Serbia

At the border I stood in line with the cars - which felt pretty idiotic. I felt even more idiotic when the border guard told me I was not allowed to walk across the dam. Before I could even think about what to do a Romanian lady invited me into her car. We passed both the Romanian and the Serbian borders posts and just 100 metres after the control point I asked her to let me out again because I wanted to resume hiking. She had just driven away and I was still looking around when I noticed two soldiers running towards me. They had even closed down the entire control point to catch me!

To say I was shocked is an understatement because I had no clue what I had been doing wrong! Unfortunately none of the two officers spoke English or German but apparently they wanted to know what I was soing here. Luckily I remembered that the Romanian Hiking Association had given me a letter of recommendation. I pulled it out, one of the officers understood Romanian and the situation de-escalated. Still I was escorted back to the control point, my passport was double checked and even then I was not allowed to go. I nervously waited until they had worked off the traffic jam that had accumulated while they had chased me. Suddenly I was given back my passport and ushered into a car. The driver was as surprised as I and I asked him just to leave! I guess the border guys had wanted to do me a favour and organised this lift ... As I precaution I only got out two kilometres away from the border ....

In Serbia there is no official E3 trail yet. I had sent various emails to the Serbian hiking association but never received any answer. Disappointed I had then decided to road walk. I was now cutting off a bend in the Danube and luckily the road turned into dirt very soon and I could camp in a forest. When I came through a little village next morning I ran into a guy washing his car - and he spoke fluent German because he had worked in Germany for 20 years! Even at 9 in the morning I was invited to drink schnaps which I politely declined. But he explained why there are so many brandnew - and empty - houses - in Serbia.

Many Serbians like him had worked in Germany or Austria and had invested their money into real estate back home. But unfortunately now young people are moving away and nobody wants to buy or rent these houses ... All through Serbia I saw new houses with tacky decoration. Several times people stopped right next to me and asked what I was doing. I sometimes felt there were more cars with German and Austrian licence plates than with Serbian!

I was then following the Danube bike trail right next to the river which was luckily not paved yet and rather idyllic. Only camping was difficult because the shore was either completely overgrown or holiday shacks were everywhere. I had to climb high up the bank to find a decent camp spot the next night. Because of the Danube bike trail cyclists were well catered for: In Negotin I found guest house Stanisavljevic that explicitly advertises for cyclist. Here I was overwhelmed with hospitality! The guest house has simple but very cheap rooms and my host bent over backwards to help me.

He recommended a fabulous restaurant where I learnt again that Balkan is for meat lovers! I had a mixed grill plate that would have been enough for three people! The picture shows breakfast in the guesthouse - and all those specialties were for me only! I arrived at the Serbian - Bulgarian border with a very full belly ....
I have only hiked three days through Serbia mostly on roads but still I tremendously liked it!

E3 Romania: Conclusion and tipps

For me personally Romania was the most difficult country of this trip - out ouf two reasons: I was a guinea pig for an entirely new trail. Luckily, members of the Romanian hiking association, "Siebenbürgischer Karpatenverein", were incredibly helpful. They sent me the most recent gpx tracks, provided me with information on resupply and accommodation and were in general very responsive. They are doing a great job in establishing a long-distance route in a country where hiking is not so much on the local and tourist agenda.

 

The trail traverses some very beautiful, sometimes even spectacular landscapes and is also historically very interesting - especially when you are from a German-speaking country. The people I have encountered were generally very friendly - despite language problems.
But the poverty I saw was shocking and depressing considering that this a a member of the EU. Especially in the countryside old people live under conditions like 100 years ago. No warm and cold water in the house - usually there is only a well in the garden. If you are well-to-do then the well has an electric pump ...

In the cities I walked through drab housing complexes in the outskirts whereas in the city centre historical houses were just recently renovated and hotels are definitely up to Western standards. The gap between rich and poor is very wide and apparent. It is no problem to hike here with a Western budget and I was surprised of the quality of hotels - but then you see another grandmother in the countryside in old clothes washing her dishes in the garden next to her well and you wonder how she survives.

