Zagreb - Beograd higway; known as "Autocesta Bratstvo i Jedinstvo" ( Highway of Brotherhood and Unity ) . Road was built in 50s with a help of Youth working brigades to conect ex.Yugoslavian repulbics. It went from Slovenia - Jesenice ( near Austrian and Italian border ) through Ljubljana, Novo mesto, Zagreb, Slavonski Brod, Vinkovac, Belgrade, Niš, Skopje to Macedonian - Greek border.
Weather forecast is bad. Where are we going? To Sremska Mitrovica, Čačak, Užice, ... Why?
We have friends there. |
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| DAY I |
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Croatia - on the Road to Sremska Mitrovica...
Further information about Srem:
sremskamitrovica.org.yu , sm.co.yu
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At Aca's home - welcome:
In bottle with cross is rakija - Serbian brandy.
Serbians prepared us superior roštilj - barbecued meat. Pig is the king here, you know. "Veggies better stay away from Balkans!"
We put the bikes into Aca's garage for the night, where fearsome dog Riki watched them.
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| DAY II |
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Aca's mother made this tasteful breakfast ( left photo). I ate so much I hardly moved. Must get a recipe for this .
LAV ( = lion ) beer for the morning to scare out the JELEN ( = deer ) beer consumed last night ... |
On the road from Sremska Mitrovica through Belgrade, Gornji Milanovac, Čačak and to Ovčar Banja. Unlike me Serbians prefer to drive on main roads.
Weather - rain mostly. |
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We stopped in Čačak, where Aco ( the one from Cacak ) and Vladan were already waiting for us. First we filled up our tanks on gas station managed by Vladan, than we went to sweetshop managed by him also.
Cacak:
www.serbia-tourism.org/cac , www.cacak.co.yu
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Lost, wet, undercooled and angry Slovenian part of expedition... Remember this one? :)
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OVCAR BANJA
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His majesty The King himself
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In Ovcar Banja there are hotsprings ( banja = spa ) and the place is a good starting-point to many of nearby monasterys and orthodox churches. You could also go lumber rafting on Westeren Morava river here. We were almost washed from the road before getting here.
Some links in serbian: serbia-tourism.org//ovc , zeleznicar.org.yu=33 , http://www.serbia-tourism.org/ovcar
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We knew that we ate A LOT and drank hard all afternoon and night, so we ( Slovenians ) decided too pay at least for some part of damage we've done to our hosts. We worship Serbian hospitality, but this was too much. When we told that to Serbs, reaction was:
"Drugo pitanje molim!..." ( Another question please, this one is out of consideration ).
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Aco: "Drugo pitanje molim!"
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Late at night Muki came, driving alone from Slovenia to here 700 rainy km . |
In the course of time we got tired.
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Bikes were resting... |
... and so were we.
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| DAY III |
Friday - another wet day. We drove through city of Užice and then we rise to the mountains of Zlatibor. The place where the biker fest was happening is called Partizanske vode. Very nice place. National park actualy.
Here are some links: www.zlatibor.co.yu , www.zlatibor.co.yu/english , www.zlatibor.com
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Entering Užice www.uzice.net |
Kiško biding us welcome on their meeting.
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Warming up
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Serbian, Bosnian and Slovenian
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Well on friday it was very cold ( not much above 5°C ), so we drink a few beers, some rakija, eat pleskavica and then some of us head on warm - to the hotel, where we were staying for the weekend. We hope to put up our tents but with this kind of weather that wouldn't be the brightest way to pove you're a true biker. |
FOOD |
Urška making Tomaž some hair
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Fellow on my left gave us a ride to the hotel |
Waitress looks a bit like Slovenian singer Adi
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| DAY IV |
Bikes in front of our hotel |
Weather forecast is better for today...
I'll take the opportunity and look around Zlatibor a bit. |
Zlatibor tourist shops, bars, restaurants,...
