“Dear Cyclists”
After successfully managing the border crossing into Bulgaria we had a short ride into Vidin. We felt a bit apprehensive cycling to our accommodation through rundown 12 storey+ apartment buildings but we were greeted with a smile and the hotel was a pleasant surprise… so was downtown Vidin. We enjoyed a lovely meandering walk through parks and along the riverbank.
Leaving Bojan’s house in Negotin
Next stop Serbia .... en route we met some German girls heading the other way ... (most cyclists seem to head east along EuroVelo6) ... it is always good to chat, laugh and exchange tips.
We enjoyed our brief time in Bulgaria but our last town was quite odd - it felt like we had stepped back 30 years .... the shop shelves were mostly empty and there was a large communist memorial in the centre of town. The border crossing at the edge of the town was totally deserted ... in Romania/Bulgaria the two border officials sat in rooms next to each other but this time we had to cycle 200 metres past rundown old buildings and a border watch tower between each official.
As soon as we hit Serbia the sun came out and there were EuroVelo signs!!! Also we encountered our first hills ... finally we (Leigh ;) ) managed to get to the top and then we had the glorious down hill run to Negotin and our wonderful host Bojan. In the house his grandfather built at the beginning of 20th century he has created a restful haven for travellers - particularly cyclists. Along with coffee and Serbian pastries he had plenty of advice regarding our journey. He shared that once we arrived at Kladovo, our next town, the surrounds would become beautiful. That was an understatement ... 30 kms out of Kladovo there was a really big climb up from the river ... but when we got to the top we started to cycle through the ‘Iron Gates’ (a huge gorge on the Danube River separating the southern Carpathian Mountains and the northwestern foothills of the Balkan Mountains) ... absolutely stunning. We were mainly downhill so it was easy to stop to try and take it in the amazing views. We also hit our first tunnels ... a bit nerve wracking but we were encouraged by a sign at the entrance addressed to ‘Dear Cyclists’ asking us to press the button so drivers would know we were in the tunnel. We just love that Serbia welcomes cyclists ... though like Romania and Bulgaria they drive fast they give room, wait patiently when necessary ... and frequently give a friendly toot and wave … so good!
A rest day in lovely Donji Milanovic (a small town frequented by Danube cruise boats) sitting on our balcony looking across to Romania to catch up on planning before we make our way along the next 250kms to Belgrade.
Some interesting titbits..
There are paper obituaries - about A4 size - posted at bus shelters and other public places. Sometimes more than 10 at the same place.
Each major Eurovelo 6 sign has a quirky quote - Peter’s favourite so far “You can dream all you want but sometimes you have to just get our there and do it.” (Dan Coonce)
