We took a few wrong turns, but eventually made it out of Belgrade, and back onto the rough-surfaced, but peaceful Danube levees. Before long, we had crossed the river, and were entering the stunningly beautiful Iron Gates. Through a series of tunnels and cliff-side roads, we cycled past the gorges that slice through the Carpathian Mountains, finally landing in Romania.

The bike ride to Belgrade served up more busy roads, with lots of fast moving traffic. A quieter section that passed through fields of corn, cabbage and carrots provided a pleasant break from the crowded throughways. Belgrade itself was a bustling, vibrant city with an iconic fortress and lots of classical architecture. We enjoyed strolling through the pedestrian-only walkways, between hotel-room planning sessions where we considered our options for travel once we reach the Black Sea.

Over the course of three days, we cycled through parts of Hungary, Croatia and Serbia. Along the EuroVelo 6 route, the three countries have very different personalities. Hungary provided tranquil riding along remote sections of the Danube levee. The route in Croatia was all along busy roads, lined with signs welcoming visitors to each small town. And Serbia was the most developed, including the country’s lively, second biggest city, Novi Sad.