Yesterday's thunderstorms cleared out the weather and today is clear and fresh, and only 30km into Belgrade. Belgrade is the biggest city I've visited on this trip, and I was expecting a horrible ride, but found a nice backroad with plenty of local cyclists coming the other way. The back road led onto a cycle path which follows Sava lake, which has miles of pebbled beach and serves as Belgrade's own beach resort. I take a detour to pick up some cycling glasses, so cross the Sava river twice before I arriving in the city centre. I'm staying in a funny little hostel, kind of shabby chic without the chic. There's about 12 beds and one bathroom and very minimal kitchen, but you have to wash the dishes in the bathroom too. Still, it's cheap and cheerful! 

The main tourist centre is called the old town, but it seems new enough to be called the new town by European city standards. If you go right through it you come to a huge fortress which has been made into a park, and has a view over the river where the Sava and Danube converge, which is nice. I've heard that Belgrade is the party capital of Europe, but I don't see much sign of it. For sure there's hundreds of people out on the streets until late, but it's mostly pretty civilised with lots of families and kids running around. No wall to wall vomiting, fighting and people passed out in corners like a proper British night out!

Visited the National Museum today which was excellent, and went into Saint Sava cathedral, the Balkan's biggest Orthodox church which has barely been completed. From the outside it looks big if plain, but from the inside it's really spectacular, a huge domed roof with gilt everywhere and an enormous chandelier. In Belgrade, with its hot, dry climate, relaxed atmosphere, hundreds of street cafés, and slight shabbyness, you can imagine yourself our in some unknown Spanish city a couple of decades in the past.