Day 65 & 66 Serbia/Bulgaria & eventually Turkey 22/11/2010 & 23/11/2010. A very long train journey and a little bit of cycling!

Still unsure how we were going to get our bikes on the train to Turkey, we thought it prudent to get to the station very early. The train was already on the platform when we arrived at just after 7am in the rain. The first problem that we could see was that there wasn't a guards van. After asking a few people who we thought were conductors, we were eventually pointed to a Turkish attendant who introduced himself as Izmir. In somewhat broken English he explained that we would be able to put the bikes in one of the sleeping cars but we would have to pay for two more couchettes (hope this is spelt correctly the computer has suggested courgette, which I am fairly certain is not what we had to buy. Although it was very early!).

Parting with $30, which was swiftly pocketed, we had our bikes safely stowed away and were shown to the next door cabin. According to Izmir all we had to be concerned about was whether the Serbian or Bulgarian conductors would want some money as well! It is very true what we had been told 'in Serbia nothing is possible until money is shown and then everything is possible'; this holds true in most of eastern Europe it seems.

The journey to Istanbul was due to take 23hrs and as the train left the platform at walking pace we could see why. Within a few kilometres we had got up to a gentle jog, just in time to pull into the next station! Slowly but surely we did pick up speed and wended our way towards the Serbian/Bulgarian border.

Never having crossed a border by train we weren't sure what to expect. First we stopped and had our passports inspected by the Serbian officials. Then Bulgarian customs came on board and set about, with the help of a screwdriver and some brute force, taking the train apart. Mysteriously they never searched any luggage, so I would guess if you are a smuggler, hiding it there is the way to go! It should be noted that although keen to take things apart, they seemed less inclined to put anything back together. It was with a slightly more dismantled train that we passed through the Bulgarian border bound for Sofia.

Shortly before we arrived in Sofia we had another ticket inspection and were suddenly confronted with demands for a ticket for our bicycles. Bearing in mind that it is impossible to buy a ticket for a bicycle in Serbia, where we were supposed to get one from was anyone's guess! With some help from Izmir, €10 was mentioned as was Sofia and the conductors left. Unsure whether this meant we had to go and buy a ticket in Sofia or that we needed to just give them €10, we decided to put it out of our minds for the time being. At least us and the bikes were still on the train, for now!

Having researched the train a bit before we booked we knew that there would be no dining car on board. This seems something of an oversight on a 23hr journey. Fortunately as we were forewarned we had brought quite a lot of food with us, nevertheless we were glad to arrive in Sofia with a bit of time to spare. A cold drink and some more water certainly wouldn't go amiss.

We should have known that the friendly attendant who showed us where to change money and get snacks from was only after cash. Fortunately the small amount I did give him was enough for him to point us back in the direction of our train. Which was just as well, as while we had been gone it had moved and looked somehow different. Climbing on board what was clearly a different carriage we had a moment of panic that our bikes and gear had disappeared off into the night! Fortunately after some confusion, we found out that the train had been joined by some Bulgarian sleeper carriages, which in the dark we had confused for our own. Feeling a little bit foolish and more than a touch relieved, we found the correct carriage and were reunited with our bikes and gear.

Settling back down in our compartment for some sleep before we reached the Turkish border at approx 1:30am, we were rudely awaken by yet another ticket inspection. This time I had my €10 ready for the bikes and to our surprise we were issued with a ticket. What wasn't so encouraging was that it was only issued for the stage until the Turkish border. We could be going through the whole thing again in the next few hours.

Sleep overcame us and we eventually arrived at the border nearer 3am instead of the scheduled 1:30am. The Turkish customs man was a lot more jovial than his Eastern European counterparts and only wanted to know what we had in all our bags. When I told him clothes, sleeping bags and a tent, he seemed amused and wished us 'good roads'. All we had to do now was get off the train, buy our visa and queue up to get it stamped.

Back on the train any thoughts of sleep were ended by another passport inspection before we were allowed to get under way. We had made it into Turkey, all we needed to do now was get some rest before we arrived in Istanbul.

