Today was a walk alongside the Kikinda canal followed by a visit to the medieval Araca church ruins.
After picking up some provisions and a cup of coffee in Kikinda, I returned to the canal. For the first section I followed the western embankment as there were some industrial works related to gravel on the opposite bank. The canal was wider here than it was yesterday and, judging by the wharfs on the opposite bank, navigable by larger vessels.There were many fishermen enjoying the Saturday sunshine at spots nearer to the town. I also met a flock of sheep although conversation with the shepherd proved impossible due to my lack of language skills. A cowherd tried again later with a bit of German, but again I was unable to catch the sense of what he was saying, I think he was warning me that the level in the canal could rise rapidly when it rains (relevant if I camped close to the water).
Dogs were a nuisance and a worry. On a number of occasions I was rushed by dogs barking. They were either all black or all white in colour, medium size with a furry coat. One never knows whether they intend to follow their mad barking with a bite. Flocks of birds, white, grey and brown, periodically crossed my path. There were some swans, serene and white, at one point. I saw the same drilling rig in the distance that I commented on yesterday. It was nearby as the E4 route doubles back on itself with Kikinda at the apex of the elbow.
After crossing between embankments a couple of times I left the canal and followed roads and tracks to Araca, referred to by the very faded signpost as ruins of the "utmost historical importance". Some walls and arches of the church's nave still stand and part of the tower. It dates from the 13th and 14th century and burnt down in the 16th century by the Turks and never rebuilt. I had planned to camp at the ruins given that the sun was beginning to set, but people were there with their van, a farmer working in the adjacent field and signs warning of video surveillance (although I wondered if the video cameras were actually working). So I walked on until the big, beautiful red sun set beneath the plains, springing some deer which leaped across the fields. Then I pitched my tent on a field of stubble in the gathering darkness beside a little used farm track (a least by humans there were plenty of animal tracks) and hoped that no one would notice me.
A GPS file of my route can be found on wikiloc.com, or it is route johnpon0021 on ViewRanger.com, and also on Wandermap.com. I walked 45.6 kilometres today, fortunately it was all on the flat.
After picking up some provisions and a cup of coffee in Kikinda, I returned to the canal. For the first section I followed the western embankment as there were some industrial works related to gravel on the opposite bank. The canal was wider here than it was yesterday and, judging by the wharfs on the opposite bank, navigable by larger vessels.There were many fishermen enjoying the Saturday sunshine at spots nearer to the town. I also met a flock of sheep although conversation with the shepherd proved impossible due to my lack of language skills. A cowherd tried again later with a bit of German, but again I was unable to catch the sense of what he was saying, I think he was warning me that the level in the canal could rise rapidly when it rains (relevant if I camped close to the water).
Dogs were a nuisance and a worry. On a number of occasions I was rushed by dogs barking. They were either all black or all white in colour, medium size with a furry coat. One never knows whether they intend to follow their mad barking with a bite. Flocks of birds, white, grey and brown, periodically crossed my path. There were some swans, serene and white, at one point. I saw the same drilling rig in the distance that I commented on yesterday. It was nearby as the E4 route doubles back on itself with Kikinda at the apex of the elbow.
After crossing between embankments a couple of times I left the canal and followed roads and tracks to Araca, referred to by the very faded signpost as ruins of the "utmost historical importance". Some walls and arches of the church's nave still stand and part of the tower. It dates from the 13th and 14th century and burnt down in the 16th century by the Turks and never rebuilt. I had planned to camp at the ruins given that the sun was beginning to set, but people were there with their van, a farmer working in the adjacent field and signs warning of video surveillance (although I wondered if the video cameras were actually working). So I walked on until the big, beautiful red sun set beneath the plains, springing some deer which leaped across the fields. Then I pitched my tent on a field of stubble in the gathering darkness beside a little used farm track (a least by humans there were plenty of animal tracks) and hoped that no one would notice me.
A GPS file of my route can be found on wikiloc.com, or it is route johnpon0021 on ViewRanger.com, and also on Wandermap.com. I walked 45.6 kilometres today, fortunately it was all on the flat.
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| Araca medieval church ruin |
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| Sunset over the plain while looking for a camping spot |
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