It's rolling again...

After a brief stop in Croatia, the next border crossing was already on the cards today – and for the first time, I had to show my ID. But entering Serbia was straightforward: show ID when leaving, show ID when entering, done. It was only later that I realised I hadn't even taken off my sunglasses. The Serbian official even said, «Have a nice trip!» Amusingly, a BMW with an Aargau number plate drove past me on the bridge between Croatia and Serbia.

I was really looking forward to Serbia, as I had heard a lot of good things about it. Because the country is discussed somewhat controversially in political circles, I was all the more curious to experience it for myself. And although I had high expectations, I was not disappointed: the people are very friendly, all cyclists greeted me, and one woman even waved from her allotment garden as I rode past. I immediately felt welcome.

The roads were also good all day. Often on dedicated cycle paths. Only just after entering Bačka Palanka, shortly after Novi Sad and a few kilometres before Belgrade was I on large roads with sometimes very heavy traffic and especially lorries overtaking extremely close. This was also on the only climb worth mentioning, 185 metres in altitude. And only about 15 kilometres before Belgrade were there side roads with little traffic again or a separate cycle path from 11 kilometres beforehand.

The weather was nice again and warm today, so I took off my long clothes before the climb and rode in shorts and a short-sleeved jersey from then on. That made it even more fun. The wind was also a bit more varied today, I even felt like I had a tailwind most of the time. I made great progress with a low heart rate - I had learnt that lesson by now. And apart from a very short refreshment break standing up before the climb, I only took another break by the Danube about 11 kilometres before Belgrade and sat on something other than my bike for the first time.

The break was worth it, because arriving in Belgrade was a little more complicated. According to the official EuroVelo route, you should be able to take a lift on the bridge that leads into the city to the promenade below. But as the lift didn't come for ages - I waited 5 minutes because it said it only ran every 5 minutes - I decided to look for an alternative. As I couldn't find anything better quickly, it was a flight of stairs. In the end, I arrived at my accommodation safely and without any problems. And in significantly less time than yesterday, even though I only cycled 6 km less and had more metres of elevation gain. The day was really fun and I seem to have overcome yesterday's mini crisis. Nevertheless, I'm happy to take the planned rest day tomorrow and check out the city and the vegan restaurants.

Yesterday, by the way, I had already completed half of the planned route to Istanbul shortly after the start, around the Croatian border. So things are moving forward.