Before leaving Belgrade Debs had read that this journey often took nearer 30hrs and after all of the customs delays we can see why. We arrived at Sirkeci station in Istanbul at 11am, three hours later than scheduled, which according to Izmir was not too bad.

Unloading took a bit of time, but we were soon packed up and out into the madness of the Istanbul traffic. With a combination of riding, pushing and a lot of navigational assistance we made it to our first choice hotel. We then had one of those moments when we wished we had booked. The hotel was dearer than we had seen it advertised for and they only had a room for two days. The hunt for a hotel would have to continue, which is not so much fun on steep, narrow, traffic clogged streets with heavy bikes.

By a bit of luck we managed to find the area that we had stayed in last time we were here. Trying several hotels, the first available room we found was €40 a night which was more than we wanted to pay. Running out of options we tried a nearby hostel and were shown a more reasonable €30 a night room. The problem was that it was not that nice, plus it was on the fourth floor.

Continuing the search, we were called over by a hotelier as we passed his hotel and offered a much nicer room than we had seen at the hostel for €30. The shower is unfortunately rubbish, but the room is comfortable and we can call it home for the next week while we plan our next move.

We did venture out for a while that afternoon and get some food and a beer (well it would have been rude not to!). But the rest of the day was all about catching up on sleep from the train journey.

Day 64 Serbia 21/11/2010 Belgrade. All on foot.

We both woke up with heavy heads this morning. Just as well we didn't really have any plans other than sorting photos, blogs and gear.

We did venture out for a while and the walk did us good as did the coffee and lunchtime baguette.

All we have to do now is somehow stash all our gear so we can carry it on to the train!

Assuming all goes to plan, today will be our last full day in Europe. Asia here we come!!

Day 63 Serbia 20/11/2010 Belgrade All on foot.

For a while now we have been discussing the weather and the cost of staying in Europe and considering our options for getting to Turkey. The weather has been very kind to us so far, but we are aware that winter is fast approaching. With possibly about 1000km still to go and some unavoidable hills to get through, we have decided to investigate the train from Belgrade to Istanbul. It would be great to finish the Danube route and the next 150kms are supposed to be very pretty. However possibly jeopardising the trip further down the line for the sake of a bit of Europe would be a shame. We do after all have a very long way still to go and we have already covered over 3000kms through Europe.

Asking at the international ticket office we hit our first potential snag, taking the bikes on the train was going to be down to the conductor. Buying tickets when you don't know if you can take the bikes is a bit of a gamble. Trying again at the 'Wasteels' travel agency, we got a rather more positive answer. The woman seemed to think that we would be able to take the bikes, but Serbian rail doesn't have a ticket for such a thing. It would be up to the Conductor how much it would cost to take them. She seemed to think possibly €10, we left the station with much to think about.

Heading back into the city we strolled through what is the most western city, in terms of shops and facilities, we have encountered since leaving Vienna. The majority of the plentiful book shops have a well stocked English section and there are cafés and restaurants everywhere.

Perhaps it is just that we have visited so many cities, but Belgrade doesn't really appear to have that much to offer in sights.

The Fortress and surrounding Kalemegdan park is very pleasant, but we could think of several other cities that are nicer. I think Belgrade is one of those places that are more about the friendliness of the people aswell as the bar and restaurant culture. It also appears to have a huge amount of clubs and a thriving night life.

During our walk round the Kalemegdan park we made the decision to buy the train tickets to Istanbul. It will be sad to say goodbye to Europe but it seems like the right time to leave. We will worry about the bikes on Monday morning when we get on the train!

Tickets in hand we stopped at the supermarket, got some food for dinner, the obligatory huge bottle of beer and went back to the hostel.

After dinner we got talking to the other hostel guests and consumed rather a lot of beer and šljivovica (plum brandy) in the company of a nice bunch of people. We also had one of those small world moments when it turned out that one of the guests, Paul, comes from Norwich!

Later still, we all left the Hostel (Debs wisely went to bed) in search of bars and clubs. Finding all of the bars closed and not fancying the clubs I had a rather extended tour of Belgrade with two of the others. We eventually got back to the hostel sometime around 2:30am no more inebriated but better for the walk.