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Market is opening
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Meat
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Eastern markerts ( bazaars ) are realy nice places to visit. You can buy things here you won't find at home. Go there in the morning and try some this, some that and you had your breakfast for that day.
Must buy or at least try here is "Kajmak" ( milk product ) . There are also many wooden products and clothes here.
Prices on this market places are usually lower, food is fresher and choice is greater than in local stores. But you must take some time ( which here doesn't matter as much as in the computerised, robotised and stressed westeren world ). |
Heavy warm woolen jumpers
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Rakija and other medicaments
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baking bread |
For breakfast Aca and Kuzmica took us to the reastaurant where they served "Komplet lepinja".
Komplet lepinja is served only in places around Zlatibor in Serbia. It is small bread half baked. They cut it, put in some egg, kajmak ( local cheese ), and don't know if something else, put together, bake and serve with fresh home made yoghourt in potter cup.
Very good offcourse. |
Company resting in one of many nice bars here |
Food everywhere
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| If you leave Serbia hungry, then there must be something very wrong with you. Well, or you must be a vegetarian. |
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I've took some time and ride away from tourist settlement to see some of nature around... |
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Zlatibor actualy means golden pine tree. Name must've come from those pine trees ( one of my favorite plants ) around the national park. Sadly many of these trees were cut down in history.
Otherwise nature here is very beutifull and some garbage here and there and hotel settlement didn't spoil it yet. Hope it remains like this. There are also many nice undemanding paths for walking and cycling. |
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Back on the biker happening the weather improved. Many bikers came from all over Serbia, Bosnia, Macedonia, Germany ( I suppose those wewre Serbs working abroad ).
Defile went downhill to the center of Užice where we watched some whelees and stopies and grab a beer or two.
When we came back, the biker games began and the atmosphere grew. |
Friends from Čačak: "Živeli!"
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Meeting place |
Wheelee show
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Even Slovenian četnici came...
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Balkan biker ( nice boots :) |
Harley - the Serbian way
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Armwrestling |
"Svetsko, a naše" - MB beer
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| Well, I had enaugh drink in past days, so I didn't stay late on happening place. Program was very good but I was too exhausted to continue my drinking tour. I went downtown to e-mail my girl, watch sunset, visit some bars and go to sleep. |
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Me, myself and I watching the sun goes down and enjoy a litle peace on my own. |
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| DAY V |
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Tourist train on Mokra gora |
Located near the Bosnia border, the small village of Mokra Gora is best known for its spectacular Šargan Eight Railway. Designed in a figure eight loop, engineers in the early 1900's were able to work around the steep cuttings and narrow gorges (300 m vertical difference between the two stations even though it was only a 3.5 km horizontal difference) to create this beautiful section of railway. Although the train route no longer serves its original purpose of connecting rural villages between Belgrade and Sarajevo, this short section has been restored back to its original 1925's glory and is now a successful tourist attraction. www
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Višegrad ( BiH Republika Srpska ) |
A monastery or something
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Drina river gorge
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Gues what? It's going to rain .
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Sarajevo:
We went on a lunch to Bosanska kuča - Baščaršija in centre of Sarajevo. We wanted to see some of the bazaar and mosques nera this restaurant, but the rain prevent us to do so.
There was one cold and wet ride home waiting for us.
www.sarajevo-tourism.com |
Steak House in Baščaršija - Sarajevo
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Veseli bosanac ( Happy Bosnian ) |
One more group photo and on rain we go...
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road: cca 1.500 km
gasoline: cca 72 l
fuel consumption: 4,9 l/100 km
technical problems: none
time: 5 days ( 04.05.05 - 09.05.05 )
border crossings: 5
states: 4
riders: Rok, Ales, Simon, Primož, Dule, Mičo&Maja, Muki, Aca, Kuzmica, Krkelja&KrkeljaJr., Beli...
Photo: Rok Vrhovnik
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Untill the next time... |
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