Another sad sight was the amount of trash in country side. Although I saw garbage cans in most villages I assume that garbage collection is not everywhere. I saw many wild dumps and sadly enough most of them are in streams or rivers. The photo was taken in the idyllic Cheile Nerei - but even here plastic bottles that have just been dumped into the river have piled up on the shore.

When I was first in Romania in the early 90s the country was much poorer and shops were empty. This is definitely not the case any more and Romania's economy has improved. There is no difference between a Lidl supermarket in Germany or Romania except a slightly different product range. But litte mom-and-pop-stores in the countryside are another story. Selection there is extremely limited. Don't expect to find any fresh stuff like milk, bread or fruit and vegetables. In  the countryside people are self-supporters and have their own cows, chickens and gardens ...

But you will find all sorts of chocolates, candy bars and biscuits - usually also Western brands although here they are more expensive. Sometimes there is bread and sausage or cheese. It is almost impossible to get dehydrated food packages in Romania except the local "Ramen noodle soup". I was living on spaghetti with packages of dry tomato sauce. You will get dehydrated mashed potatoes but the brands I tried tasted horrible. Polenta is widespread and another cheap option.

With so many garbage dumps in streams and cattle being everywhere I never took any drinking water out of lakes or streams. But there are many piped springs along the trail - and plenty of wells in the villages. As there is no public water supply in the country side everyone has their own well in the garden - and some wells are publicy accessible. In some cases I had to ask for water at houses and despite language problems my request was usually granted. I never treated well water and had no problems but I would still always bring some sort of water treatment. Water generally was no big issue during this hike, but you have to plan ahead. Most water sources are not marked on the OSM maps. Water is therefore only guaranteed in villages where you often have to ask for it.

Romania is a paradise for pigs, cows and horses - and therefore also a nightmare for drivers! These animals are roaming free everywhere. I saw cows grazing on parking lots and horses walking on roads. Unlike in Great Britain I never had any problems with cows in Romania. They are milk cows and therefore used to humans.
The biggest problem in Romania for me were sheep! Wherever I went I encountered flocks of sheep - with or without shepherd - but always with sheepdogs! And these sheepdogs protect their flock aggressively!

As soon as these dogs discover you they will run towards you and bark. This is quite frightening as there are usually three or four of them. They do not always obey the shepherd's commands either ... And often there is no shepherd in sight anyways. Still, beside barking and circling you these dogs never bit me. My trekking poles also helped me to keep them at bay.
If you see a flock of sheep in the distance you should yell "Buna ziua!" (Hello!) and hope the shepherd hears you. He will then try to keep the dogs away from you.

Did I like my hike through Romania? Yes, it was one of the most interesting trails that I have hiked - but also one of the most mentally demanding ones. Would I recommend it to a friend? Yes and No! This is definitely not a trail for beginners! If you are just interested in carefree hiking you should go somewhere else. But if you like to explore "unknown" countries and are interested in the cultural aspects this route is great. And if you want to do a thruhike of the E3 through Europe you can be relieved: With this new track through Romania a real connected thruhike is now possible - thanks to the great efforts of the "Siebenbürgischer Karpatenverein"!

E3: Romania Part 3

On my way out of Caransebes I chose my own route to avoid a long road walk - and stumbled coincidentally across the colorful monastery Teius. Romania is predominantly Romanian-Orthodox and the most religious country in the EU. 98% of Romanians believe in God or a spiritual power and only 2% are atheists or undecided. No surprise I saw so many churches and monasteries in Romania. This one was in incredibly good shape, too! 

I was now hiking in Banat where many villages still have German names like the abandoned Lindenfeld. A bit further on Wolfstal is now popular tourist place. Most inhabitants have long ago immigrated to Germany but still come back during summer holidays to look after their properties. Here I still heard old German spoken in the streets and the cemetary was full of German tombstones. Most of the pittoresque houses have been turned into holiday homes or second homes for wealthy Romanians.