Day 62 Serbia 19/11/2010 Novi Sad – Sremski Karlovci – Indija – Belgrade. 48.7miles/78.83km, 4hr38minutes, Av 10.8mph.

Terrific! First it was Debs feeling unwell and this morning it was me. Obviously my man flu was far worse than anything she had been suffering from! The decision to take the shorter road route rather than the meandering Eurovelo route was sounding like a good one.

Our first stop along the road was the very pretty Sremski Karlovci, home of Serbia's oldest grammar school and an attractive main square.

Of course all this attractiveness was wasted on grumpy me. Finding out that my rear light had decided to fall apart along the way also didn't help.

Leaving the town we encountered our first hill for a long time. The 8% gradient may have not been that great but it continued steadily upwards for 6km. While taking a rest on the hill we looked back down at the traffic and spotted a fully laden cyclist coming up! This was the first cycle tourer we had seen since we left. Stopping to say hello, we met Julian from England and found out he wasn't alone. We were soon joined by Sash, also from England and travelling with Julian, and Matthias from France, who they had met along the way.

Julian and Sash are heading for Kathmandu and have a very entertaining blog which I have put a link to in the 'my blog list'

If we made a bit of a spectacle with just the two of us, heaven knows what the locals thought when there was five of us riding in convoy! The beeping of horns and waves continued, Serbia is a really friendly place.

With about 25km left to Belgrade we waved goodbye to the others and continued on our way. We will try and meet up in Belgrade for a beer, but if we don't good luck on your travels lads, we will follow your blog with interest.

The last 20 kilometres was spent in heavy traffic and the urban sprawl of Belgrade. When we finally picked up a cycle route along the river it was with some relief. All we had to do then was locate the hostel with no map! While it was great to meet some other cyclists, all of the chatting had put us a bit behind for the day. Even by 3pm the light was starting to fade so we wanted to get to the hostel as quickly as possible.

The only directions we had were from the main train station which we couldn't find. The fact that our street names were in the Roman alphabet and all the signs were in Cyrillic certainly didn't help. After asking a few people we were pointed in roughly the right direction which we followed, only to get lost again! Giving up on finding the station, we asked a woman if she knew where St Mark's church was, which we knew was close to the hostel. In a moment of kindness she explained that she knew where it was but couldn't explain how to get there, so she led us through the streets eventually coming out directly opposite 'Hostel Manga'. Without her help we would have struggled to get there so we are both very grateful.

The hostel seems really nice and the staff are very friendly and helpful. I had started to feel better during the day, but the traffic, noise and pollution had made me feel a bit rough again so it was good to have a shower and a rest. Exploring Belgrade today was off the agenda, instead we settled for dinner and an early night.

Day 61 Serbia 18/11/2010 Novi Sad. All on foot.

Having seen quite a lot of the city centre yesterday, we had an early breakfast and set off across the Danube to have a look around the Petrovaradin fortress. Perhaps we shouldn't have left quite so early as the whole city was shrouded in mist, so much so that the Danube was almost entirely obscured. Nevertheless we continued on across the Danube and up the slope to the Fortress grounds.

The Fortress was built between 1692 and 1790 and covers an area of 112 hectares. For those in the know it is also the venue for the 'Exit' music festival, which is probably worth a visit. I cant think of another festival held in such an interesting venue. We can only assume that they put up lots of safety barriers as there are lots of places for a cheerfully drunk person to fall off and into the river.

The main buildings within the upper level of the fortress include a hotel, a museum, several art galleries and apparently some overpriced restaurants. Of the more interesting sights are the clock tower that has its hands reversed (the hour hand is the larger) so that fishermen could tell the time from the Danube and a heavily painted tree stump near the art studios. As the morning mist lifted we finally got a view across the river and the headed back to the city, passing through the old streets that make up the Petrovaradin side of the river.

Feeling like we had just about exhausted the sights of Novi Sad, we bought some groceries from the market and spent the rest of the day resting.

