Day 9 - Belgrade (SRB) to Zagreb (HR)

Sunday 28th May
------------------------


Slept brilliantly in my cosy and warm apartment. Felt good this morning despite last night's drinks. A most memorable day.

Left the apartment by 09:30 and hit the motorway to Novi Sad. It's a big town on the equally big Dunav river. There were lots of historical sites to visit, I settled for the old fortress which had a great view of the town and the river below. Looking at my map it became clear that it's a very long way to Zagreb. My Sat-Nav only knows the main routes in these parts and what with my main phone (better Sat-Nav) out of action I had to rely on my old map and ask for directions as I can't always figure-out cyrillic.

Had a great ride through the Fruska national park/mountain before having to return to the highway. Tourism isn't really high on the agenda in Serbia which is a shame as it does have some lovely sights. Made superb progress and got to the Croatian border quickly.

Filled-up with cheap Serbian petrol and snacks before hitting the border. It took over an hour to get through but once again I used my Polish ID-card and was waved through the Serbian-side by a menacing looking Serbian guy with very scary tattoos. Welcome back sunny Croatia and the EU!

The toll-road was excellent and dead straight but it dragged-on and with the sun in my eyes it made me want to sleep. Kept having to stop to nibble on snacks and drink water, just to keep going. Got into the centre of Zagreb about 17.30. Traffic was reasonable given it is Sunday but I still got hot and sweaty riding around the sites. Nice city, lots of people drinking coffee in the streets, etc. Didn't hang around long as I needed to find a place to sleep.

I had found a place called 'Camp Zagreb' on Google before I left so had my hopes set on that. A few miles out and next to a lake. Sounded perfect. As I got closer to the site, signs popped-up confirming it's existence - I was so pleased. Got there, lake in the background, thinking this is perfect. Went to check-in - "sorry we are full." I asked if there was anywhere else nearby and was given a business card with an address. The TomTom couldn't quite find the adress but it was obviously out in the sticks - some eco place. If I found the village, I figured would find the place.

Finally got to see some really rural parts of Croatia. It was great. The road was extremely challenging. The Dutch couple towing a caravan were given the same card at Camp Zagreb but they never did make it here - it would have been impossible. Found the place surprisingly easily. A stunning hill-top retreat that used to be a winery. A lovely  setting but on a very steep hill. There was some sort of party going on when I arrived but it was a really good atmosphere and I was invited for a beer. None of the macho Serbian stuff, it was very calm and family friendly. Amazing what a difference a border makes.
 
€20 including a bottle of their wine and lovely grounds that I have all to myself. Everyone has gone, all I can hear are cookoos and other birds chirping. What a treat, sitting on a bench made out of an old wine barrel and taking-in the view. What a place to relax although I have forgotten to eat today and can't be asked cooking so all my Serbian fake Frazzles and salty 'paluszki' are being despatched.

Time to slowly start heading home. Not sure on the route yet though. I have a bit of spare time so maybe tomorrow I will slowly ride to Maribor in Slovenia and stay there. My Slovenian motorway vignette has expired so I will attempt to get there on little roads from here. Should make a nice day and line me up for a slow journey home via Austria.

Mileage: 2715
Country count: 12 (GB, F, D, A, SLO, HR, BiH, MNE, AL, MK, RKS, SRB)
Beers: 27 + 0.5l of red + Blueberry Schnapps + 3 Raki + 4 Pokojnice shots + 1 bottle of Croatian home-made white.
Fines: 0
Bribes: 0 (but a passport switching scam)
Ass pain: 5/10
Mechanical issues: 1 (headlight bulb & fuse)
Accidents: 1 (witnessed) + 1 guy reversing into me + 1 crash in Kosovo petrol station
Coldness: 1/10

Comments

  1. Unknown29 May 2017 at 12:00

    What lovely views. Welcome back to the EU

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Andy1 June 2017 at 10:04

      Thanks. Can't really tell one country from the next now though...

      Delete

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