Bulgaria

September 11, 2022 to October 19, 2022

11th

Cycled 70km along an uninspiring main and caught a ferry across the Danube to Bulgaria!Met Nicole Adona, Marek who were traveling along the Danube together. Was amazed of how much Marek Adona were carrying, they bought an umbrella for shade and even a machete! They also have a similar lack of final aim and are just heading east. Maybe I'll catch them again one day.Swam in the Danube for the first time with Nicole whilst Adona and Marek heated water for a warm shower, luxurious... Nicole and I later shared a tasty stew and we all shared our stories around the table.

12th

Left the others and cycled west 60km into a 30mph headwind all day.

Was reunited with John who I met in Colmar 2 months ago. Traveling with him were Kate Keiran and Celine. They had been following the eurovelo 6 route along the Danube most of the way and seemed to have had a different experience to my trip. It was fun exchanging stories and sharing food together.

13th

Made good use of the campsite spending time with the others and cooking lots of food.

Going to try riding with no sim for a while as I keep having problems entering new countries. It will be a good challenge not to be relient on it.

Didn't leave until it was gone dark to save those €12. Not sure the camp site owner was happy I checked out at 9pm but he warned me about the wolves and snakes roaming around the village, what a nice guy.

10 seconds outside his house I found an abandoned building to sleep in for the night, awoken by stray dogs howling from 3-5am.

14th

Found a quiet spot down a track to eat lunch. A friendly farmer (Darco) drove past and we chatted in Spanish as he had worked there previously. He showed me some mushrooms that I can eat and gave me a bottle of water. It was a shame to hear that he supports the Russian war with Ukraine though, which I think is also the case for a lot of people in rural communities here.

Could once again see some mountains after a few days cycling though flat farmland. I was warned that the road to Sofia was full of trucks but I have barely seen anything all day.

Took my chance cycling downhill on a dirt track to find a place to camp. The map said there was a lake nearby so I thought I could have a refreshing swim at the bottom with the mountain views. There was no lake, only a bog and a billion mosquitoes. The push back up the hill took a lot longer than the descent and I was covered in bites by the top. Threw my tent up over some long grass and brambles and stressfully cooked before hiding in the tent. Realised there are also bears and wolves about and I had thrown food everywhere. The howling nearby wasn't too comforting so I moved my tent away from all of the food.

100Km

15th

Again barely saw any trucks for the first portion of the ride and I had the best views of the Balkan mountains over the first pass, the road was so fun to speed down as well.

Joined onto a busier road and had lots of trucks speeding past me all the way to sofia, this must have been what I was warned about.

Made it into the capital city Sofia and had a quick glimpse of the lively centre before meeting my host Emilian. We shared some traditional Balkan food in a restaurant and got to know eachother. Riding though the park we saw a concert of a Balkan orchestra, was a great traditional experience but I was way too tired after the long day for the intense music.

110km

16th-17th

Planned to take one day off but ended up taking 2 due to the terrible weather on Saturday. This was for the best as it was Sofia day and all the museum's were open for free. We explored the city with his friends and I felt what it was like to live in this vibrant city.

18th

Almost hit by a car that didn't see my as he was overtaking, had to take a moment to calm down afterwards, not my time today!

Cycling down the main road I saw a red and white flag in the distance, I thought it surely can't be the st George's cross. To my surprise I found a man dressed in full England football kit stood selling potatoes. I had to find out more so I approached him and received a long stream of untranslatable Bulgarian ramblings along with a rather impresive display of football skills. During the commotion a Dutch cyclist, Geerlof joined, he couldn't help with the translations but found the whole event hilarious. Geerlof set off from home on a bike ride a year ago and had no plans where to go, he cycled to Iran along the Pakistan border and was on his return journey home. He was carrying only a small saddle bag, frame bag and handlebar roll and his whole setup was 2kg lighter than my bike alone! He also cycled across Turkey in the winter in temperatures below -20°C and had great things to say about the experience. This gave me a lot of hope for the future

The rest of the ride was incredible and with fresh legs I felt like I could keep riding though the mountains without wanting to stop.

115Km

19th

Temperatures dropped below freezing for the first time last night, my sleeping bag isn't warm enough for this. The frost covered landscape looked beautiful though and the sun (and hot porrige) soon heated me up.

Stopped in Kyustendil to spend the last of my Bulgarian cash in a café, caught up with my friend Georgi and arranged to hopefully meet him in Georgia by Christmas.

Climbed the pass to the border and entered into North Macedonia to enjoy a lovely but very chilly descent into the mountainous valley.

Rode until the sun set and found a quiet spot to cook dinner by a fire overlooking the mountains. Not being cold again tonight!

80km

Today's ride: 535 km (332 miles)
Total: 6,960 km (4,322 miles)

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