Day 60 Serbia 17/11/2010 Bač–Tovariševo–Čelarevo–Futog–Novi Sad. 41.72miles/67.61km, 3hr27minutes, Av 12.1mph.

With no breakfast on offer in the hotel, we had food in our room and then set off for Novi Sad. Today was to be another trip along the now much busier main road.

Passing through the village of Tovariševo we were surprised to see an old aeroplane nestled beside a supermarket and a kids play area. Doing some research later it turns out it belonged to a pilot, Mileta Protic, who was born in the village. I am sorry to say that although it looks familiar I am at a loss to what kind of aircraft it was. If you take a look at the flickr pictures and happen to know what it is, I will put it in the description.

Back on the road we received several more waves, greetings and friendly horn blasts. Possibly the odd not so friendly ones as well. We are pleased to say that it is the same here as it is at home, the flasher the car the less space you give to cyclists when you pass. We can understand when there is traffic coming the other way, but when the road ahead is clear what's the problem with giving a bit more space. I am now convinced that BMW and Mercedes drivers especially, are compensating for something!

The closer we got to Novi Sad the heavier the traffic got and with it came fumes that made us feel quite nauseous. Among the worst offenders appear to be the buses that seem to pass in a cloud of exhaust fumes. I don't imagine the huge amount of dilapidated Yugos are particularly green either. Still it certainly isn't on a par with India!

Just as we entered Futog we passed the 3000km mark and stopped for the obligatory photo.

It is amazing how far we have come, but somewhat daunting how far we still have to go.

We have christened Futog 'Cabbage town' as everyone seemed to have huge trailers full of cabbages parked outside their houses. The whole place had a cabbagey aroma about it, who it was that was going to buy all of them is anybodies guess. You would think that at least one of them would have branched out into carrots or something!

Out of nowhere a cycle path appeared and we said a fond farewell to the busy road for almost all the way into Novi Sad. Using the trusty city guide I had picked up in Bač we navigated our way first time, to the Hostel. Without the map it could have been difficult as our Eurovelo maps aren't exactly brilliant for city navigation.

At the hostel we were greeted by a rather large Newfoundland dog called Boba, who immediately took a liking to biting the backside of Debs' cycling pants. So much so that the Hostel owner had to come and rescue her. I would have helped but I am afraid I was laughing too much! The dog seemed strangely nippy for a Newfoundland, but then we found out that it is still only a puppy. A puppy that weighs 47kg (as much as our laden bikes!) that is.

With Debs safely in the house we were checked into our lovely room. The 'Hostel Podbara' is more like a home stay and we are currently the only ones here.

While having the paperwork done for our stay we learned what could have been a costly lesson. When you enter Serbia you are supposed to register with the police within 12 hours; this is done automatically when you stay in a hotel/guest-house. You are handed a piece of paper which is your confirmation of stay when you get your passport back. You have to keep at least one of these to show to the officials or be subject to a large fine upon leaving the country. You are also supposed to keep one handy if a policeman stops you. This was all news to us! Thank goodness our host spoke excellent English and explained it to us. I guess if we had free camped all the while, we would never have known and had to pay the fine.

After a shower and a rest, we went to have a look at the city. The hostel was a short 10 minute walk from the heart of the old town, where just about everything there is to see is housed. Fortunately Ivana our host had given us a map and some idea of the sights, because the tourist office once again proved to be useless. We are beginning to suspect that Serbia doesn't get a huge amount of western tourists.

After having a look at the Cathedral, Serbian Orthodox Church and very attractive town square we went to see if we could locate a restaurant that had been recommended for later. Navigation around the city is aided because it is in quite a compact area, but made tricky by the fact that some of the street names are only in Cyrillic script. With some guesswork and Debs' excellent map reading skills we found the restaurant and then decided to head back to the hostel for a rest before dinner.

