Benni Kircher

The night next to the graveyard was good. However, while dismantling my tent, I noticed that one section of the tent pole has a little crack. Nothing too bad, I can fix it for now. But I would need a replacement part in the long-term. I reached out to the manufacturer MSR and asked for support, but since it’s weekend I don’t expect to be replied anytime soon. Anyway, I don’t care much because I’m more excited about the upcoming day - cycling in the national park Fruška Gora. There’s almost no traffic. Everything is green and the road includes some climbs after days of flatland.

I leave the national and fancy some refreshments (it is only April and the thermometer shows 27 degrees. That’s even too hot for Serbia at this time of the year). The next village is Jarak and I buy a beer, oranges and chips. Exactly what I need now! I feel lazy and don’t want to leave. But I need to go and find a place for the night. A few locals nearby the supermarket have noticed me and signal that I should join them. I don’t speak Serbian and they don’t speak English. No problem, there’s no official sign for having a few beers together. They’re curious about what brings me to Jarak. I tell them about my plans (as good as possible with more gestures than words). More and more locals join our conversation. Seems to be the best place for an after work beer in the village. One of the man signals that I can stay at his place. I accept the offer without hesitating. But there’s suddenly a discussion with another man. All of us start laughing and it seems like that they’re seriously discussing about who’s gonna be my host. Long story short: The two men are brothers and one of them is kinda tipsy. Neither of them speak English. But Djordje does. Finally someone who can bring a little order into this chaos. Djordje is one of the man‘s son who just showed up.

I follow Djordje with my bike to his uncle‘s house (the one who initially invited me). We have dinner together with a few more beers and lots of Rakia. After that, I follow Djordje to his home. The family welcomes me with open arms. There’s a second delicious dinner waiting for me with more beer and Rakia. Everything is homemade and tastes so incredibly good - meat, vegetables, honey, fruits, Rakia and so on. I cannot believe what I’m experiencing here. They want me to stay for two nights. Of course, I agree!

The next day, Djordje and his brother Aleksandar want to show me their village and they’re fishing spots and Sava river. The alarm goes off at 6:30 am. We have our pre-breakfast at 6:50 am - Turkish coffee and Rakia. What else!? We cycle around and go fishing. My fishing skills are nothing special and we only manage to catch a few small ones. Not enough for a meal, so we throw them back into the river.
For lunch, the entire family comes together and we meet at Djordje‘s sister house. Fish soup with local carp from the river and pumpkin cake is served. Yummy!!!
By late afternoon, it feels like I know almost half of the village. Everyone is so kind and open.
Djordje and I get along very well. We talk about politics, war and religion. It’s incredible what this family has been through and how they have experienced the war in the 90s. It makes me humble and grateful for what I have.

The day went by quite fast and I don’t know what to say. I could tell so much more. In the end, I am just so grateful for what the family did. That was a unique experience and I certainly want to visit them again some day.

After the last coffee and Rakia the next morning, it’s time to say goodbye. I hate goodbyes but that’s part of my journey.
Leaving their home well-fed with at least 3 kilos more, a 0,75l bottle of Rakia, enough dry meat for four days and a jar of acacia honey is a great feeling. Also because I know that Aleksandar, the next UFC Champion aka The Serbian Destroyer will cover my back in case of emergency!
Thank you so much for what you did for me. I will never forget that.

As I cycle along towards Loznica this day, a man from the side of the road calls „Anhalten!“ I stop immediately and turn around. A man named Miro is selling bikes next to the road. He speaks perfect German and asks me to take a break and have a coffee with him. Sure thing! I sit down and he comes back from the house. Yeah of course, he brings not only coffee but also selfmade Slivovitz. That’s just standard here! He tells me that he used to live in St. Gallen for almost 30 years and that his two kids still live there! No way, my older sister works there and it’s just about an hour away from my home town. The world is small! We talk about the Insel Mainau, bicycles and all other things.
Three Slivovitz and a coffee later, I feel a little tipsy. It’s 30 degrees today and I haven’t eaten in hours. Time to get lunch and then keep going.

What a day, or let’s say what a weekend! Tonight, I’ve found an awesome spot next to a river at the Bosnian border. I enjoy my last Rakia of the day, reflect about the last days and look forward to sleep.
Ah wait, there’s a new email from MSR. They want to help me with my broken pole and send a replacement within the next two weeks. I can even freely choose an address in any country. What a customer experience. I guess Istanbul it is. I just need to find someone in my network who lives there. Shouldn’t be a big deal!
Good night!tRead more