500 miles and we're still rolling along

Instead of being woken by the sound of Danube wildlife, today we wake to the sound of early morning hoovering at 6 am. Despite our sense of smell having been dulled by pervasive cigarette smoke we are rewarded by a new olfactory experience from the drain in our bathroom! After a traditional Eastern European breakfast (the worst ever) we take to the road, thankful that at last it is dry again. Over the Danube into Croatia where we need to stock up with yet another currency. The road is undulating through vineyards but actually we quite enjoy the varied gradients. We pass through Vukovar with its famous war damaged water tower and shelled out buildings interspersed with new constructions. Passing our 500 mile mark we celebrate our achievement before arriving in the pleasant and sophisticated Croatian city of Osijek with its attractive Art Nouveau buildings. On the bike front: so far, so good. One puncture and one broken spoke (which Simon surprised himself at being able to fix). On the body front: Simon's only complaint so far is a blister from wearing sandals around the wet streets of Belgrade. Whereas for me the list is endless but they mainly resolve over night and I can usually be distracted by the scenery, a beer, or the adrenaline produced by wild dogs or fast lorries. Long may it last! (Backa Palanka to Osijek - 56 miles)