{"id":2724,"date":"2026-04-05T20:13:39","date_gmt":"2026-04-05T18:13:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/footstepsoffreedom.nl\/between-grief-and-a-rugged-gorge-emotions-and-a-5-star-dinner-in-the-wild\/"},"modified":"2026-04-18T07:53:31","modified_gmt":"2026-04-18T05:53:31","slug":"between-grief-and-a-rugged-gorge-emotions-and-a-5-star-dinner-in-the-wild","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/footstepsoffreedom.nl\/en\/between-grief-and-a-rugged-gorge-emotions-and-a-5-star-dinner-in-the-wild\/","title":{"rendered":"Between grief and a rugged gorge: emotions and a 5-star dinner in the wild"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Day 13: The Sultans Trail from Belgrade to Sofia<\/h2>\n\n

#throwback September 17, 2026<\/p>\n\n

A lump in my throat at the cemetery<\/h2>\n\n

After a good night in bed number 1, I get up on time and head out feeling fresh. At the cemetery just outside the village, I witness a heartbreaking scene. A couple is working at a fresh grave, hanging a football jersey, framed behind glass, on the headstone. On the tomb is a photo of their teenage son. The woman has to be supported by her husband. I get a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes, thinking of my two incredibly dear friends who both passed away unexpectedly in less than five months. RIP M. (59) and RIP P. (60) <\/p>\n\n

The Si\u0107evo Gorge: beautiful but untamed<\/h2>\n\n

Today’s route, through and along the Si\u0107evo Gorge<\/a>, is truly beautiful. It’s a tough route, but the enjoyment wins by a landslide. The Sultans Trail<\/a> is being heavily promoted in the Netherlands, but it’s still an unknown and new route, and unfortunately, you can tell. Some sections are difficult to navigate, and I wonder how often anyone even walks here. I heard from a local resident that Serbians<\/a> aren’t much into hiking. I’m a little worried; I hope I don’t get stuck again and have to walk all the way back. <\/p>\n\n

Sometimes I pass through tiny hamlets, and in the craziest places, you’ll suddenly find something that passes for a little shop. I’m as happy as a child when I score a decent banana; the other two were brown. Fruit always does me good. <\/p>\n\n

My own 5-star restaurant<\/h2>\n\n

My plan was to eat in the village of Si\u0107evo at the only restaurant on the map, but it has since closed. So, I buy eggs, tomatoes, cucumber, and more at the supermarket and prepare my meal at a picnic table overlooking the gorge. I’m just turning it into my own 5-star restaurant! <\/p>\n\n

A test lie-down at twilight<\/h2>\n\n

I want to camp today\u2014a good goal, but difficult to pull off, unfortunately. I really underestimated that. There truly isn’t a flat spot to be found anywhere, even though I started looking well ahead of time. It’s getting later and later, and twilight is already setting in. Eventually, I think I’ve found a nice spot. Before I pitch my tent, I do a quick test lie-down, and it seems okay. Time for some well-deserved rest! <\/p>\n\n

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Day 13: The Sultans Trail from Belgrade to Sofia #throwback September 17, 2026 A lump in my throat at the cemetery After a good night in bed number 1, I get up on time and… More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2725,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[7],"tags":[236,235,234,240],"class_list":["post-2724","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blogs-en","tag-long-distance-hike","tag-serbia","tag-sultanstrail","tag-wildkamperen"],"yoast_head":"\nBetween grief and a rugged gorge: emotions and a 5-star dinner in the wild - FOOTSTEPS OF FREEDOM<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"From a heartbreaking farewell at a Serbian cemetery to a 5-star dinner at the Si\u0107evo Gorge. 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For a moment, I thought I\u2019d found the male version of landlady Sanja, but luckily that wasn't the case; we could communicate\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blogs ENG"","block_context":{"text":"Blogs ENG","link":"https:\/\/footstepsoffreedom.nl\/en\/category\/blogs-en\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/footstepsoffreedom.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-13-at-20.30.28.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/footstepsoffreedom.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-13-at-20.30.28.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/footstepsoffreedom.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-13-at-20.30.28.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/footstepsoffreedom.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-13-at-20.30.28.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/footstepsoffreedom.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-13-at-20.30.28.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2707,"url":"https:\/\/footstepsoffreedom.nl\/en\/with-a-pounding-heart-and-952-skulls-the-many-faces-of-nis\/","url_meta":{"origin":2724,"position":1},"title":"With a pounding heart and 952 skulls: the many faces of Ni\u0161","author":"Marnix van der Lijn","date":"4 April 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Day 12: The Sultans Trail from Belgrade to Sofia #throwback September 16, 2026 Forty-five minutes with eyes wide open and a pounding heart \u201cAre you never scared?\u201d a follower asks me. A question I get often. 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Her curtains are still tightly shut, but the town of Pirot is already\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blogs ENG"","block_context":{"text":"Blogs ENG","link":"https:\/\/footstepsoffreedom.nl\/en\/category\/blogs-en\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/footstepsoffreedom.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-10-at-16.31.32.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/footstepsoffreedom.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-10-at-16.31.32.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/footstepsoffreedom.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-10-at-16.31.32.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/footstepsoffreedom.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-10-at-16.31.32.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/footstepsoffreedom.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-04-10-at-16.31.32.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1599,"url":"https:\/\/footstepsoffreedom.nl\/en\/my-first-interview\/","url_meta":{"origin":2724,"position":3},"title":"My First Interview","author":"Marnix van der Lijn","date":"10 June 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"#throwback - May 30, 2024 I wake up, quickly eat my Gr\u00e4ddfil with muesli, and hit the trail. Coffee can wait \u2014 first I need to get out of these bushes. 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I actually manage to hit the trail on time today! I want to arrive at the hostel early enough to do laundry\u2014that\u2019s the main reason I booked a room. Wild camping near a big city isn\u2019t easy either, so this is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Blogs ENG"","block_context":{"text":"Blogs ENG","link":"https:\/\/footstepsoffreedom.nl\/en\/category\/blogs-en\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/footstepsoffreedom.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/dag-23-jongetje.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/footstepsoffreedom.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/dag-23-jongetje.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/footstepsoffreedom.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/dag-23-jongetje.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/footstepsoffreedom.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/dag-23-jongetje.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/footstepsoffreedom.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/dag-23-jongetje.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/footstepsoffreedom.nl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/dag-23-jongetje.jpeg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1178,"url":"https:\/\/footstepsoffreedom.nl\/en\/pouring-rain\/","url_meta":{"origin":2724,"position":5},"title":"Pouring rain","author":"Marnix van der Lijn","date":"27 May 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"#throwback - May 27, 2024 In my little shelter, I hear the steady tapping on the roof\u2014it\u2019s raining! Luckily, the weather radar says it won\u2019t last too long. I\u2019m hungry, so I make the most of having a dry spot with a roof over my head. 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