11 Vineyards - War Relics - Looking for Motivation

Wednesday, 15.8.2018

Route: Danube Cycle Path 4 (Osijek - Backa Palanka)

Kilometers cycled: 90

Highlight of the day: smooth border crossing, arrival in Backa Palanka

Today didn't quite go as planned. We woke up as usual at 6, but breakfast wasn't available until 8. We knew this and since it wasn't included anyway, we decided to skip it and bought something from a small shop. What we didn't know was that due to the holiday, we couldn't check out until 8. So we sat by a fountain and waited, ate some fruit, and played a quiz game. After checking out, we started cycling. In Osijek, we ran into the two ladies from the previous day again.

Then we continued along the road. There was a lot of traffic, a damn lot. We stood at an intersection for 5 minutes before finally being able to cross. There was a French couple ahead of us, but they were going uphill too slowly, so we overtook them. We followed the signs - and mysteriously, they were ahead of us again in the next town! We passed through small, dilapidated villages, some of them still lined with bombed-out houses. Somehow, we weren't feeling very motivated. We cycled through Vukovar, where the war was most intense. You could still see traces of it, but the old town/center was well restored, as were all the streets that day. But there were hardly any people, everything was so empty and lifeless. We cycled through Vukovar for a long time. Through parks and past the industrial area.

Then we wanted to have lunch, but the hilly road offered little shade. After 63 km, we found a tree that provided some shade, where we ate, drank, and took a nap. After about 1 and a half hours, the road went up and down, down before each town, and then up again. Eventually, we arrived in Ilok, the border town. We went through an ID check and crossed a bridge. Then came the border with Serbia. We had read that you could only enter with a passport, and we didn't have one. So we were a bit scared, but everything went smoothly.

Then we arrived in Backa Palanka. There was simply nothing going on in Croatia before, even the dog was dead in Osijek. Here, on the other hand, people were selling fruits, vegetables, books, and more by the roadside. Bicycles were mainly on the street, a few children were climbing a tree in the middle of the city. The buildings were similarly run-down as in Croatia, but there was somehow more life. We arrived at the hotel fairly early, it was very nice, and the receptionist was very polite, friendly, and cool. We chilled for a while and in the evening, we went to the hotel's restaurant (it was dirt cheap!). There was a fountain and a children's slide. I slid down it. After the delicious meal, we were exhausted.