Serbia to Bosnia

Josip, on BMW 1200gs doesn't waste much time.. as soon as I arrived Belgrade, got my bike and myself clean at the hotel, he says we are going out to meet his friend Dane (pronounced Da - nay), on Honda Africa Twin for a little tour around.  I was really exhausted and just wanted to stop for the day. However, we only have 4 days to get through 3 countries with Josip's short time schedule off work. Don't sit down yet, Sherri Jo! Gotta keep going so I don't miss anything!!

We first ride around the city, and then up to this really large fortress.  I did not expect to see this, but it makes sense.  Serbia has had so much war history in the recent years still fresh in my mind, I hadn't learned of or considered it's more ancient times. Kalemegdan Fortress is right in the center of Belgrade on the banks of two rivers that meet, the Danube and Sava.

With history here dating back as far as 3rd century BC, this location at different times has been ruled by Romans, Hungarians, Austrians, and most notably the Turks from the Ottoman Empire.  It's in a key position at the two rivers for protection and/or battle.  Actually, the name Kalemegdan derives from two Turkish words, kale (fortress) and meydan (battleground) (literally, "battlefield fortress").

Would the Turks have liked seeing 3 motorcycles at the gate, rather than 3 horses??  And would they have let us in?  1 Serbian, 1 Croatian, and 1 Aussie/American..? ;-)

Never ceases to entertain my imagination to walk through these relics of ancient history, even though I've been doing it non-stop for months now..

Inside the fortress is basically a large park for the city.. It used to "be" the city, as everyone lived on the inside.!

And from here is a spectacular view of the rivers meeting.

It's a beautiful day in Belgrade (granted I've only been in the city about 2 hours) and the locals take in the sunset river views.

One last snap before we head out the gate back to the bikes.

Back on the bikes we follow Dane as he shows us more of Belgrade..

Yikes!  Looks like this building has seen better days..

We stop on a sidewalk in Belgrade and a woman comes up to me and asks (in Serbian, thank goodness for Dane to answer on my behalf!) if she can take a photo of her son on my bike.. Heck, there were 3 bikes there, the BMW, Africa Twin, and mine and she picked mine..good taste, lady! ;-)

 Dane is doing a heck of a job showing us ALL of Belgrade in one short evening!

We even made a trip to his garage, where he and Josip together tucked in to fixing my mirror.. great guys, I am, and my bike is..  so lucky to meet them both.

It was really fun and great to see Belgrade, Serbia. Especaially since early in the morning we are heading to Bosnia, leaving Serbia far far far too soon for me! ;-(

On the road in the morning, Josip (pronounce Yo-sip), is uncomfortable on that super size BMW 1200gs.  So he gets an idea when we pass this road side stand selling dried beans.  There is a bag that sits on the seat right behind him that he fills right up with many bags of these beans, making his seat and back rest much more comfortable.. (Hey, Josip, you should try to ride my bike for a bit, hey!??? ;-))  If anything, it's good for the economy of this lovely old Serbian man.. he can take the rest of the day off!

Back on the road, and Josip gets comfortable... I mean, REALLY comfortable. The beans must have done the trick, because on top of his back rest, check out the use of those front pegs!

I know I totally shouldn't admit this, but it makes me chuckle.. and I can't help it. When I see people using those front pegs, a visual comes to mind and it involves a surgical procedure.. ha!)

Along the road I see some cool Serbian kids...

Not long after we ride into Bosnia.. and a bit of a weather change..

The rain starts a-fallin' pretty good and Josip pulls over yet again to add a rain suit.. Luckily the riding suit I have from my sponsors Innotesco and Rukka is gore-tex so I don't have to do this!  And the look of this suit got me to chuckling again..  Don't worry, I'm not laughing behind his back.  He is aware that I'm having fun with this while I take a photo.. and he gets a photo of me here too.. (just not sure I shared the visual of the front pegs mentioned earlier..  sorry Josip! ;-)

Well that'll do with this blog post of Serbia to Bosnia..  I will add more to it soon.. see ya!