05.06.2016
From our rented room in Tajik we managed quite an early start with no tent to pack away and were on the road by 9.40.
Before crossing the huge dam for hydro electricity into Romania, we went a little beyond the dam to the remains of a Roman fortress Castra Diana. We thought it would be worth a visit, especially as it’s named after the Roman Goddess Diana.
As we traveled along the road we saw a group of cyclists stopped on the other side of the road. We stopped in case they needed tools for a repair and found they were a group of Romanians escaping local election day and heading for the Serbian hills for a day out. They took our details , advised us where to find a bike shop in Drobeta and suggested we meet up again.
The fortress was very over
grown with grass and wild flowers. Twice seeing snakes in the long grass made us cautious as we walked through the site. It was fascinating walking through structures that had been there for nearly 2000 years…. the Castra was built in around 100 AD
Along the road and into the village of Novi Sep we stopped to buy a few provisions.
However, due to a heavy downpour of rain and some hail, we stopped for longer than planned. As we stood in the shop doorway we watched lighting and heard loud claps of thunder right overhead.
Thunderstorm over after about an hour, we cycled back towards the dam on very wet roads to cross over into Romania, our 9th country.
Passports checked as we left Serbia and again as we entered Romania, we joined a busy trunk road towards Drobeta Turnu Severin with successions of articulated lorries in both directions.
The town is laid out in a grid, so navigating the way to our accommodation was easy. At the hotel there was a function going on with live music which got Diana tapping her foot and wanting to dance.
Our new wheel, ordered from the UK, was waiting for us, so all we needed to do next was find the bike shop, a job for tomorrow. While we were sorting our things out in our room, we heard a loud bang, but couldn’t work out what is was. We soon realised, when we went back to the tandem it was the front tyre exploding! Thank goodness that didn’t happen when we were riding. Another reason to visit the bike shop now, but we will be walking there.
After showering, we had a bit of an explore around the town and saw the watertower which is a major feature of the town attractively floodlit.
Nerd’s Corner
Tajik to Drobeta Turnu Severin: 23 miles
Distance travelled so far: 2219 miles