European Tour – Belgrade (Written by Jenika)
We are in Belgrade today!
The morning was spent walking around the city with Jo and Mark; we talked lots about the bombings in 1999 and it was quite surreal and emotional to see destroyed buildings in the middle of busy intersections and in plain sight. For the first time on this tour, I feel like I’m in a different place. Whereas every country we’ve seen has its own flavour, Serbia takes it to a new level. No more Western Europe, this is Eastern Europe. The cultural and physical landscape has drastically changed. We have left Hungary’s flat lands and are entering the Balkans. I’m excited for what’s to come as we travel further east to Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey.
In other news, I just wanted to give a giant PROPS to our hosts. They never cease to amaze us with their hospitality. You rock, hosts! I just got a confirmation from Ufuk in Vize, Turkey who has found a camping site for us to stay at. He is making arrangements for a tour and showers. I just contacted him through Couchsurfing. To roll into a foreign place and to rely on the kindness of strangers — whether for directions or for a roof over one’s head — and to constantly find nothing but generosity has really showed me what it means human. We have connected with so many people that don’t speak the same language. One of my most memorable moments was being invited into the cool shade of a building near the spot where I crashed my bike in Austria. The woman, Christiana, invited me inside, poured some water and talked to me in Austrian. I didn’t understand her or her me, but we still had a good half hour conversation.
Even within our group, I’m really warmed by those who give and help simply to create peace and happiness in the moment. This trip affords many opportunities for growth and reflection. A recurrent one for me, in particular, is what it means to be a good person. As a group, we try to have big discussions around this (and they’re great when they happen, although we get sidetracked from long days on the road) and I observe it around me on a daily basis.