 I was now in the Semenic Mountains and National Park. Waymarking and signposts were now impeccable. When the trail started to follow an old abandoned railway line I first did not think much of it. The line was overgrown and going was difficult, but I found the three old tunnel fun when going through them with a headlamp. There was no other hiker than me around. The route runs along the river Nera and I had seen on the map that the trail crosses it.

But I was shocked to see how! The river gorge is 41 metres deep here and the only way to get across is the old dismantled railway bridge. Blazes on the old steel construction left no doubt. But for anyone with only a slight fear of height this is a leap of faith. You have to balance over a small steel beam that is covered with bolts. The handrail is one metre away and you can only grasp it with one hand. There is no net or any other safety construction. The bridge is over 100 metres long and if you slip and fall - you die! When I crossed I tried not to look down to the raging river 41 metres underneath me ... I was shaking and sweating when I had made it across.

By now I had realised that Romanian walking trails have to be taken serious so I was very cautious when the signpost said 6 to 9 hours for a 12 km walk ... Ahead was one of the most spectacular sections of the E3 in Romania, the Cheile Nereil. Although the trail started easy along the river it soon became technically difficult. There was one river ford that I could easily do because someone had left plastic sandals on the shore. I crossed without getting wet shoes.

 

The trail got more adventurous all the time. At some places it was cut directly into the rock and steel cables helped to secure the passage. I even had to climb up steeply on a rock face which again was only possible with cables. Going was very slow but I made the 12 km passage in six hours. A trail running guy even tried to do a yo-yo. But I was a bit shocked when I saw a family with 10-year old kids entering the passage at 2 pm. I could not dissuade them from continuing and I highly doubt they made the entire section that day. 

It was now only a short distance until I reached the Danube - another big milestone in my hike. The E3 now follows the main road - as does the Danube bike trail. Therefore I saw several long-distance cyclists and a big American tour group. I started a conversation with an American lady who turned out to be a native Romanian. As a harpist she fled the country during an international tour of her orchestra in the 1969. Originally from Bukarest, Dorella Maiorescu has now been living in New York for decades but was visiting her home country.

I stayed in a posh hotel in Orsova which even had a swimming pool. Although it was mid-September by now it wa still warm enough to swim and sunbathe! Orsava is full of hotels for the tourists - but also full of drab housing blocks for the locals. Again "Siebenbürgischer Karpatenverein" had changed the route which used to follow the main - and very busy - highway to the border crossing. With a new gpx track I was now sent up the mountains which was a big detour - but offered fantastic views. Alas the descent was so steep that I had to slide down on my butt at times. But finally I reached the dam at Djerdap which also is the border crossing to Serbia.

E3: Romania Part 2

My next rest day in Romania took place in Brad, where gold mining took place in former times. Now there is a "Gold Museum" that unfortunately was a bit disappointing. It contained hundreds of geological specimens but no explanation in English. I found Brad's huge cemetary and Romanian-orthodox church far more interesting! Still I liked Brad a lot because I had a fantastic hotel where my torn feet could heal. I had not washed my socks in a long time and the crusty dirt had rubbed the skin on my feet! Best of all a Lidl supermarket was located right next to my hotel which meant I did not eat in any restaurant but cooked in my hotel. Many Romanian hotels are converted normal houses which means that there is a common kitchen area.

I was now hiking in Siebenbürgen, where Germans and Austrian minorities have settled since the Middle Ages. Many villages still have German names. Most ethnic Germans though have left after the wall had come down. Very few still live here and they are getting older and older. But that is true in the entire countryside where mostly old people are left. Wherever I went I was asked: "Singura"? - Are you on your own? I ended up hating that question because I was asked it dozens of times - and could not really answer because nobody spoke English or German!

The route took me through agricultural country where I sometimes felt like 50 years ago. Now in the height of summer, hay was cut and dried on these wooden constructions. Cows, horses and sheep were grazing everywhere. Cows and horses were no problem - but sheep were herded by aggressive dogs which attacked me as soon as the discovered me. Most of them were in a real bad state, half-starved and with an incredibly dirty fur. Unfortunately they were not well trained either and would hardly listen to the shepherd's commands. But although were loud and aggressive no dog tried to really bite me.