The rain that had been forecast for the day started as we ventured out for dinner. Rather foolishly we decided it would pass and left our waterproofs back at the hostel. It was two very wet people who turned up at the restaurant and two wetter people who went in search of a different restaurant when we didn't like the look of the first. Perhaps we should have stayed where we were, because Hotel/Restaurant Fontana was rubbish. Almost inedible over seasoned food and an indifferent waiter. Plus the beer was the same price for a small one as we had been paying for a large. We ate up and paid the bill in as much of a hurry as we could bearing in mind the inattentiveness of the waiter. Grabbing a huge bottle of beer for the princely sum of £1.60 from a shop we decided to head back to the Hostel and give up on a night on the town.

More sightseeing tomorrow!

Day 59 Serbia 16/11/2010 Sombor–Doroslovo–Odžaci–Bač. 33.10miles/53.6km, 2hr53minutes, Av 11.4mph.

Debs managed to eat a bit of dinner last night and had some breakfast this morning, so is on the road to recovery. Rather than put in a long day straight to Novi Sad, we decided to break the journey in two to give Debs a greater chance of getting better.

With thanks to google maps we navigated our way out of Sombor with ease along the A18(?) Our intention was to again take the road route rather than make a 20km detour back to the Danube. The traffic was not too bad although there did seem to be a huge amount of lorries on the road. Most drivers gave us a wide berth, but the odd one or two seemed to pass very close. The police made a habit of beeping at us as they drove past, hopefully in a friendly way. We had a discussion as we rode along as to whether you could beep your horn in a variety of manners and decided that you could!

Making good progress and with a not so tired Debs we arrived in Bač at about 12:30pm. All we had to do now was find a hotel, which proved remarkably difficult for such a small town. Firstly the tourist office was closed and then twice we were pointed in the direction of the hotel and still couldn't find it. If only we had realised that it would have no sign and you had to go into a restaurant to ask about a room then it would have been simple. Using my almost non existent Serbian and a trusty phrase book we managed to check into what turned out to be a really nice room. All we had to do was get our bikes into the lobby. There then followed, what I am ashamed to say, was a moment of male competitiveness. After the hotelier grabbed Debs' fully laden bike and lifted it up the flight of steps and into the lobby, I had no choice but to follow suit. It was a case of 'step aside Debs man stuff is occurring'. I would like it noted that I came out as the alpha male as my laden bike is heavier!

While Debs rested I went for a walk around the town. The tourist office was now open and although they didn't have a map, I did manage to pick up an out of date guide to Novi Sad. Getting directions to the Fort, I set off to have a look around, passing the remains of an old Turkish hammam (baths) on the way. Although mainly ruins the fort was well worth a look as was the rest of the town. I don't imagine many tourists stop here, but it is certainly worth an afternoon of anyone’s time.

After my sightseeing I went to get some supplies from the most poorly stocked supermarket we have been to yet. At least they had some beer and yoghurts or it would have been a total waste of time!

For anyone wishing to visit Bač we stayed at the Hotel 'Central Lux', you will know you have found it by the total lack of a sign or any indication that it is a hotel. It also has a 300 seater restaurant (260 of those seats are stacked in the lobby) which at least while we were there was closed.

Heaven knows what we will be doing for dinner tonight, Eastern Europe is definitely an adventure!

Additional:

Phrase book in hand we went down to the Hotel restaurant which was obviously closed. Using our phrase book we showed the young guy behind the bar/reception that we wanted to go to a restaurant. A brief look of understanding flashed on his face and he called his friend over from the back of the room. We assumed his friend spoke English, this however was not the case. They had a brief conversation, his friend got his coat and we were instructed to follow him. He then set off at break neck speed down the street with two bemused tourists trying to follow behind. When we started to head out of the town, we began to wonder where he was taking us to. Eventually he stopped outside a restaurant shook my hand and rushed back to the hotel. We rather tentatively went inside expecting to have to rely once again on the phrase book. Fortunately the waitress spoke English and we had a very nice meal. Debs recovery continued as she ate loads of dinner for the first time since she fell ill.

Heading back to the hotel at a more leisurely pace, we passed a bar full of what looked like hardened youths all glued to the TV showing 'Spongebob Squarepants'. It rather summed up a fun but strange evening!

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.