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.

day 1 - Novi Sad to Backa Palanka

Day 1
July 3rd

The day started with a very informal meeting by the van, our sturdy Boris. Even though most of us were at the hostel the night before, we hardly got a chance to talk until we were forced to take on the first challenge: fitting all our stuff into the back of the van...



We headed to the meeting point, in front of the Novi Sad City Hall, where the opening ceremony took place. We had speeches from Aleksandar Kravic - city counselor for Sports of the Novi Sad City Council, Miroslav Veskovic - rector of the University of Novi Sad, Wojciech Wolf - vice-president of Campus Europae and our own Julian, then a spin of the Bike of Honour and the handout of the bikes from Ideas on Tour, to whom we'd like to address our thanks and wishes of great success in their future endeavours. They'll earn a longer reference soon, on your new favorite blog :)



The group headed out to Backa Palanka, on the bicycle path along the Danube, with a very relaxing stop at a place called Florida (not to be confused with state commonly known for its orange juice and sunglasses-wearing red-headed detectives).



We had a chance to meet some nice people from the Backa Palanka Youth Club, who welcomed us to our very first stop of the very first stage.
After a nice dinner at a local pizzeria and a relaxing moment by the Danube, we spent the night at the sports hall of the Desanka Maksimovic elementary school.



Our first day was over, and we couldn't really believe that our ambitious project had, in fact, begun. As we went to sleep that night, we had no idea of what lay ahead and the challenges that we'd face. But it was real, at last...

stage A: deadline EXTENDED!

Heads up, everyone!

In the past weeks we've been working hard and we're receiving many messages of support and many pre-registration requests. We're all proud of the impact this project is having and we hope to see more of you join this ambitious ride.

As such...

NEW DEADLINE FOR PRE-REGISTRATION FOR STAGE A
Novi Sad to Pécs
You can still send us your pre-registration until May 10th, at 23h59 CET.

Join us by the Danube, and Ride for your Rights!

Stage A: deadline for pre-registration

Heads up, bikers!

Everyone interested in joining the group for the first stage should take of their pre-registration until May 5th at 23h59!

This means that, once pre-registration is closed, we'll provide each of you with all the information we have then, concerning the exact route, accomodation, food, etc. Then you'll have a few days to decide whether you sign up for good.

Please read the FAQ carefully and write us if you have any more questions.