Finally I reached the area were the "Siebenbürgische Karpatenverein" had just recently waymarked and maintained the trail. Brand new blazes, cut-off trees branches and freshly mowed grass meant fantastic hiking conditions. I just wonder how long this will last. If the grass and undergrowth is nut cut every year, next hikers will basically be bushwhacking! The new trail marking stopped soon but with the help of my GPS I had little problem continuing on trail.


My luck stopped at Bautar where the hiking association had relocated the trail to in order to avoid a major road walk and some property issues. As soon as I crossed the highway at Bautar the marking stopped completely. It was a bad foreboding when I was refused water for the first time in my entire hiking life. I had asked an old lady at a farmhouse for water and she just chased me away. It turned out not to be a problem because the trail followed a stream for quite a while. There was no marking and no real trail but red ribbons seemed to flag the route. Shortly before sunset the flagging stopped.

I set up camp and to sleep over the decision what to do next. The proposed new trail is going high up into the mountains and without any marking or tread I decided it was to risky. I hiked back to the highway at Bautar and waited for the bus that would bring to Gimboca and the old route of the E3. Unfortunately the bus arrived - but did not stop. Bautar is a tiny village and the bus an intercity connection. I had to hitchhike. First a woman with a German license plate stopped but went to wrong way. 10 minutes later a guy with another German licence plate stopped and took me to my destination. During our ride I learnt that he was car dealer working in Germany and selling cars in Romania. He was constantly shuttling cars between the two countries and explained how to bribe traffic police ....

In Gimboca I bought some last refreshments and started the half day walk to Caransebes. The old route was not bad and took me through some typical Romanian villages where horse carts are parked next to cars. The whole area is known for fruit plantations and right now the plum harvest was in full swing. My pension in Caransebes was run by an ex-Austrian guestworker and it was interesting to hear a Viennese accent in Romania ... I just had a brief stopover in Caransebes because next morning I took the bus to Timisoara - my last long rest stop in Romania.

Timisoara turned out to be a fantastic place and it is no wonder that the city will be European cultural capitol in 2021. I took a free guided city tour and learnt a lot, especially that in this town the Romanian revolution started in 1989. You can still see houses with bullet holes from that period! I loved the Art Museum that showed a fascinating modern art exhibition.

But besides sightseeing I had to solve some practical problems like buying new gas canisters. Unfortunately my smartphone was not charging properly any more and I diagnosed that this was the powerbank's fault. But buying a new powerbank turned out to be a big problem despite the fact that one of Eastern Europe's biggest shopping malls is located in Timisoara. It was impossible to find a powerbank big enough to recharge my phone five or six times and I had to settle for a smaller and cheaper version before taking the bus back to Caransebes and the trail.

E3: Romania Part 1

The E3 trail in Romania is brand new! It was first published last year and in 2017 I was the third person ever to hike it. The "Siebenbürgischer Karpatenverein", which is the hiking organisation realising this trail, was incredibly helpful. The sent my the gpx track for this trail plus information on resupply and accommodation. I even talked to them on the phone several times and we were in email contact. I crossed into Romania at the big international border station of Artand - Oradea. The crossing itself was fast and the officer just glanced at my passport - probably because I was going out of Schengen. The other direction would have been different ....


Then it was a long hot walk along a busy highway into Oradea, but luckily there was a bike trail next to it. The official trail crosses further North at Letavertes but involves 60 km of road walking to Oradea.
Oradea gave me a first impression of Romania. The city used to be beautiful - but is just crumbling away now. Wonderfully restored houses are next to ruins and construction work is going on everywhere. Close to Oradea there are several spa towns where I enjoyed the thermal baths together with throngs of people before setting off hiking for good.

