day 4 - Osijek to Mohacs

Day 4
July 6th

The day began early for some. The same "some" as usual. Andi, Sasha and Julian went to meet Ivan once again for a city tour and some filming, since Julian and Andi were late for yesterday's tour. It would be a shame not get some footage of a beautiful place like Osijek.

After this second tour for the three, or sleeping in for others, everyone gathered for breakfast. We were bit in a hurry, because we had a meeting with Boris at "lega lega" shop arranged. There were guys from "Bike my day" organisation waiting for us, we took some photos, exchanged ideas and contacts, and once more sat on our bikes and left. That day, our goal was Mohacs.

This part of the route was unknown to all of us, so after a few wrong turns we were on our way to the Hungarian border through the Nature Park "Kopacki rit", what we like to call Jurassic Park, mostly because of the entrance.

The route was surprisingly interesting, the road was more than comfortable for riding, and after a couple of signs "Danger! Frogs!" and 40km we met the Hungarian border control. After some minutes of explaining what we were doing and which way we were taking, they wished us luck and we continued to Mohacs.

We were just about to enter the city, when we saw Tiago and Boris sunbathing and waiting for us. We stopped to get info about our accommodation for that night, and we heard only good news: "Tonight we are sleeping in an old cottage by Danube. Do not even think about going into the river, the whirlpools are too dangerous, there is an army of hungry mosquitoes, and you have 13 more kilometers to reach the place. And yeah, I almost forgot to mention, don't go beyond the fence, since there is a mine field. Also, it's not really a cottage."

Once we got there we were quite surprised that it is not that bad. the "cottage" was actually a former military post on the tri-border area, with a ramp for patrol boats. The mine field issue began to make sense. It looked creepy from outside, but the interior was quite cozy. Comfortable beds, equipped kitchen, and hot showers was exactly what we needed. We prepared some kilos of pasta, had dinner, and went to sleep, exhausted from heat and mileage that was far over our plans.

day 3 - Vukovar to Osijek

Day 3
July 5th

Our day at the horse ranch began on a positive note, when we were told that our friend Reinhard had picked up part of the tab. His generosity will not go unpunished :)

After lifting camp, we headed for Vukovar proper, where we visited an important landmark: the water tower. This was one of the few monuments that the city authorities decided not to repair, and instead preserve as a memorial of the horrors of the civil war that ravaged the region in the 90s.

We took a little while to talk about this sensitive issue among ourselves. Our group is quite diverse, and while some of us are all too familiar with this dark chapter in History, some others know very little about what happened. We took this chance to learn, reflect and hopefully we'll be able to pass on the message as we go along.

After this visit, the group split in two. Our participants went ahead, the crew stayed behind to catch up with all the pending work. Here's the first group's story:

We left Vukovar, heading to Osijek, and this part of the road was calm enough for us to relax and get to know each other a little better. We're always a bit too tired when we're off the bikes that it takes long until you really get to know the person riding beside you.

When we reached Osijek, we were met by Ivan, from Pannonian, who took us for a city tour on bike. We visited old town, the pedestrian bridge, the Cathedral and all the parks in between. We even took the ferry to see both sides of the Drava. Osijek is a beautiful and hospitable place. We'd like to thank the city of Osijek for arranging free meals and accommodation for us.

One important stop of our city tour was a visit to the Lega-Lega store, which is a unique brand of the city of Osijek, ran by Boris (not the van). Boris runs the website BikeMyDay.com and he organizes various cycling events in and around Osijek.

Ivan still had a treat for us. He took us to see the skate park and the BMX dirt track, where they organize Pannonian Challenge, an extreme sports competition that takes place every year, all put together by these young lads.

By the end of the day, we met Boris again, when he treated us to some ice-cream and talked about all the possibilities of creating cycling events between Serbia and Croatia. No scars of the past will prevent good people from doing good things.

It was a great day, a lot of sightseeing, good food, interesting people. It could have been better, had we known where the rest of the people were...

Meanwhile:

The crew were left in Vukovar to try and clear some work. As it turns out, it's hard to even think about replying to all the e-mails we get, after we toast under the sun for several hours. Of course a short break in Vukovar was welcome, but we knew we were missing something nice in Osijek. Seems like we have to visit again.

As we made our way to Osijek, we met a French couple, also on bikes, who had been travelling from France to Turkey and back, with a few months on their legs. They were the masters of low-budget travelling, as they didn't spend a single cent on accommodation. We wish we had no schedule to follow, so we could do the same. But time marches on, and so must we.

Our arrival in Osijek was quiet, and we had the opportunity to share the dining room with roughly hundred construction workers in blue overalls. Svetlana was the only woman in the room. Lucky her, getting all the attention...

