May 18, 2023
Day 92: Pakrac to Bjelovar
Rain to drizzle
Our room at the Pakrac Hotel includes breakfast. When we carry our stuff down the stairs just before seven we are ushered into the dining room where a small breakfast table is laid out. We have eggs, fried and scrambled, bread, croissants and several cream cheeses. The only thing missing are sweet toppings like jam or honey. People in the Balkans seem to prefer hearty breakfasts.
The weather forecast only has a small chance for rain today, but our relief is short lived. It does not rain, but the fine mist falling from the sky still requires us to wear our rain gear. It is grey and dreary. We have three climbs today, none of them very high, but they add up and by the end of the day the short ups and downs wear us down.
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We see more evidence of the Serb exodus from Croatia. Just about every town we pass through has an abandoned Orthodox church and there are many abandoned houses. The houses that are not abandoned are mostly unfinished, most people don’t seem to be able to afford to stucco the outside of the single wythe clay brick walls. To keep these uninsulated houses warm and dry is probably all about burning lots of firefood.
After about 20km we stop in Daruvar for a cappuccino. We make one more stop at a bus stall to scarf down a cliffbar that we have carried from Casablanca. Not enough food for the ride, but with the weather we just want to keep moving and “get there”. Just before downtown Bjelovar is a McDonalds restaurant, we just have to stop.
We have reserved an apartment unit, it is substantially cheaper than hotel options in this town. The owner has given us the code to a keybox at the front door. The unit is on the third floor which requires some carrying up, but it all works out. The unit is nice, the bikes fit in the kitchen (barely) and the shower is hot. We got down the road today but we sure are ready for some sunshine and nice riding.
Today's ride: 74 km (46 miles)
Total: 3,480 km (2,161 miles)
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