Day Forty-One

22/06/25 - Day Forty-One

No harvest this morning, but a dewy tent awaited me. A minor inconvenience as I’d now have to dry my tent at a rest, but still a bit irritating. I rolled over and checked bbc news, something I’d been doing religiously of late. The US had made multiple strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities. This was big news and I lay back to let it sink in. I wondered how people in the different places I had and would visit would see it. It reminded me of my conversation with Zsolt, about politics, and how people from some places have completely different outlooks to us in the west. This was particularly prevalent as my journey was transitioning from west to east. I’d be crossing into Serbia today with its pro Russian sentiments, but maybe that’s just western bias too! I will keep an open mind though, and try and ask people I meet along the way for their takes on current affairs. 

This transition was reinforced by my first encounter with some wild dogs - they were on the friendly side of the spectrum though and only barked and chased me a little bit! I then stopped in the town of Ilok, and treated myself to a coffee, trying to blend in amongst the groups of local men tabbing away. I day dreamed of beer and coffee and cigarettes in the heat of Belgrade, kicking back and talking shite with a pal. The Europeans are really onto something with their laidback lifestyle, especially on the Mediterranean and Balkans. I muttered a farewell to Croatia - for it had been short but sweet - and through passport control. My first since entering Holland all those weeks ago. Slightly nervous, the stoney faced Serb stamped my passport and I was in the republic. Creaming up, I set off again, passing the carcasses of a couple of less fortunate strays. 

I was on a highway for a while which made for less pleasant riding, swearing at passing cars for being too close! A few miles of this before I turned onto a cycle path all the way to Novi Sad. I took a couple of hours here to see the sights, lunch and swim. I then carried on the remaining miles to Sremski Karlovci - to my host for the night, Dragan. He was a quiet man, but happy to talk when asked questioned. His father had enjoyed living under Yugoslavia and helping to rebuild the nation after WW2. He spoke of Serbia being a bridge between east and west. Interestingly, there isn’t any Islamic community here, mainly orthodox Christianity, Bulgaria is where Islam starts, said Dragan. I ate till my stomach hurt tonight, but not long after I was hungry again. I want to say I will sleep well tonight, but don’t want to jinx it! As I write this I enjoy the background soundscape of cicadas, distant dog barks and the chatter of Dragan's neighbours.

 

The local megafauna

 

 

 

Here we goooo

 

 

 

 

 

Serbia does nationalist street art like nowhere else!

 

Novi Sad Synagogue

 

 

 

 

 

Dragan's gaff



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