Sunday 2nd November 2014 - Couldn't leave until after 10am, as no one here before that to unlock bike from the garage.
Sun out for the first time in a week or so, really nice to see.
Shops here are all open on Sunday as well, bonus!! Through Veliko Gradiste and it's a hive of activity.
Through the countryside, everyone out collecting in the corn or chopping wood for the winter.
Also, last couple of days keep seeing memorial plaques on the side of the road for people, who I presume, have died in that spot. They all have a photo of the person on them with their name and dates. Lots and lots of them too.
Pass through Golubac Fortress. They seem to be restoring parts of it. Round the corner, then it's 50km or so down the edge of the gorge along the river. Romania is on the opposite side.
The 'Iron Gates' as it's known, where the Danube flows through the gorge between Carpathian Mountains and the Balkans, along the border between Serbia and Romania.
Lots of old style haystacks.
This road also has 21 tunnels along it. Some are just short and you can see through them. There are a couple of longer ones, number 21, 20, an 14 being most memorable. Number 14 tunnel was 256 metres long with a bend in the middle.
It's pretty dark in a long tunnel with a bend in the middle. For these longer ones I'd wait to listen for traffic, then go for it. Pedal pedal pedal, it's also windy through them, so you can't hear if anything is coming behind you. They also leak, so you get dripped on and have to ride through puddles.
I don't play the 'hold your breath through the tunnel' game, but it's a bit of excitement for the day!
Stop at a picnic table at one stage and someone had forgotten to lift their collection of skulls off the table!! Weird.
Sun out, but this side was the shady side of river. I guess it was better though as more likely to be seen by drivers.
Down to the historical site Lepinski Vir. Not sure if it was open or not. Then a rough stoney path with big rocks, then climb climb climb back up. Grrrrrr.
Cold numb feet.
Nice view of the sun setting over the hills, if you looked past the mounds and mounds of rubbish dumped on the side of the road.
Coming into Donji Milanovac I saw four mountainbikers coming the opposite way. First cyclists I've seen in days.
Stock up with food supplies at the petrol station, then up another steep hill to Hotel Lepenski Vir about 4.30pm.
Darkness - outside and inside.
Tried the door, it was open, walked into a pitch black large lobby area.
One light on at reception desk. A guy comes out from the back room. €33 for room & breakfast, arrrgghhh!!
Not going to go back down the hill to look elsewhere in town, far too cold.
Leave bike in foyer.
Really dated hotel. No hot water, or heating in room. Bathroom and towels are dirty. Metal fixtures in bathroom going green. No WiFi. There is a balcony that looks out over the Danube, so that should be a good view in the morning.
Complete rip off. Wouldn't stay here if I wasn't so cold and it wasn't already dark.
Breakfast better be good.
Spend the evening listening to some Serbian chat programme whilst writing up last few days.
Also, trying to plan out next few days. The Eurovelo 6 route follows the Danube through Romania to the Black Sea. So I could go that way, then down the Black Sea coast through Bulgaria into Turkey.
Or, just go more directly, from Vidin down to Sofia in Bulgaria and across the country to Turkey. More direct but a mountain range to cross. It was also snowing in Sofia last week, so obviously would've been up in the mountains too.
Hmmmmm......
Day 65 - 02.11.14
Srebrno Jezero to Donji Milanovac, Serbia
10.30am to 4.30pm
4h 33min cycling
81.6km
2302 calories
753 metres asc
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