The tent has survived after the storms but I don't know if I have. Homemade wine and schnapps, whiskey, raki call it what you want, it's fire water by any other name and I feel a bit rough.
I got shown around the still that they brew the the hooch in. I can't quite remember how it works but it's about the size of two large copper heating tanks! Plenty of hooch!
I explain to my hosts that I may be a little while before I leave. I'm supplied with coffee whilst I pack up. The sun warms the garden and I ask if I can stay for lunch but only if I can pay. This is agreed and I go into slow motion. At around 11:30 I'm motioned inside by Mum for dinner. It appears I'm eating on my own as everyone else is busy for a bit. I think they will be joining half way through until I'm motioned by Mum to eat more. The spread on the table is all for me. I was expecting to eat whatever the family were having, not ALL of what the family were having. Bloated, bursting at the seams and stupefied by too much food and home made wine I am presented with a massive helping of some kind of vanilla pastry. Although I end paying the princely sum of about 3 or 4 pounds for it all I don't feel as if I can leave any and do battle with pastry and head outside to explode. I haven't had a chance to take a photo of everyone and Mum takes me up to find Alexander. He is laying a patio with his Dad for his neighbour. The neighbour insists I have a beer and the day is lost. I help them with a wheel barrow of sand for the patio, and the neighbour suggests I stay a few more days to help with wine harvest as I have shown an interest in the alchol making process. I sigh and say I can stay for 1 more day but not two. Apparently this is no good so I take my pictures and head on towards Osijek, back on the Stevens trail. Here I'm looking for the Casino and Yew Tree hedge maze. I stop off in the TI in the old town and whilst not a patch on the people I have met I end up having the most perfect experience of the trip so far. As I enter the door there is a penny farthing on display. A lady comes to greet me and I explain my quest, she doesn't work in the TI but in the shop out the back. She doesn't know of the Casino or the maze. Then out of the blue she asks me if I would like to try to ride the Penny Farthing, my jaw drops when she says this. WOULD I?!
We wheel the machine out of the door into the cobbled square. It couldn't be a better setting to try my first go on an Ordinary. This one is quite small compared to Stevens' but the height is still daunting.
The clips on my sandals might prove tricky but I'm not going to let this opportunity pass without a fight. I put my white crash helmet on for both safety as I'm expecting this to hurt and as a nod to Thomas Stevens' white police helmet he wore for most of the trip. My only knowledge of how to mount the thing is from the book so I try to imagine I am Thomas himself...
On the first go I bottle it, the second time I start to get a feel but don't even make it to the seat. On the third attempt I mount the seat but not the pedals and have a bit of a spill. Undeterred I try again and get my feet on the pedals but my big feet catch the mounting peg and I take a tumble. Seeing as Ivona the lady from the shop doesn't seem to bothered by my falling off I continue. I've also roped her into filming me just in case I do manage it. This time I get as good a run up as I can on the cobbles, mount the peg, hop on the seat, feet on pedals but nice and forward so as not to catch the peg and I'm off. Its harder to pedal than I expected and I really have to push. I'm doing it, I'm wobbling but I'm doing it! The square has restaurants with outdoor seating to one side of it. People sitting there are applauding me after seeing my other attempts. I'm bloody riding the thing, steering is a bit tricky and I nearly lose it but I carry on in a big loop. I ride past Ivona waving as she films, screaming "I'm Thomas Stevens". Now how do I get off the bloody thing. A proper dismount is out of the question so I coast towards some building works and scaffolding and grab hold of this and pull myself next to it and slowly slide off. The guys on the scaffolding are all laughing and cheering.
I'm laughing my arse off. What an amazing opportunity out of the blue and I took it on and cracked it. I'm Really really chuffed. Video to follow. This is the second type of bike I have learnt to ride in about 3 days. Beaming with pride I set off to look for the Casino and the Yew Tree hedge Stevens talks about. I spy a book shop an enquire about a map but there are none for Serbia here. The next and only other booknshop tells me the same and suggests a petrol station. I see a Mcwifi ruining a beautiful old building but I have no need. Then I find a second hand bookshop and purchase a Croatian 2005 European road atlas for less than a pound. I head off with my ridiculously heavy map and find the post office where I post back some unessary weight back home. Old maps being the main culprits.
