We decide, to do at least 100km a day until we would reach Belgrade, Serbia’s capital city, starting somewhere close to the Slovenian border in Croatia.
As if bikepacking, cycling, setting up camp, rain and the unknown aren’t challenging enough, we are up for some more. Doing 100km a day!
Croatia is a big country, and we want to get on with it. Maybe the fact that we must cross a lot of fields makes us want to move on faster.
Day 1. Croatia 111 km
We set of in the morning after the best sleep I had in a while. Our tent placed in a little fishing hut overlooking a small lake.
A lot of motivation and no clue where we will end up tonight. No matter what it will be at least a 100km from where we woke up.
The Idea is to split it in 4 and have a break every 25km, which we completely fail with already the on the first day. So that is Coffee after 30 and somewhere after 70 we finally eat our “breakfast” which comes with a siesta on an abandoned playground in a little village with no name.
Crossing fields and villages. Seeing the houses passing by, admiring their lovely gardens filled with fruit trees offering a welcoming shade. How much I would give to be able to enjoy such a garden now!
And on we pedal.
Thirsty and tired we are looking for water, when a farmer approaches us. With no words we understand each other, and he gifts us a bag full of nectarines and peaches that we devour within less than an hour.
Just that encounter made it worth all the effort of this day, that hasn’t yet come to its end.
In the dark we set up the tent between the fields, hoping we would get enough sleep to keep on the next day. Tired and proud to have made our first 111km (yes really that number) in one day.
Day 2. Croatia 118km
Bad sleep and a morning due drenched tent later we wake up with the sun rising.
Off we go again. It feels a bit overwhelming to start a 0 once more. Fields are passing, strange names I have never heard before. None of us knows Croatia. It is exiting to cross all that new land. Far away is the horizon and even further away all the countries we know.
We have the choice, busy road with trucks or detour in the fields.
Choosing the fields makes us loose our way a few times, riding over bumpy roads, fearing they might be too overgrown to pass at any moment.
Midday heat and we are still cycling, pushing it. We had to pass the border and keep cycling in Hungary.
Soon we have to discover, that we will have to stay on this endless path for a lot of kilometers. Fields to the left and floded forest to the right. Its hot, no shade and it stinks of decay. How many animals died in this flood?
No break, just forward.
When we reach the next town, we feel like Aliens coming out of the wilderness. Dirty, sweaty, exhausted and happy, radiating all the sunshine we catched today. I couldn’t think of a bigger contrast to all the grumpy people in Lidl, doing their shopping, well washed and clean.
We cycle until sundown, out of town. Just to sleep a few hours in someone’s garden between fruit and nut trees and a swarm of mosquitoes around us.
Day 3. Croatia-Serbia 103
Very short night. Tired but weirdly motivated to keep going.
Every border crossing feels super exciting. How will the next country be, what changes will we notice?
Crossing the last fields in Croatia, we meet a barking dog and shortly after his owner that happens to be the owner of the vineyards as well.
After another conversations with hand and feet and guessing words, we were gifted a bag full of lovely grapes. We find ourselves cycling on eating grapes, not knowing yet it will be the most intense day of this whole journey, so far.
At that stage we were just happy about the grapes, taking it as a good sign for how things were going.
Into Serbia we drove and got lost straight away.
Finding our way back to the road we were supposed to be on, we meet two guys harvesting plums. Of course, they tell us to eat as much as we like and take some on the way. Gladly we accept the invitation, after all we haven’t even had coffee yet and where slowly approaching the first 50km of the day.
When we reach the town, we do not even bother finding a nice bench for a break. A random block of concrete will do. Not even 2 minutes later we get invited into the house. Having breakfast with a lovely Woman and her friends and employees, we get the warmest and loveliest welcome into Serbia we could have ever though of.
Even if tired, we refuse the invitation to stay overnight, because in a way we really want to keep the 100km a day going.
From there on it should be easy we thought and went on.
The next four hours were filled with, getting terribly lost on bumpy canal roads, huge detours. Roads where speed limits are just decorations. Street dogs running after our wheels and a lot of peanut butter breads.
Terribly exhausted and still 50km away from where we wanted to be. We must accept, that we are not going to make it. That day.
As I ask some girls playing in the garden in front of their house if they could speak English, I meet the loveliest girl I could imagine. Super excited to be able to use her English skills she and her parents invite us to stay with them over night and “for as long as we like”.
Conversations, food and a real bed. We are tired, exhausted and overwhelmed by all the kindness.
…and this was just one day!
Day 4. Serbia 42km
We leave late. After a coffee and some goodbye words, mixed feelings.
Are we going to make it to Belgrade?
No, not today. Way to exhausted from all the impressions, the physical effort and few nights of bad and short sleep we have a break.
It feels good to just close the door and leave the world outside outside for a little while.
100km a day, what a journey!
Thank you all for passing by, if you made it through all the 1000 words, I wrote:) Have a lovely day!
All photos and words are my own, taken and written by me.
What a journey indeed! Phew, in this heat, that's quite the accomplishment. Kudos! The view of those last couple of pics is definitely deserved! :)
Thank you:)
What a fantastic trip! I really want to share at least one day of that adventure with you, because I really don't think I can last the whole trip hahaha
Your beautiful photos and the places you present us with never cease to amaze me. All too beautiful.
And the best of all is the goodness that you are receiving along the way, that makes me keep my faith in human beings.
By the way, this "aliens" thing made me laugh hahaha
w/rgds
Thank you!! (took me a while to reply, because of cycling all the time :D) I really appreciate hearing that!!
For sure it is amazing but also really challenging at times, and if you would have told me a few month back I would have never believed I could or would go on such a trip...
...it is also a pleasure to be able to share it here in words and pictures:)
And yes, nice to build up a bit of faith in humans, much needed at times!!
Cheers!
Do not worry I understand. I have asked myself how often you sit down to write, maybe you take notes at each stop throughout the day? Or you simply take a moment at the end of each day, to capture the sensations of every place then make the selection of pictures.
Photos are from your phone or you have a camera?
Waiting to read the news of your journey and enjoy the photographs you have to show us.
BestRgds,
I do write every few days, when we have a rest. Even though I would love to write a bit every day, at the moment I never manage to keep up with that.
And photos are with my phone, which is also a thing I would like to dedicate more time to (I think its awesome to have some really good photos for later to look back) ...but when I am in it I forget to get the phone out, or it's just not possible.
Thats nice to hear:)
Take care!!
I keep mentioning how amazing this trip is. I'm really jealous 😀
What an amazing spot to put op your tent; in that fishermen's hut.
How many days are you underway by the way? And what will be the total?
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😊 Thank you!! I actually really enjoy writing about it, and then it feels even greater to hear it gets appreciated!!
...well you know just hop on the bike and off you go😅
It's been 4 month now🫢 and we have another 1 or 2 I would say.
Wow, that is really a long time! So cool!
Wow, what an adventurous journey! Cycling from Slovenia to Belgrade seems like quite a challenge. I can't believe you cover about 100 km a day - that's really impressive! Dealing with rain, camping and all the uncertainties must have made it even more exciting. Your encounters with locals along the way, like the farmer's gift of peaches, really show the warmth of the places you visit. It also seems like a unique experience to cross borders and discover new countries by bike. Keep pushing and hopefully you will arrive in Belgrade soon! Have a good trip! 🚴♂️🌍
It is quite an adventure, indeed, but again so worth it! If you would have told me at the beginning that I could do 100km a day, I would have laughed! (I was dead tired after like 30 😅)
Thanks for stopping by, I really appreciate it, and am glad you enjoyed it😊