How much happiness and drama can you fit in one day?
At the moment, one day of cycling could fill up a week, in terms of everything I go through, all I see and experience. Each day is as long and intense, that every evening it takes me a little moment to remember where I started my day. "Was that really just this same day?"
We wake up in a little campsite. The sun is rising everything is calm right now.
Knowing that this is about to change, we pack up quickly and start cycling. Enjoying the fresh breeze and the innocence of all this beautiful nature in the first light of the day.
The Danube flows next to us. Huge, resembling rather a lake, than a river. On the other side we see Rumania, unknown lands, shaped by soft huge hills.
As if this scenery could get any better, we reach a little town with a bakery. I think this is one of my favourite parts of each day. I stand in front of a vitrine, full of baked goods. I don’t know any of it, I have no idea what’s in it, but I am ridiculously excited to find out. Random choosing later, we are having that coffee next to the river.
How much I love this peaceful moment of the day!
We keep on cycling on small roads through small villages, one is cuter than the next. Nature is everywhere, the Danube doesn’t cease to impress. A stall of fruits with lovely nectarines and then we even get a cycling lane! And can’t believe our luck this morning.
Eventually we pass on to the main road, 50km to do until the place we want to stop for midday. At first the road seems calm and very scenic, overlocking the river, dramatic rocks and gorges.
We ride fast, eventually it gets busier. Trucks are showing up. Dead animals on the road. In almost each sharp turn a reminder of someone who took it too fast or got surprised. Flowers and gravestones.
On a quick stop at the side of the road, exhausted physically because we ride fast, and emotionally for all the fights and shivers. We are only halfway through.
Unexpectedly a field of black berries is trying to comfort us. Hands and mouth full of delicious berries, our spirit is coming back.
The road is never ending, either are the trucks passing us. It starts to go up, and then the first tunnels are showing up. Dark tunnels with no lights. I pedal for my life, as fast as I possibly can. Only one thought; “Get out as fast as possible” hoping that no truck would enter that same tunnel at the same time than us.
They are endless. "Never again" I promise to myself, well knowing that I might not be able to keep that promise.
As we reach the town, around 2pm. We have made 90km so far. Exhausted we sleep a bit somewhere on the promenade of the Danube. Drying our tent, that is still wet from the morning due. And still not knowing where we will sleep that night.
We set of again, hoping a cute spot to pitch the tent will show up around the corner. But the cute spot doesn’t show up. Our road leads us over a mountain. No choice, we must keep going.
As the sun slowly sets, we attack the uphill, steep and long, laughing at ourselves and shacking our heads; “How did we get here?” “Who’s idea was this?”
We make it to the top, passing through stunning landscapes, it is getting dark. As we enter the village on top, a pack of dogs is casing us, but with sticks in our hands we fight back. It’s not going to be a random dog that’s going to scare me after all we went through that day.
It feels like “Lord of the rings” entering a village with a sword in your hands, not knowing if you’ll meet friends or enemies.
The little market of the village is still open, we get some beers. Has a fresh beer ever tasted better? Seldom!
After I ask the shop owner if he knew a place we could pitch the tent, he looks at me a pit surprised; “Anywhere!!”, “Anywhere?” I reply, “Even just there in the middle of the square?” “Sure!” is his reply. I have to laugh. That’s why I love Serbia.
We pitch the tent on a playground in the middle of the village.
What a day, again!
Thank you all for passing by it is a great pleasure to share this adventure with you!
All photos and words are my own, taken and written by me.