The man behind the special counter for parcels is most helpful. The cost for sending back various bits and souvenirs is quite expensive, however the cost for sending back my heavy croation road atlas is the same so I get to work on tearing out the pages that I need. Post office man seems to have a real knack at tearing as he is a professional parcel wrapper and we have fun choosing my route and removing the pages that I need.
Excess weight dealt with I toddle off in search of a maze. I find a yew tree hedge that definitely makes no sense and could well be one small part of a maze, why else would it look like this. I chat to some locals in a bar overlooking the square, but they assure me nothing like that was ever here and suggest the library. On arriving at the library the receptionist tells me to go upstairs and ask for the small Mr.:) Small Mr is on a break but tall Mr tries to help. When I tell him he says that small Mr will definitely be able to help and suggests I wait for 10 mins. When Small Mr arrives he is indeed very knowledgeable and advises me that the Casino was more of a Gentlemans club than a gambling emporium and is now home to the National Theatre and guess what, The Mcwifi I saw earlier. The hedge maze was probably a particular park which is no longer and is now home to the town's football team. I head on out of town after taking a squizz at said mcwifi again and see a skate park. This is a fully kitted out place with realy big ramps and a definate scene for BMXers and skaters. I take a turns on a few of the ramps to great hilarity from the kids and head on out of town in the darkness in search of a camp. I see the foootball ground and my mission to Osijek is complete.
After riding for about an hour in the dark I see some people sat on a bench outside a house. I ask the 70 plus year olds if I can camp on the grass opposite the house and they give a "yes, if you want" kind of answer. A few more oldies arrive to watch the fun of me setting up the tent and making my dinner. When I finally go to bed I go to say goodnight to all of them and shake their hands. I'm right next to a main road but I feel very happy not hiding anymore. Dog barks in the distance and bedtime calls.
I got shown around the still that they brew the the hooch in. I can't quite remember how it works but it's about the size of two large copper heating tanks! Plenty of hooch!
I explain to my hosts that I may be a little while before I leave. I'm supplied with coffee whilst I pack up. The sun warms the garden and I ask if I can stay for lunch but only if I can pay. This is agreed and I go into slow motion. At around 11:30 I'm motioned inside by Mum for dinner. It appears I'm eating on my own as everyone else is busy for a bit. I think they will be joining half way through until I'm motioned by Mum to eat more. The spread on the table is all for me. I was expecting to eat whatever the family were having, not ALL of what the family were having. Bloated, bursting at the seams and stupefied by too much food and home made wine I am presented with a massive helping of some kind of vanilla pastry. Although I end paying the princely sum of about 3 or 4 pounds for it all I don't feel as if I can leave any and do battle with pastry and head outside to explode. I haven't had a chance to take a photo of everyone and Mum takes me up to find Alexander. He is laying a patio with his Dad for his neighbour. The neighbour insists I have a beer and the day is lost. I help them with a wheel barrow of sand for the patio, and the neighbour suggests I stay a few more days to help with wine harvest as I have shown an interest in the alchol making process. I sigh and say I can stay for 1 more day but not two. Apparently this is no good so I take my pictures and head on towards Osijek, back on the Stevens trail. Here I'm looking for the Casino and Yew Tree hedge maze. I stop off in the TI in the old town and whilst not a patch on the people I have met I end up having the most perfect experience of the trip so far. As I enter the door there is a penny farthing on display. A lady comes to greet me and I explain my quest, she doesn't work in the TI but in the shop out the back. She doesn't know of the Casino or the maze. Then out of the blue she asks me if I would like to try to ride the Penny Farthing, my jaw drops when she says this. WOULD I?!
We wheel the machine out of the door into the cobbled square. It couldn't be a better setting to try my first go on an Ordinary. This one is quite small compared to Stevens' but the height is still daunting.
