As I settled down to sleep last night a thunderstorm started. Periodically lightening illuminated the canvas of my tent. Rain fell and I began to wish I had pitched the tent a little higher up, an irrational thought as it would take more than an hour or so of rain to raise the Danube by a few feet. Walking by the Danube for a kilometre or so this morning brought me to the village of Ljubicevac. All was quiet and the shop I remembered was no longer there. On the walls of the houses there were often granite plaques remembering someone who died complete with pictures. From the village the E4 took a track across rough ground. Initially the route was good but it became so overgrown with long grass, brambles and other plants the track entirely disappeared. As I had walked this way seven years ago with recalling any problems this was unexpected. I suppose when a path is unused nature soon overwhelms it.
I eventually fought my way through, the track reappearing as I approached the next village of Velesnica. As I noted last time none of the villages I went through today had an open shop, cafe or bar. In Velesnica I noticed a number of houses had oak branches draped over their gates, although not sure why. The village also had traffic cops stopping cars.
There was a junction where the Eurovelo 6 sign said Kaldovo 10 kilometres in one direction foĺlowing the main road and 30 kilometres in the other. Although 10 kilometres looked tempting the fast traffic on the main road was not. I took the longer route but not for 30 kilometres, that was for cyclists. After two more villages I turned off the road and followed a track up to a plateau. The route would cut off a meander of the Danube but I was worried about its condition following my earlier experience. Fortunately most was fine as it weaved through wheat fields, daisies (actually chamomile) and blue cornflours gracing the edges. There was one short section in the middle where I had to push through thorny bushes and the final downhill section through forest was muddy and slippery. I was relieved that there was no obstacle I could not overcome as the alternative was a very long walk.
Back on the Danube flood plain, I followed a reed filled drainage channel for a while then headed into Kladovo. The E4 goes out to the Roman remains of Trajan's bridge but I had seen the brick pier before and was tired and footsore, so skipped this section. Kaldovo's suburbs looked prosperous as I walked through them. I watched mothers pick up their children from school as I ate a flaky creation from a bakery with a drinking yoghurt. Soon I was in the comfort of my hotel. It is fortunate I am not camping tonight as there is a major thunderstorm with heavy rain.
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