Again it was freaking hot and I encountered the first problem: Where to get water! Unlike Hungary there were no public water fountains and up in the North the E3 trail traverses mainly agricultural land. I saw many cars with foreign licence plates and decided to ask at a house for water. I chose one with a British car in front of it because I assumed the inhabitants would speak English. Romanian country houses are fenced in and you cannot look through the fence. Therefore I knocked and opened the door. A Romanian family was staring at me. When I explained my problem I was showered with friendliness. Instead of tap water they gave me bottled water. Plus a piece of cake and many well wishes after I had told them my hiking story. Romania is poor but its people are friendly!

The first days in Romania were rather unspectacular. I was walking through pastures and fields with no waymarking whatsoever. In Vadu Crisului things changed: This dramatic river gorge is very popular with tourists and hikers. Therefore there was waymarking and even information panels!
The Karst landscape continued until Padis where I had to do my first resupply on the trail. Padis is not a real village but more of a conglomeration of bungalows and camping area plus a tiny litte store where I bought the last Milka chocolate bars, some old bread and an awful sausage. There was not much other choice ....

Walking out of Padis I encountered two Hungarian girls who were here on a holiday - and spoke perfect English. I was so happy to be able to have a normal conversation again until I realised that the two were on a mission: They were both fundamental Christians and tried to engage my into a religious conversation. I politely took leave but was showered with Christian pamphlets ...

Vartop was another tourist trap with astonishing extremes: Brand new hotels were already abandoned and up for sale. The modern buildings were a stark contrast to the fact that there was no waste water system ... But once I had ascended up to the karst plateau I was overwhelmed with fantastic views and one of the best campsites of the entire trip.
Next morning the views from the crest were just incredible and culminated in the 1,849 metres peak of Curcubata Mare and its radio tower. Despite the early hour a big group of Romanians were already up there because unfortunately you can get there on a dirt road by jeep ...

Eisenach - Budapest Trail: Conclusion

Together with my previous hikes through Germany and Hungary I have now also completed the "International Mountain Trail of Friendship Eisenach - Budapest" (EB). Although I myself have not done it as a thruhike but a section hike I would like to do a bit of advertising for it - because it is a great trail!

Eisenach - Budapest was founded in 1983 and was the only international long-distance trail in the East bloc. It traverses five countries: Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary. This "mountain trail" stays mostly in secondary mountain ranges, although some section have a bit of alpine character. It is 2690 km long and connects the most popular hiking areas of the respective countries. Therefore infrastructure is great: The trail is well marked (although usually not as EB, but with its local name).

There is plenty of accommodation on the trail in form of mountain huts or close by in form of hotels. Wild camping is theoretically forbidden in all countries except Hungary, but practically never a problem as long as you stay out of National Parks. Therefore you can easily hike it with or without a tent - just as you like.
There is a German guidebook series that covers the entire trail. Although a bit outdated it is worth having them, but not essential.You can download the gpx track for this trail from the internet and that is basically all you need. You pass through villages with shops at least every other day so resupply is not a problem either.

Besides traversing some really scenic mountain ranges you also pass through a lot of pittoresque villages and towns with interesting history. All five countries have undergone a many historical changes and you will find remnants of the German and Austro-Hungarian empire - not to mention its influence on the culinary menu.
Prices in Eastern Europe are still a lot cheaper than in the West so eating out or staying in a hotel will not tear a big hole into your budget.

To sum it up: This trail is ideal for hikers who want to experience a real thruhike and are looking for an interesting alternative to the long American trails. It is ideal for beginners in long-distance hiking because it has a high margin for errors: You are never that far away from civilisation and its wonders are affordable. It is technically easy and has a wide time window. Strangely enough there are not many hikers who thruhike this trail. This year I know only of three parties including me who did it. I highly recommend it!

Aföldi Kektura: Conclusion

I am a big fan of hiking in Hungary out of various reasons that I have explained here. But even I have to admit that the Aföldi Kektura is not the greatest hiking trail on earth - especially when you are walking in summer! The lowlands are indeed low and incredibly flat. Most of the time you won't have any shade and walk along irrigation canals. There are some nice villages and interesting towns nearby but you can find that anywhere else in Hungary, too. So I would not specifically go to Hungary to hike the Aföldi Kektura - there is much better hiking on the Northern Kektura, which is one of my favourite hiking trails.

