Coming down from the Carpathians the heat seemed to increase with every hairpin bend. From a positively fresh 5C at the top it was around 30C by the time I stopped for a well earned coffee in Targu Jiu, just after midday.
I was down to just a t shirt and the summer riding jacket, shedding three other layers, which had not been enough at the top.
Still the coffee was good, there was a chance to catch a breather, have a smoke and check the net.
The bike was behaving impeccably.
So after 20 minutes it was onwards again.
There is a very different mentality on a journey when you turn for home. Somehow it becomes more urgent to complete the task, rather than enjoy the sights.
Still the sights made the task very enjoyable later in the day.
The next hour or so was putting kilometres under the belt.
Lunch was in a small town with a big church. I settled in to a good break with an enormous pizza and a few bottles of water, both to cool down and to refill the hydration pack.
Then onwards. The countryside was interesting and the occasional strange sight put a jolt in the smooth rhythm of biking bendy roads with little traffic.
Deep in the rural countryside, with cows and ancient Ladas grazing by the roadside suddenly there is the thump of a massive industrial complex. Chimneys as high as the surrounding hills. Dominant and deliberate, a callous communistic statement of intent.
It didn't seem to be working.
But on we wove and threaded, enjoying the bikers' breeze and the state of alertness. Onwards to Drobeta. Or
Drobeta Turnu Severin to give the town its full name. there were a few stops to confirm whether we were still on a reasonably quick route, especially on the outskirts of the town. There are few signs to other countries in lots of the Balkans. Few signs to indicate that other cities and cultures may lie beyond the next hill. And there are no major towns in Serbia on this part of the border.
But you are only going in wrong way if you need to take a particular route. If you need to be somewhere in particular.
On a bike, the bike is the somewhere in particular. Towns and roads are relatively incidental, you are where you want to be. Biking.
But there were signs indicating a border was close. here the border is the Danube. But its big. So crossings are few and far between.
The Iron Gates Dam generates some 20% of Romania's electricity. It is massive.
The photo is a cheat from Google Earth, but its about 1 km across.
Interesting no mans land for a border crossing. But there was little hassle on either side.
And once in Serbia the sign posts ran out so I had to check the map before even reaching the main road. Turn right and head upriver.
Then followed an extraordinary experience.
The road hugged the river. The road surface was good, so it was easy to keep up a good pace.
The views were wonderful, if sometimes eclectic.
And there was very little traffic. In about 100 km I probably saw 100 cars and half a dozen bikes. It is extraordinary that such wonderful biking country has not been discovered by hordes more people. It was an excellent way to spend the afternoon, even though I was tired.
There were no bars, few houses, few signs, almost no tourist development at all. Quite extraordinary.
So mid afternoon I'd reached Veliko Gradiste, a small town, at least it seemed that way with buildings of more than two storeys and several petrol stations. It was time for a refill, for the bike and for me. So petrol, coffee and a snack was another chance to check in to the world and discover nothing important was going on.
The net is an addiction, so only checking a few times a day and putting it down to get on with riding is empowering.
There is still a need for self-validation, yes there are a few Likes so I must mean something to someone. But there is a life to live beyond posts and likes (though presumably this blog is an affirmation of both!).
from Veliko Gradiste it was time to head to Petrovac and Kragujevac. Not such friendly sounding places, but they were places marked on the map and occasionally on roadsigns as well.
I was down to just a t shirt and the summer riding jacket, shedding three other layers, which had not been enough at the top.
Still the coffee was good, there was a chance to catch a breather, have a smoke and check the net.
The bike was behaving impeccably.
So after 20 minutes it was onwards again.
There is a very different mentality on a journey when you turn for home. Somehow it becomes more urgent to complete the task, rather than enjoy the sights.
Still the sights made the task very enjoyable later in the day.
The next hour or so was putting kilometres under the belt.Lunch was in a small town with a big church. I settled in to a good break with an enormous pizza and a few bottles of water, both to cool down and to refill the hydration pack.
Then onwards. The countryside was interesting and the occasional strange sight put a jolt in the smooth rhythm of biking bendy roads with little traffic.
Deep in the rural countryside, with cows and ancient Ladas grazing by the roadside suddenly there is the thump of a massive industrial complex. Chimneys as high as the surrounding hills. Dominant and deliberate, a callous communistic statement of intent.
It didn't seem to be working.
But on we wove and threaded, enjoying the bikers' breeze and the state of alertness. Onwards to Drobeta. Or
But you are only going in wrong way if you need to take a particular route. If you need to be somewhere in particular.
On a bike, the bike is the somewhere in particular. Towns and roads are relatively incidental, you are where you want to be. Biking.
But there were signs indicating a border was close. here the border is the Danube. But its big. So crossings are few and far between.
The Iron Gates Dam generates some 20% of Romania's electricity. It is massive.The photo is a cheat from Google Earth, but its about 1 km across.
Interesting no mans land for a border crossing. But there was little hassle on either side.
And once in Serbia the sign posts ran out so I had to check the map before even reaching the main road. Turn right and head upriver.
Then followed an extraordinary experience.
The road hugged the river. The road surface was good, so it was easy to keep up a good pace.
The views were wonderful, if sometimes eclectic.
And there was very little traffic. In about 100 km I probably saw 100 cars and half a dozen bikes. It is extraordinary that such wonderful biking country has not been discovered by hordes more people. It was an excellent way to spend the afternoon, even though I was tired.There were no bars, few houses, few signs, almost no tourist development at all. Quite extraordinary.
So mid afternoon I'd reached Veliko Gradiste, a small town, at least it seemed that way with buildings of more than two storeys and several petrol stations. It was time for a refill, for the bike and for me. So petrol, coffee and a snack was another chance to check in to the world and discover nothing important was going on.
The net is an addiction, so only checking a few times a day and putting it down to get on with riding is empowering.
There is still a need for self-validation, yes there are a few Likes so I must mean something to someone. But there is a life to live beyond posts and likes (though presumably this blog is an affirmation of both!).
from Veliko Gradiste it was time to head to Petrovac and Kragujevac. Not such friendly sounding places, but they were places marked on the map and occasionally on roadsigns as well.
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