of vegetables and fruits. Mico wants to cook, so he bought porcini mushrooms from the trunk of a car. In his very small and simple kitchen, I clean the mushrooms. Mico can't get the stove to work, it's probably out of gas. He's excited and talks a lot to me. I don't understand most of it because he speaks Serbian. That's a bit exhausting. After he failed to light the stove, he disappears, and comes back with a huge amount of meat, a large piece of sheep cheese, and a whole loaf of bread. I should eat that. Then he disappears again. I'm confused because I haven't understood yet that he doesn't want to prepare the mushrooms anymore and doesn't want to eat anything himself.

At some point, he returns and shows me my room and the bathroom. He gives me bedding and signals to me that I can make the bed with it. But there are only pillowcases and a bedspread included. He takes it away from me and tells me to sleep under the duvets as they are. When I indicate that I have a sleeping bag, he vehemently denies it and points to the duvets. I think to myself, if the door is closed, I will lie down in my sleeping bag.

Then we sit together in his other kitchen, he turns on the TV and watches basketball, and I'm supposed to eat everything that he already served me earlier. I taste a little bit of everything and get full relatively quickly. I'm supposed to take everything else with me tomorrow. I try to explain to him that I don't have any more space on my bike because I just went shopping. At some point, I give up and think that it will sort itself out somehow tomorrow. Mico continues to try to talk to me about all sorts of things. In combination with the TV running in the background, it becomes more and more exhausting for me. I ask him three times to turn off the TV since he's not even watching it anymore, but that doesn't seem to be an option. I suggest that we sit outside because it's really nice and he has a very nice seating area outside. For some reason, he doesn't want to do that. Since Mico bought so much food for me, I offer him my wine that I bought in Hungary. The result is that Mico disappears and comes back with three freshly bought bottles of wine. Clearly, he is the host. At some point, the TV becomes too much for me and I don't even feel like sitting inside, so I just sit outside. Mico follows reluctantly. He talks a bit about his family, I understand a little bit because he still mainly speaks Serbian. His daughter lives in Belgrade, he doesn't talk about his wife, probably they are divorced or she has passed away. I don't ask any further. Mico wants to tell me something again and again, but I usually don't understand what he wants to say. I try to use Google Translate, but he never says in the translator what he tried to tell me before. Instead, he says some general phrases. One must enjoy life or it's nice to meet you, or speak Serbian, then the whole world understands you. So, all in all, he is happy that I'm here. He seems to be a lonely old man who needs someone to talk to, even if he doesn't understand his language. Suddenly, he starts talking about me and money. Again, I don't understand what he's getting at. Does he now want money for me staying at his place? I strongly encourage him to use Google Translate. He said that if I run out of money, I should come to him... Mico is a kind-hearted, lonely old man.

However, I can't take it anymore by 8 o'clock and retire to my room. The bathroom is not very clean and smells unpleasant. Nevertheless, I take a shower, as I smell even more unpleasant. Then I lie down in bed in my sleeping bag and do some research.

Mon, 5.9.

At around 1 o'clock at night, I start feeling slightly nauseous. I'm thinking oh no, please don't vomit, I want to leave here tomorrow. I suspect I just ate too much meat. And that out of politeness... Fortunately, nothing happens, and when I come into the kitchen at 7 in the morning, the mushrooms are already simmering with paprika on the stove and Mico greets me warmly. I have mushrooms, bread, and sheep cheese for breakfast. The mushrooms are super delicious. Mico also bought Burek filled with feta. I take that with me for the journey, and I leave the meat alone, that's also okay for Mico. Then I pack my things, thank him for everything, say goodbye, and by 9 o'clock I'm already on the road. What an encounter...

On Sep 6, I plan to go to Banja Bašta and then to the Tara National Park, which was highly recommended to me. I'm very excited about that!

Here you can find my tours on Komoot:

Check out this collection on komoot - I think you might like it. 'Outdoor adventure' https://www.komoot.com/collection/1622992/-draussenerfahren