Day 58 Hungary/Serbia 15/11/2010 Baja–Nagybaracska–Bački Breg–Bački Monoštor–Sombor. 40.98miles/66.42km, 3hr54minutes, Av 10.5mph.

Debs said that she was feeling a bit better this morning and decided that she would like to try and move on. After breakfast we got loaded up and set off out of the town.

To save Debs some effort and because we were fed up with muddy exposed cycle tracks, we planned to take the main road to the Serbian border. We had already followed route 51 before and although a large road, the traffic hadn't been too bad. The same could definitely be said for today, we only encountered light traffic that mainly gave us a wide berth when overtaking. Funnily enough we received more waves and greetings than we had done when sticking to the Danube route. Perhaps it's because it largely avoids all the villages and towns in this part of Hungary.

Take note Eurovelo organisation, there is no point describing this part of the route thus 'The Danube below Budapest is much less well known to cycle tourists than the Austrian and German sections of the river. Although the countryside is less spectacular, the welcome you will be given in the rural towns and villages is unforgettable. You will see a different facet of a warm and hospitable rural Europe' if you sign post the route to avoid the towns and villages!

Just before the Serbian border we stopped at a petrol station and spent the last of our Hungarian Florins and prepared for our first real border crossing. Our first stamp! Having been so used to pedalling straight through abandoned borders it was quite a novelty to have to stop. It must have been rush hour when we turned up, because we were joined by a local on a bike and a man in a car, all waiting to enter Serbia! I have to confess I floundered a little when the border official asked where we were going to. South Africa sounds like a bit of a silly answer so Debs prompted me to say Turkey. He seemed generally amused either way.

Although clearly very tired and not feeling 100% Debs managed really well. The beautiful weather, no head wind, and flat terrain helped a lot as well.

Our first opinion of Serbia is how friendly everyone is. Most people shouted greetings or waved and the villages and towns seem more bustling than we have seen for a while. Even the roads were good, or at least they were until we opted for the quieter route into Sombor along the Eurovelo 6 route. First we went though a large landfill/fly tipping area and then the road surface started to look like a pot hole that someone put a road through. With an increasingly tired Debs we made it to Bački Monoštor where we stopped for a bit of lunch. The final 15kms into Sombor were fine, the road had improved and Debs had regained a little strength.

Arriving in the town centre at about 1:30pm we set about looking for somewhere to stay. The only information I had was about a pizza restaurant that was also a hotel, where a fellow blogger had stayed. The tourism office proved useless when we eventually found it. I say useless but that would mean I actually got to see someone. The office when I found it via only Cyrillic signs was like the Marie Celeste, although I could hear voices. Perhaps they were hiding in case I asked a difficult question like 'do you have a map'!

Fortunately we were approached by a local gallery owner who spoke excellent English and knew of the pizza hotel. Heading in roughly the right direction we discovered another tourist office and I went in to see if they had a map of the town. A lot of opening of cabinets and shuffling of papers then ensued before I was told that they didn't have a map. They did give me a leaflet of all the restaurants and hotels in the area and point me in the right direction for the Pizzeria/Hotel though. My first Serbian tourist information office experience has been entertaining, if not entirely useful.

We eventually found the hotel and got checked in. After a brief rest and much needed shower I dragged Debs out for a look around the town. We had a pleasant stroll around the pretty and quite vibrant streets. Obviously without a map and information we can't tell you what we actually looked at, but there were some very grand buildings. I preferred the less restored more dilapidated buildings off the main streets though.

With Debs getting tired again we went back to the hotel. Hopefully after some much needed rest and some food she will be back to her old self.