Day 43 - Novi Sad to Belgrade (59 miles)

It is hard to describe the feeling of contented comfort that you have when you once again set out with clean clothing, but that is the feeling I had when I left at 7.30am this morning. My early start was aimed at avoiding traffic on this mainly road-based leg and at getting some miles in before the sun raised the temperature to the forecast 27 degrees. I failed in the first aim; despite it being a Sunday, from the outset there were a surprising amount of cars around.

There was very little in the way of cycle track on the roads which seemed to mostly follow long and straight sections almost from the start, and the way they cut through the landscape, oblivious of any contour, makes me assume they were originally Roman. The first hour also threw in a long uphill section for good measure. When I saw the sign showing an incline symbol and '4km' underneath I was hoping that I was misinterpreting it. I was not.

I passed through the occasional village strung out along the road - like previous villages they seemed mostly a mix of the modern and the old - but for the most part those long, straight stretches on gently undulating roads took me through an agricultural landscape. My map told me the river was only a short distance off to my left but I was unable to see it through the fields of cereal crops and row upon row of netted fruit trees. After thirty-five miles I stopped in a very smart cafe in the village of Belegiš, bought some cherries from a street stall and soon after bumped into Melvin and Monique.

I had seen Melvin and Monique earlier as they cycled past me while I was stopped checking my route and we had shouted a passing greeting to each other as cyclists loaded down with panniers are want to do now we are in a more remote part of Europe. This time they were sitting in the shade of a tree by the roadside eating lunch and I stopped to join them. Melvin and Monique are a young Dutch couple who have given up work, sold their house and have set out to cycle from Holland to Istanbul and then hopefully onwards into the Far East, routes and politics permitting. A brave decision and an inspiring plan; it has been sobering meeting other cyclists on this trip who have put my own journey into a different perspective, people doing so much more and having given up so much more in order to do so. We shared conversation, motivations and food as we enjoyed our shelter from the sun. 

Afterwards I joined them for the last twenty or so miles to Belgrade, a pleasant distraction from a journey which for the most part was an uninteresting ride along busier and busier roads the closer we got to the city. The last six miles saw us join the Danube promenade, weaving amongst the Sunday crowds and ice cream sellers before leaving the Danube and turning along the smaller Sava - Belgrade sits on the confluence of the two rivers. On the far bank sat the city and stretched along the waterfront lay a fortress, a church, parkland and old buildings while behind them rose more of the city: Belgrade is clearly not flat.  We turned onto a busy road bridge, views of the more modern steel and glass city to our right, and soon I was amidst the hustle and busyness of another capital city. 

I wished Melvin and Monique luck, said my farewells and headed uphill towards the heart of old Belgrade to find my accommodation. After settling in and cleaning up, a walk through the busy streets to a restaurant, a hearty dinner and then looking into what I might do on my day off tomorrow, finished off a relatively straightforward day.