Sunday 15th August

 

I am constantly blown away by the warmth and generosity of the people we are coming across. Restores your faith in human nature.

Camping Dunav (Danube) Zemun.

It’s warm and sticky tonight and we have just had a simple tea of bread, tuna salad and cheese. Not a good night for going to any trouble with cooking as we had a visit to Belgrade today.

But I will go back a couple of days and pick up our blog from when we left Camp Idyll in Hungary.

We left Campy Idyll on Thursday, again reluctantly as we had enjoyed a very nice few days in a very lovely setting and had enjoyed spending some time with our neighbors Hilly and Oene from Holland. We drove across the south of Hungary through Pecs until we came to Mohacs where we had to catch a ferry across the river Danube and then down to the border crossing into Serbia.

I think I was a little nervous to enter into another country we knew little about and that we could not rely on the Tom Tom for our directions. It seems that Serbia is one country that our gps maps did not cover. Oh well back to the old fashioned way with trying to read road maps and look at the street signs.

We crossed the border with no troubles and headed into the very run down and unkempt looking border town. Our first impressions were of a country that has been slow to recover from the break-up of Yugoslavia and the more recent war. It was very interesting driving through the small towns and villages and we were surprised to see many stands on the sides of the road selling all kinds of fruit but mostly huge watermelons.

We had researched camping grounds for the north-west of Serbia and had come across a small campground in the vicinity of Apatin close to the Danube River. It sounded OK but as it was still under development we were expecting something a bit rough and unfinished. The directions for Camp Budzac were easy to follow through the town and we drove along the small road along the dyke beside the Danube, we were almost there when we misread the sign and instead of turning and driving down the small road we continued on through the narrow roads lined with bushes and trees until we decided we had to turn around. This was a problem as the road was very narrow and there was not a lot of area for the camper to turn, still we continued on until we found some car parking area at a bar and did a 3pt turn to head back in the right direction. Suffice to say we did get down the right road, it was a little rough and we still weren’t sure it was the correct way when we came to the entrance of a very nicely laid out small campground which only had one other camper parked.

The couple who came to greet us told us to park anywhere and we soon found out that they were the owners and the camper belonged to them. They were very welcoming and after we had parked and set up, (which mainly means letting down the hydraulic legs, putting out the awning and setting out the table and two chairs.) they invited us for a welcome drink and a chance to find out about the area etc.

A very warm welcome indeed by Cilca and Joco and we found that we were invited to join them for the evening meal which was to be cooked by Jocoin a traditional Bosnian way which to us looked a lot like cooking in a camp oven. Coals underneath and coals spread over the lid. We quickly accepted their hospitality as we thought it would be nice to experience this dish of octopus, potato’s, tomatoes and lots of other vegetables cooked with white wine.So we spent a very enjoyable evening with them and Joco’s brothers’ family who also came to share the evening meal.

The campsite is a work in progress, situated in a quiet area that is mainly holiday homes and get away places. They have done a lot of work clearing the block and making nice grassy allotments to camp on. There is a small hut which will be made into a café and outside of this is a large paved area with tables and benches. At the moment the “facilities” are rudimentary, a very basic toilet but no pan, and a shower that is solar heated.This will be only temporary as they have plans to build a shower and toilet block, and are working all the time to improve the campground.

When we got there they had just put up a large above-ground swimming pool, filled it and were waiting for the chemicals to do their job.

Cilca was very helpful to us as she had some good maps of Serbia and could advise us on things we could see. Cilca and her husband Joco live at Bled in Slovenia but Joco is originally from Serbia and so have a good knowledge of the area.

The next day we decided to go for a bike ride into Apatin, which was 5 -6 kms away along a narrow road that is on the top of the dyke next to the river. It was a nice ride, although you had to look out for some of the crazy drivers in their small Yugoslav vehicles some of which are very old but are very common in the area. We visited their small market and bought some tomatoes and a cucumber and had a look around the town. Unfortunately the tomatoes didn’t make it back in one piece to camp as we had a problem with the pannier bags on the back of Ewout’s bike, (had to make tomato salsa with them) but hey, that’s life.

The rest of the day we spent reading and having dips in the swimming pool which was nice and refreshing as it was quite hot and humid. That evening we decided to go out to the “best” restaurant in the town which is situated next to the river and is quite new and modern. We enjoyed a sample of the local food, smoked fish, spicy paprika fish soup (yum) and smoked catfish which was excellent. It was very good value and apart from being eaten by mosquitoes we had a very enjoyable meal.

Back at the camp we had another enjoyable time with Cilca and Joco and when the wind started to blow, we quickly packed up and went to bed.

Saturday morning we again reluctantly moved on, after enjoying the hospitality of our new friends and the peace and quiet of the campsite it was tempting to stay longer and enjoy the surroundings with the bonus of the pool.

So now after a short stop in Novi Sad to look at the fortress we are near Belgrade and about to move on. Belgrade is like most cities, with its mixture of old buildings and some modern. It unfortunately looks like it needs a facelift. Most buildings are looking very run down and dirty, but I suppose that until their economy gets better then things like that will have to wait.

We did enjoy a nice lunch in what we came to believe is a Russian restaurant or Café, even though we had sandwiches it was very nicely presented and the interior was beautifully ornate, with chandeliers and the waiters dressed in Russian peasant dress. Service was also excellent and as it was a hot and muggy day we enjoyed relaxing in the air-conditioning after our walk around the town.

Its one place I am happy to leave, the campsite is old, dirty, toilets are broken and showers don’t drain. There is also a pack of dogs that wander around and get into everything, so you have to be careful not to leave anything out.

So it’s now onto more uncharted (for us) country, across Serbia and into Romania, of which we have had heard many good things. Quite looking forward to it, and Ewout is looking forward to Bran and Transylvania. (Might see some Vampires?) haha

Cheers