Plus you have the problem of following the Schengen border for quite a while - and Hungarian police and border patrol take their job very seriously! So expect to be checked several times. Still as part of my long-distance hike I enjoyed my time on the Aföldi. It was flat and easy hiking without any navigational problems. The Aföldi is impeccably marked like the rest of the Kektura. I could make long and easy miles which felt nice. And even in summer I enjoyed the many thermal baths and swimming pools ...

E3: Hungary: Aföldi Kektura

My hike through Hungary started with a fabulous meeting: Anne and Ulli, two German EB-hikers had heard of my trip through FB. Although they were already far ahead of me in Hungary, they took a train back to Sarospatak to meet me. We booked ourselves in a nice holiday apartment and spent the afternoon in the open air thermal baths - a wonderful relaxing experience and one of the reasons why I like hiking in Hungary so much! We basically talked non-stop and exchanged ideas and plans. One plan has already become reality: We have already had our post-trip meeting in Erfurt together with Jana.

My entire time in Hungary it was hot - and I mean really freaking hot! Every day was above 30 Celsius and I was hiking with my umbrella for sun protection. I was following irrigation canals many times which resulted in humidity and even more sweating - plus horseflies ... One time I had to walk several kilometres along a canal and then the same distance back again on the other side just because there was no other bridge ... I was not too happy!


This time in Hungary I was walking on the Aföldi Kektura through the Pannonian Lowlands. I had already known in the planning stage that it is not a good idea to hike here in the middle of the summer. And all my expectations came true: It was flat - I mean really flat. In the beginning there was a lot of road walking and no shade. And it was hot. There were no lakes to swim in and the water in the irrigation canals was so disgusting that I could not even use it for washing up. But I went into every public swimming pool along the way!

But not all was bad: Water was no problem because in almost every Hungarian village there is a public water fountain. And wild camping was great because it is legal in Hungary! Plus I walked through these endless tree plantations that were ideal for setting up camp. Flat ground, and lots of shade in the morning! Some people would say these straight-line plantations are boring but I found them very pretty and felt like walking through one big park!


My only big town stop in Hungary was Debrecen where I stayed in a brand new air conditioned pension. I could even wash all my clothes there. Timing was perfect: I was in town when a big storm dropped rain in buckets and the temperatures! I made one last big shopping trip to Aldi. It made smile that in Debrecen Aldi is located right next to the Grand Casino! Aldi attracted by far more visitors - at least during the day ...

Hungarian villages are impeccably clean. Usually there is no paved sidewalk but local residents are raking the dirt! I almost felt bad walking there because I left foot prints! Most popular tree lining the village roads is the plum tree and as the plums where just getting ripe I was gorging on fruit. I was now getting closer to the Hungarian-Romanian border which is also the Schengen border. In a Hungarian village a hiker with a backpack sticks out like a sore thumb and therefore I was twice stopped by the police. They were very professional but checked my passport thoroughly. One policeman spoke excellent English and told me he had just recently hiked the Camino in Spain!

Another encounter was not that friendly ... Shortly before the border I was stopped by an old guy on an even older motorbike. I took him for a homeless person asking for a cigarette or money and briskly walked on. But he kept yelling at me in Hungarian and follow me along an irrigation canal. I was already considering to defend myself physically when he finally left. But ten minutes later a different but equally unkempt guy showed up on a mountain bike. At least now I understood one word: Kektura - which is the name of the trail I was hiking on. When I signalled that I was just a hiker the guy relaxed and disappeared.

Both men had worn high-visibility jackets with the inscription "Polgarörsek". When I googled that word I got scared: it meant "militia"! First I thought I had met some self-proclaimed sherriffs but later Hungarians told me that these "second-class policemen" are actually appointed by local counties. Their goal is to deter from petty crime and protect nature reserves. Apparantly they had taken me for an illegal immigrant ...The offical E3 trail crosses the border at Letavertes but that would have involved 60 km of roadwalking in Romania. Instead I continued on the Kektura and crossed at Artand - after walking through endless fields in the summer heat.