Then off to meet the group, let them have a much deserved shower, and some more work into the night. Next time, we're hiring secretaries.

In conclusion:

As the days go by, as we see new places, meet new people, try new recipes and learn new things, we all grow up a bit, but still manage to keep a young spirit. And home is anywhere, now.

facts of life: borders

On the second day of this trip, we had our first border to cross. We left Backa Palanka, in Serbia, and headed to Vukovar, in Croatia. Normally, this doesn't pose much of a problem, as long as you hold a valid passport and you don't drive a van full of bikes, backpacks, satchels and assorted boxes filled with ripe plums and/or video equipment.

So guess what...

On my way out of Serbia, I was questioned about Andi's equipment. Said it came from Austria. No problem.
On my way into Croatia, I was questioned about the reason of my visit. Pointed at the giant logo, mentioned the group of cyclists that had passed. Little hesitation, then no problem.
Half an hour later I discovered such group of cyclists had in fact NOT crossed the border before.

After a few hours, I had to return to Novi Sad. Same border post.
On my way out of Croatia, I was asked why I wasn't registered as a trucker, so to speak. Referred to officers on the previous shift. Also, I'm not that much of a trucker yet, even though the tan on my left arm may be misleading.
On my way into Serbia, I was subjected to a customs check. The primary target, this time, was a small cardboard box hidden deep within the loins of Boris. Turned out to be the box where we keep the flyers, so that lightened the mood a bit. An awkward moment ensued, when four people couldn't figure out how to pop the hood of the van, which twenty minutes later led to a polite "sod off".

Later that night I showed up again, but this time they were expecting me, and not that happy to see me. Had I not been accompanied by german-speakers the second time around, my quest would have been much harder. Need to work on my Serbo-Croatian, I suppose.



This ordeal got me thinking: it's true, the normal student going abroad does not drive a van full of crap. Although I did, back in '07, but nonetheless.

Many students on mobility face lots of different problems, either with visas or residence permits, or even documents that cannot be produced for the simple reason that they make no sense elsewhere! I recall I was once asked, on a form, to indicate my previous date of birth in case I'd changed it, thus proving that time travel is possible.

It's about time we streamline these processes and facilitate the movement of students, and all people in general, to ensure that we build a world where people know, respect and understand their neighbours, no matter how far they are apart. We, in Europe, have a common identity background and we should embrace it, not deny it. Let student mobility be the first example, and let many more follow.

It shouldn't take a Boris to figure this out.

- Tiago

day 2 - Backa Palanka to Vukovar

Day 2
July 4th

The day began quite early for Julian and Sasha, who went to the local TV and Radio station to give an interview about the project. As it turns out, everyone in Backa Palanka rides a bicycle. Everyone. Nice choice for a first stop.

After that, the group went for some nice breakfast and attended a meeting with the Mayor of Backa Palanka. We had a chance to learn a few things about the city and the municipality, and managed to spread the message that our generation only needs a few simple tools to achieve great things - student mobility being one of those tools, of course!



Once the meeting was over, we began an incredibly quick preparation for the road up ahead (about one hour) while we read the newspapers where the opening ceremony was mentioned. If we've managed to reach a few people already, that's a victory for us, but we hope to achieve many more in the coming months.



Off to Croatia, we crossed the border into Ilok and paid a visit to the local castle. From then on, we were cruising over the plains and battling the steep valleys that made our trip more challenging. Our legs suffered a bit, but nothing some roadside cherry picking wouldn't cure.



At this point we must mention some of the people who have joined the Ride for your Rights!, by conviction or by mere chance, and who don't exactly fit into the student category.

On the top of the list, we have Reinhard and Solbritt from Austria, both very young in spirit and whose path happened to cross our own during these first few days, bringing some good mood to the group - not a scarce commodity around here, but always welcome. They managed to take some time to ride until Vukovar, where we had to part ways, but only for a little while. We're all looking forward to seeing them again when we stop in Vienna.



We also ran into a most unusual character. Stephanie, a German lady who has been riding her bicycle around the world for the past two years, ended up joining us for the evening in Vukovar, with some pretty amazing stories to share. We all wish her the best time on her way back home.



In the middle of all this, we reached the entrance of Vukovar, where we took a little detour to a horse ranch called Dunavski Raj. Yes, horse ranch, with real horses, whose shower we shared. Hosing ourselves down after such a long day was quite the treat we needed.



We had a very nice dinner, set up camp, grabbed the guitar and lit the bonfire. Another day had passed, we'd come to the second country on our itinerary and we'd already met some very interesting people. Just a couple of reasons why we all decided to join this ride.

We're all looking forward for whatever comes next.