Visited the Smederevo Castle ruins in the morning and hiked a roundabout route through countryside in the afternoon to reach Radinac.
First priority was coffee and breakfast, Hostel Che provided the breakfast while I worked out how to make Turkish coffee, allowing it to boil three times as someone in Hungary once told me. My hosts pointed out the quick way from the Hostel, which overlooks the Danube, back to the village of Udovice avoiding the busy road (which I have put on wikiloc.com to help others). They warned me it was a steep climb, and they were right, but much quicker and safer than along the road.
Udovice had a number of properties whose fences were decorated with white and coloured ribbons, lavender, pink or blue, some had an arch over their gate decorated with ribbons. I had seen these before and wondered if it was because someone in the house was getting married. The village also had some interesting square outhouses with a wheel on the side which I took to be old wells for water.
From Udovice it was a straight route between hedges along the top of the hill to Smederevo. Its later part was waymarked with red circles and a red heart and there were occasional views of the Danube.
Smederevo's principal tourist site is a large castle dating from 1430 at the edge of the Danube, its towers commanding views up and down the river. While it now consists of thick walls and empty towers enclosing a large area of grass it must have looked formidable to the approaching Turkish army. Today it overlooks peaceful fishermen and swans.
I also had a peak inside the Orthodox church of St George off the main square. Paintings covered all the walls beneath a dome with columns each side. However as people were conducting their devotions it seemed wrong to intrude beyond the entrance lobby. I retreated to a nearby café where I watched the pious coming and going from the church, although the old men begging outside did not seem to be doing much trade.
The landscape before Smederevo was hilly but after the town I was walking across the flat flood plain of the Velika Morava. The agriculture had also changed from orchards and vineyards to fields of maize.
The route in the E4 booklet now took me out to the village of Shalinac, initially along a straight road lined with rubbish people had dumped then along a wider road passed drainage channels with fishermen. I skirted Shalinac passing barking dogs, turkeys, chicken and some pretty goats, and proceeded towards the Velika Morava river which I never actually saw behind the trees, instead I turned and followed its embankment. While there were plenty of trees after Shalinac there were also fields where the maize was still being harvested. In places people were picking up cobs of corn missed by the machines and in others the maize stubble was being burnt.
Leaving the embankment I made my way to the village of Lipe and then to my final destination. As I approached Radinac a road sign announced I was entering Smederevo some 5 hours after I left its northern end! I had completed a big "u".
Now I am at the Hotel Zlatnik having enjoyed a large mixed grill among workman who no doubt serviced the local industrial works.
33.7 kilometres walked today including wandering around the castle. A GPS track of my route can be obtained from wikiloc.com, as well as a short route from the E4 to Hotsel Che. My route is also on ViewRanger.com as johnpon0024 and on Wandermap.net.
First priority was coffee and breakfast, Hostel Che provided the breakfast while I worked out how to make Turkish coffee, allowing it to boil three times as someone in Hungary once told me. My hosts pointed out the quick way from the Hostel, which overlooks the Danube, back to the village of Udovice avoiding the busy road (which I have put on wikiloc.com to help others). They warned me it was a steep climb, and they were right, but much quicker and safer than along the road.
Udovice had a number of properties whose fences were decorated with white and coloured ribbons, lavender, pink or blue, some had an arch over their gate decorated with ribbons. I had seen these before and wondered if it was because someone in the house was getting married. The village also had some interesting square outhouses with a wheel on the side which I took to be old wells for water.
From Udovice it was a straight route between hedges along the top of the hill to Smederevo. Its later part was waymarked with red circles and a red heart and there were occasional views of the Danube.
Smederevo's principal tourist site is a large castle dating from 1430 at the edge of the Danube, its towers commanding views up and down the river. While it now consists of thick walls and empty towers enclosing a large area of grass it must have looked formidable to the approaching Turkish army. Today it overlooks peaceful fishermen and swans.
I also had a peak inside the Orthodox church of St George off the main square. Paintings covered all the walls beneath a dome with columns each side. However as people were conducting their devotions it seemed wrong to intrude beyond the entrance lobby. I retreated to a nearby café where I watched the pious coming and going from the church, although the old men begging outside did not seem to be doing much trade.
The landscape before Smederevo was hilly but after the town I was walking across the flat flood plain of the Velika Morava. The agriculture had also changed from orchards and vineyards to fields of maize.
The route in the E4 booklet now took me out to the village of Shalinac, initially along a straight road lined with rubbish people had dumped then along a wider road passed drainage channels with fishermen. I skirted Shalinac passing barking dogs, turkeys, chicken and some pretty goats, and proceeded towards the Velika Morava river which I never actually saw behind the trees, instead I turned and followed its embankment. While there were plenty of trees after Shalinac there were also fields where the maize was still being harvested. In places people were picking up cobs of corn missed by the machines and in others the maize stubble was being burnt.
Leaving the embankment I made my way to the village of Lipe and then to my final destination. As I approached Radinac a road sign announced I was entering Smederevo some 5 hours after I left its northern end! I had completed a big "u".
Now I am at the Hotel Zlatnik having enjoyed a large mixed grill among workman who no doubt serviced the local industrial works.
33.7 kilometres walked today including wandering around the castle. A GPS track of my route can be obtained from wikiloc.com, as well as a short route from the E4 to Hotsel Che. My route is also on ViewRanger.com as johnpon0024 and on Wandermap.net.
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| Ribbons decorating fences and gate, maybe to celebrate a wedding? |
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| Smederevo Castle |
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| Fisherman below castle walls |
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