Serbia Bike Touring – ep. 6: Wedding Dance in Smederevo

Following our not-so-pleasant encounter with industrial Serbia, we found ourselves in Požarevac. We booked a room above a pizza place and roamed the city center in the evening, looking for something to eat other than pizza. Neeless to say, we ended up eating pizza anyway. Smederevo is next.

The day before we biked along the Danube from Veliko Gradište to Ram and Viminacium. We were very dissapointed by the industrial pollution found along the way. The huge open-pit mine at Kostolac was a deeply moving wound of the Earth that I wish to never see again.

Like I said, we spend that evening in Požarevac and in the morning we pack our bags for the road. Last night we raided a local supermarked and got a few vegetarian friendly items. For breakfast, we enjoyed corn flower bread and roasted veggies, besides Adelina‘s eternal supply of dehydrated carrots and pea-powder.

The road to Smeredevo is busy, with a lot of traffic. It’s the first time we use an European road on this trip and we try to be fast and spend as less time as possible on it. Every bicycle tourist is accustomed with the pleasures of trucks passing by and honking like maniacs.

The 30 kilometers flew by pretty quickly. We arrive in Smederevo and tour the city for a bit. There is a large pedestrian central square, but we listen to some music coming from far away. What could it be? Turns out it a wedding and there are fanfares outside, playing for the bride and groom. I love Balkanic gypsy music!

The grooves heard at the Smederevo wedding hall reminded me of the soundtrack from Kusturica’s Black cat, white cat, a movie I loved every time I’ve seen it. I can’t help but start to dance in the street!

We have a Warmshowers host for this evening, and Milos’ place is right nearby. He’s not home yet, but he’s been so kind and left us a spare key. We wash some clothes and unpack, then go to check out the Smederevo fortress. Compared to Golubac fortress, this one is in disrepair. It’s a public park today, but the walls look high and mighty, suggesting a glorious past. On our way back, we raid a supermarket, where Adelina is psyched to find all kind of vegan goodies, like almond milk and hummus.

We spend the evening over many beers with Milos, who was a wonderful Warmshowers host. He’s met a lot of travellers and had a few adventures of his own, so he can tell some nice stories. This was our first experience as Warmshowers guests; in July we hosted Alex, a young French guy in a solo bike tour through Europe.

Tomorrow, we’re on our way to Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. A city adventure awaits!

The route we followed to Smederevo is here. Also, check out our video for the sixth day of bicycle touring in Serbia:

I am glad to share my Adventures with you our even help embark on your very own.