Week 5 Belgrade - Novo Selo (Bulgaria)

We are happy to be back on our bikes after so many days of rest. The path and the weather are not exciting! First, we ride on busy roads, then many many kilometers on a dam next to a swamp area. Because of the many mosquitoes, it was better not to stop.

Before the border with Romania, you can decide again on which side of the Danube you want to ride. We stay in Serbia a little longer and then continue in Bulgaria. We have to take a ferry across the Danube, which only runs every three hours. Here, more and more cyclists arrive one by one. The ancient ferry arrives, hits the gravel lane and is anchored. Then the crossing is filled with gravel and dirt, and even a large truck can board.

The landscape changes, it becomes hilly, large grassy areas, sporadic cows. The weather is great again and we camp with five other cyclists at the beautiful Silver Lake. We will see each other on the road in the next few days and spend another two nights together, sometimes in a hostel, sometimes at a campground.

The highlight of the route is the 'Iron Gate' area. The road runs along high cliffs, through many tunnels, up to beautiful viewpoints. The Danube narrows at two points to only 150 meters, but here it is 90 meters deep. After that, it flattens again and there are two huge, ugly dams that have created a 150-kilometer-long reservoir.

We leave Serbia, where we liked it the best so far, and cross into Bulgaria through a small border crossing.

Just after the border, we spend a night in a small guesthouse. Despite major communication difficulties, the landlord is incredibly warm and friendly. He immediately takes Dieter in his ancient Trabant to show him the Danube beach and his restaurant there! He doesn't miss a single pothole, and the wheels immediately lock with every braking action!

We are doing really well, enjoying every day, and are now fit for the mountains!

By Novo Selo we have cycled 2150 kilometers.