Hello everyone and nice of you to stop by our blog (again). My time in Bulgaria was plagued by challenges: The ceiling came down, then the cable clutter – I can only hope that things will be more relaxed in Serbia now. But I was wrong. What begins as a harmless routine job quickly turns into a real test of patience – at Serbian customs.

 

A marathon that wasn’t meant to be: 20 hours of customs

The adventure begins at the border from Bulgaria to Serbia. I dragged the rain from Bulgaria to Serbia with me. Sure, who needs sunshine? Especially when you’re stuck at the border for 20 hours anyway. The whole spectacle begins just before the Serbian border: a long queue of lorries on the hard shoulder and me at the back.

What do you think: How many lorries are in front of me? Photo: Ronny Nittmann

 

I’m hoping that things will go reasonably quickly – a bit premature! At 14:30 I join the queue and by 17:00 I’ve only made one kilometre’s progress. Then nothing at all.

By 10.30pm I’ve already had a six-hour break – as I’m still in the queue, but there’s no sign of progress. Sometime around 10am the next day, the drama is finally over. After several stops at customs, where I have to open my truck and show my documents …, I can finally move on.

At some point the customs control was also in sight. Photo: Ronny Nittmann

 

Serbia on four wheels: You can’t do without coffee

When I finally arrive in Serbia, driving is relatively relaxed. But it’s a real disappointment: I simply can’t find a good coffee! If I’m going to be behind the wheel all day, a decent cup of coffee is the least I can do, right? Well, you can’t have everything.

 

Weekend in Lapovo: relax mode and TV marathon

On Saturday, I finally park my car in Lapovo, our location at a tyre dealer, and retire to the hotel. The weekend is relaxed – at least that’s my plan. I go for a walk and do absolutely nothing else. Switch on the TV, put my feet up and just switch off. The highlight of the day is dinner in the evening. Sounds unspectacular, but it’s exactly what I need after a 20-hour customs marathon.

 

Technical drama at the event

The whole circus starts again on Monday, this time at Baki d.o.o in Lapovo. First thing in the morning there’s a problem with the presentation screen, which suddenly only shows a white image.

Fortunately, a technician in Zagreb can probably take a look at the screen and bring the original cable with him. Until then, however, presentations in the truck are out of the question.

 

Wednesday in Belgrade: food, music and problems

On Wednesday, it’s on to Belgrade. The event is right next to a river at a tyre dealer, clearly the more impressive location. The actual event takes place upstairs and downstairs in a restaurant. This time everything is a bit quieter, away from the company, more in the direction of leisure. A nice change.

Fun fact: another restaurant nearby consists of an old railway carriage. It was probably once in use when Serbia still had a queen. The food there is really good, but the toilets – also in old railway carriages – take a bit of getting used to.

Breakfast at the hotel is also very special. There is no buffet, but a menu from which you can only order one thing – and I only got a small muesli. I’m a bit disappointed, especially as the menu for the room is much more extensive.

My breakfast: would it have filled you up? Photo: Ronny Nittmann

 

Unfortunately, I don’t have time to see Belgrade and will probably have to plan for the next time. The whole day revolves around the technical problems – I make countless phone calls. Fortunately, the event doesn’t start until 5 pm, so I have enough time to take care of the technology before then. And we actually manage to get the presentation and the screen up and running again – not as expected. It doesn’t work again until we get to Zagreb.

I don’t get back to the hotel until 11.30 pm – no sightseeing for me. But at least there’s a good programme at the event: at least 50 guests, a DJ, a band and lots of food and drinks.

We were served a real feast at the event. Photo: Ronny Nittmann

Off to Croatia

After breakfast on Thursday, I head straight for Croatia. I hope that customs will be quicker this time. The journey takes about six to six and a half hours, so there’s enough time to mentally prepare for the next event. Keep your fingers crossed that it will be less stressful this time!

Until then – see you on the road,

your Ronny