My short visit to Novi Sad is over though I wish I had more time to dedicate but I have Fruska Gora ahead to explore in this dry parenthesis of rainy weather so that's all I can do at the moment. Don't misunderstand me, I can't complain when I ride on roads like the 119 heading West parallel to Danube river:
Can it get better? Yes, when I turn left to take the 123 which will bring me to the mountain of Fruska:
No traffic, sweet bends in a green scenery, Orestis is super happy and I am happy I am Orestis:
Can it get any better? Well, yes! That's when I turn left here in order to cross the mountain all the way from West to East. My windscreen gets more bugs making images worse but everything else is flirting with perfection:
Well, maybe except the fact that the road is full of sharp bumps but you can find such stuff at roads that collect a lot of snow through the year even in Switzerland. Who can complain in a green heaven like this anyway? Not me:
The weather is far from hot as this year's Spring feels like Greek winter but imagine what a joy it will be to ride in the summer under the shade this trees generously offer:
Too much riding? Let's have a break and enjoy this heaven sent forest:
You can save this next one cause it's a rare case of me picturing myself:
I realise that it looks much more distant than I'd like it to but I'm not a selfie maniac hence don't bother to take one more. Plus I'm a little hungry so it's time to consume some more of the supplies I got from Novi Sad.
Wafer anyone?
I haven't been to any country so far not being able to find Hellenic bits. Even at Merzuga Morocco, I was swimming over Hellenic letters due to the Cyrillic alphabet printed on its bottom. Less surprised to find words in common here in Serbia but still it's quite interesting. However, it goes beyond some obvious ones as I read this sign:
The obvious is "Monastir" (top right) but I didn't expect "Eparxia" (top left) which is the exact same word in Greek for "region".
However, in Serbian it's a religious term:
Religious or not you gotta adore this masterpiece of nature:
One more rarity:
It's hard to describe how nice it feels being in this green hug while your ears are caressed by birds singing:
Not all flying creatures are as lucky though. As I turn back to my bike I spot a butterfly stuck under one of the right side panels:
At the first touch it pops its head out so I'm glad it's still alive:
A bit of a miracle though considering the speeds I ride around here. I can't get it out though by all sorts of gentle gestures so I try to give her the tiniest amount of pull possible:
I quit halfway cause I doubt the wings can withstand the procedure. I finally succeed stretching my gentleness and imagination as far as possible:
Finally free, alive and pretty, ready to live some more moments in this gorgeous forest:
Pictures cannot transfer the audio from the birds so here's a chance to enjoy it plus a super rare on camera moment of me and the whole butterfly incident in 4K:
Time for me to get back on the saddle and continue riding this Green heaven:
The beauty of Fruska makes me stop again a little later:
This monument makes me stop again just a couple of minutes later:
It's dedicated to the fallen ones during the WWII, built in 1951. Let's have a look:
Quite a complimentary background from the sky:
It's not that hard to imagine the bloodshed of that period hence the size of this monument:
Time to reach for my bike which is all the way down there:
I am again riding in Green heaven around the last East quarter of Fruska when on my left out of the blue I see this:
It's a WTF moment for everyone located here but if you're a bit familiar with the history of the area like me since I am living just South of Serbia it triggers more thoughts and emotions. I think "this was probably hit from NATO in the late 90s!", only to cross check later that this was the case. Not that the scars of this tower allow much space for doubt:
It's even more special for me cause I clearly remember those days. Back then, I was trying to help a Greek band (one of a kind, imagine a Greek version of Frank Zappa) and had managed to get them to play for a TV show. One night they have a gig booked at a new and promising venue in Athens where we would all meet. That bombing occurs and the shock is spread publicly. We're like "shall we cancel it? Who has the mood for live music to come there?". We decide to go though anyway and "come hell or high water". Indeed, almost no one shows up except the the band, me and very few friends so the gig doesn't take place but me and a few guys from the band go on stage to jam just for the shake of it. How would I imagine then that a quarter of a century later I'd visit the targeted places on my bike as my first post pandemic trip. Life is hard to comment sometimes...many times actually.
To add more to the WTF of this spot, apart from this relic of tower which has never been repaired but STILL works as a transmitter, the spot is VERY scenic and there's a hotel next to the tower (barely seen on the right in the last picture):
Clips from the ride from Novi Sad and through Fruska Gora can been watched in 4K in the following video:
This is my longest post so far, hope you enjoyed it, see you on the next one!
*Curious what's "HIVE"? Read all about it at https://hive.io
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