3. From Vidin to Vrsac

from the 21st of to the 27th of July

On 21st of July, after the last 3km hill we achieved the Serbian boarder. We had to wait 2-3 hours at the boarder - Nina forgot the power of attorneys for the kids in Vesi's car... We finally entered in Serbia at 1 pm and continued our way to Negotin. We lost 2 days in Vidin due to the green bike problem; we recovered part of the delay taking a shortcut in the mountains of Serbia. With the help of Ves and Des, with their cars (for the kids only) and Vesi biking Nina's bike, we climbed up the last hill in Plavna. There we put our tent in the fields of a big Serbian farm. Kids had lots of fun chasing the little chickens, feeding the pigs, saying hello to the 14 days old cow... We had nice time with Martinovic family and it was our first night under the stars (it was so hot that we did not use the tent, putting our sleeping bags on the grass..). Next days, we were going down to the Danube, biking on its right side, climbing up again, slaloming down through 17 tunnels, reaching the coast of the Danube again. On the 26th we crossed the Danube at Ram, we left it behind us and we will meet it again in Budapest, in 2 weeks from today. We are now riding between the fields of Serbia, cycling North-West to the Hungarian boarder. We've done 550 km so far!

Language Problems?

Dovidjenia, Dosvidania, Dovijdane, Dowidzenia... using a little of Polish, Russian and Bulgarian, we managed to confused everyone but somehow we are able to understand and to be understood in Serbia. Next step in Hungary we will practice our body language... 

About the Kids

We thought the heat will exhaust the kids, will make them weak, slow and easy irritated, complaining all the time, sleepy, lazy, bored and not interested in anything. We believed that we 2 will be strong for 4 to give strength and enthusiasm to the kids or at least to be able to force them to move... How we bear the heat: me and Damien fall asleep in the afternoon (Nina at any occasion) - on the grass, at the beach, in a chair, on the table after good lunch. Mira and Alexander can't stop to play when we stop for a rest - they are swimming, running, catching tadpoles, chasing frogs, digging holes in the ground, talking, laughing, arguing, writing in their travel books. All that under the heavy sun. Alexander seems he can't stop to bike - when he finish his lunch he jumps on his bike and makes circles and circles and circles until we finish lunch or until Mira finish so she can play with him. These kids are not normal.

Weather conditions ...

44 deg Celsius - for the first time in our lives we experienced so high temperature! For the first time in our lives we are biking at so high temperature. It's good I've read the book for Tuaregs - I was trying to imagine I am a stone, not to feel the heat. It does not help - I think the stones suffer more than people from the heat. Sashko was biking silently, with red face. Mira was almost falling asleep on the seat (as she is attached to my bike she can afford to do that). Damien did not stop to say 'Aide, aide, aideee, push!!'

3 days ago temperature dropped to 33 deg.! - cycling at 2pm is pleasure again! Saw the weather forecast today - it seems we will experience our first small rain on Mon-Tue next week. Good - we will start to learn what to do in Sep & Oct...

We had our first storm. Golubac, 24 July, our tent set next to Danube, 10pm, Mira and Sashko sleeping in the tent. Storm started so suddenly - all our plastic bags full with clothes, bread, cheese, tomato, cooking equipment, rubbish, shoes, swim suits, tooth brushes, rope for hanging the laundry, books wanted to fly chaotically in different directions; I realized how flexible can be a tent - trembling, bending left and right, almost jumping; all paper rubbish on the beach flying around, making it so difficult for us to understand in the darkness what is our luggage and what is toilet paper left from the tourists (we were trying to run after all of them, chasing what looked bigger and more precious first...); Damien holding the tent, trying to push it down to the earth; Danube turned in an ocean - big, noisy, with white foam on the top; trees kissing the earth with their tops... it was scary... I was begging Damien to run to the closest hotel... he did not give up of course... We stayed, we collected the luggage which we managed to catch, we put the kids out of the tent - Sashko ran fast out as he realized the tent is falling on his head, Mira - sleeping while standing, crippled slowly to the new place for the tent and lay down on the ground, waiting patiently Damien to set the tent again, protected from the wind by a garage for boats. He was a magician, he managed to set it again, we all entered - inside it looked much more secure, especially when you zip all the zips and when you fall asleep... In the morning - very light wind, blue sky, yellow sun, no people around - quiet and fresh, cold shower at the beach.. It was so nice.

Thanks for all your messages , from Cuba, Kazakhstan, Norway, USA, France, Bulgaria, Japan. John, I only have an orange dress – I hope it will be suitable... or delay as much as possible.

Message in Bulgarian for mama I tatko!

Mamo, Tatko, mnogo ni lipsvate poniakoga. Kogato minavame pokrai borova gora ili kashtni gradini palni s borove, mirizmata na darvetata mi napomnia ujasno mnogo na nashite kasno-letni, ranno-esenni razhodki na Vitosha I mi stava taka hubavo I nostalgichno. Mua (vesi ste vi prevede ostanaloto dovechera, kato surfirate iz internet) Ot Mira: mnogo vi obicham. Iskam da vi kaja che vidahme mnogo praseta, mnogo kravi, 1 malko tele, mnogo malki pilenca I kokoshki I peteli. Hvanah 1 malko pilence, no beshe trudno. Otidohme v 2 fermi. Mnogo vi obicham pak. Chao..mua, chao mua