The ride today has been full of surprises and wonderful experiences. We were prepared yesterday for the terrain we would be riding over by our bikeline guide, but this route today was hillier, steeper and there were more challenges. By hill #10, I gave up counting - and none of these were mentionned in the guide. As there was no signage, we wondered at times if we were on the right route. The border crossing into Serbia was simple and very organized. The Guards were no-nonsense but interested in our bike. The wonderful part of the day was the incredible scenery we saw - the hills gave us spectacular vistas and the people were amazing in their spontaneous friendliness and waves of encouragement. We felt so welcomed by Serbians to be in their country. The other challenge was the unrelenting traffic on narrow roads with no pull off area. We found that the drivers (particularly as we neared towns) were very aggressive and impatient. Pedestrians and cyclists beware! Another change for us as we get to know Serbia, is the language. The letters are unrecognizable and we find it challenging to understand road signs. Dogs are often not behind closed gates as they were in Hungary and Croatia, but they seem to be pretty laid back.
The Danube runs alongside Hotel Dunav in Ilok. A wonderful setting for this hotel.
Leaving our hotel in the morning- a beautiful building, nicely furnished but not up to the expectations of recommendations we had read. Breakfast was adequate (restaurant is renowned) and service lacked personal interest.
After the border crossing, we briefly stopped at the first Serbian village that we came to in an attempt to find a bank. The man on the left came right over and started to speak french to us. He had lived in France for many years and now lives in Serbia. The other fellow came over out of curiousity....silent, but very interested.
We happened on this interesting landscaping idea. Perhaps it is a Serbian custom, as the restaurant of our hotel has a similar approach with chairs decorating the wall.
Welcome to Novi Sad - which we saw from a distance. We followed the main route on the other side of the river as we plan to ride on to Belgrade - this is a mistake - we recommend crossing over as the traffic is intense and the roads are too narrow on the south side. At one point, we got off and walked to get away from close calls with cars. As well, we had to ride onto to the side (no shoulder) as cars were passing towards us and would have hit us.
As we rode by the church, Joseph and his friend came running telling us to stop and come across the road to visit and see their church. Joseph feels that it is his duty to welcome travellers and give them a place to stay in his home, or a place to rest for 5 minutes and see his church. An unexpected and heart warming stop.
When I said "smile, it's Halloween" the fellow on the right gave us his best Halloween smile. Joseph had worked in Belgium, Ohio, Serbia and spoke French well. His friend translated for him.
We were given a very personal tour of the church explaining its significance and the history involving the miracle that took place in the 1700's to expel the Turks.