The clips on my sandals might prove tricky but I'm not going to let this opportunity pass without a fight. I put my white crash helmet on for both safety as I'm expecting this to hurt and as a nod to Thomas Stevens' white police helmet he wore for most of the trip. My only knowledge of how to mount the thing is from the book so I try to imagine I am Thomas himself...
On the first go I bottle it, the second time I start to get a feel but don't even make it to the seat. On the third attempt I mount the seat but not the pedals and have a bit of a spill. Undeterred I try again and get my feet on the pedals but my big feet catch the mounting peg and I take a tumble. Seeing as Ivona the lady from the shop doesn't seem to bothered by my falling off I continue. I've also roped her into filming me just in case I do manage it. This time I get as good a run up as I can on the cobbles, mount the peg, hop on the seat, feet on pedals but nice and forward so as not to catch the peg and I'm off. Its harder to pedal than I expected and I really have to push. I'm doing it, I'm wobbling but I'm doing it! The square has restaurants with outdoor seating to one side of it. People sitting there are applauding me after seeing my other attempts. I'm bloody riding the thing, steering is a bit tricky and I nearly lose it but I carry on in a big loop. I ride past Ivona waving as she films, screaming "I'm Thomas Stevens". Now how do I get off the bloody thing. A proper dismount is out of the question so I coast towards some building works and scaffolding and grab hold of this and pull myself next to it and slowly slide off. The guys on the scaffolding are all laughing and cheering.
I'm laughing my arse off. What an amazing opportunity out of the blue and I took it on and cracked it. I'm Really really chuffed. Video to follow. This is the second type of bike I have learnt to ride in about 3 days. Beaming with pride I set off to look for the Casino and the Yew Tree hedge Stevens talks about. I spy a book shop an enquire about a map but there are none for Serbia here. The next and only other booknshop tells me the same and suggests a petrol station. I see a Mcwifi ruining a beautiful old building but I have no need. Then I find a second hand bookshop and purchase a Croatian 2005 European road atlas for less than a pound. I head off with my ridiculously heavy map and find the post office where I post back some unessary weight back home. Old maps being the main culprits.
The man behind the special counter for parcels is most helpful. The cost for sending back various bits and souvenirs is quite expensive, however the cost for sending back my heavy croation road atlas is the same so I get to work on tearing out the pages that I need. Post office man seems to have a real knack at tearing as he is a professional parcel wrapper and we have fun choosing my route and removing the pages that I need.
Excess weight dealt with I toddle off in search of a maze. I find a yew tree hedge that definitely makes no sense and could well be one small part of a maze, why else would it look like this. I chat to some locals in a bar overlooking the square, but they assure me nothing like that was ever here and suggest the library. On arriving at the library the receptionist tells me to go upstairs and ask for the small Mr.:) Small Mr is on a break but tall Mr tries to help. When I tell him he says that small Mr will definitely be able to help and suggests I wait for 10 mins. When Small Mr arrives he is indeed very knowledgeable and advises me that the Casino was more of a Gentlemans club than a gambling emporium and is now home to the National Theatre and guess what, The Mcwifi I saw earlier. The hedge maze was probably a particular park which is no longer and is now home to the town's football team. I head on out of town after taking a squizz at said mcwifi again and see a skate park. This is a fully kitted out place with realy big ramps and a definate scene for BMXers and skaters. I take a turns on a few of the ramps to great hilarity from the kids and head on out of town in the darkness in search of a camp. I see the foootball ground and my mission to Osijek is complete.
After riding for about an hour in the dark I see some people sat on a bench outside a house. I ask the 70 plus year olds if I can camp on the grass opposite the house and they give a "yes, if you want" kind of answer. A few more oldies arrive to watch the fun of me setting up the tent and making my dinner. When I finally go to bed I go to say goodnight to all of them and shake their hands. I'm right next to a main road but I feel very happy not hiding anymore. Dog barks in the distance and bedtime calls.
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