Dave and his Bike

Days 34, 35, 36 & 37.

Day 34.

Well, that didn’t turn out the way I thought it would. Ever since arriving in Sofia I’ve been worrying about the route out – basically busy dual carriageways and avoiding the motorway. I always worry about the next bit. Much discussion was had last night with Ivan and Irina, several cycle-specific mapping apps consulted (putting me on the main roads or farm tracks). Still no decision.

After a reasonably good sleep, I fed the cat and packed my panniers. In the coffee shop more discussion was had with my new friends, resulting in Ivan offering to take me and my bike in the car, past the point where the motorway was an issue. I gave in all too easily, as I really didn’t fancy fighting with heavy traffic on a main arterial route out of a capital city – again. I know that I have Istanbul and Mumbai to ride through soon. I’ll deal with it.

Ivan’s sympathy and kindness went a step further. Instead of dropping me off at the first opportunity outside the city, he took me over the hills to avoid me having to climb too much. This resulted in me then having the time, and feeling fresh after a day off, to ride to my destination for tomorrow – Plovdiv. Initially I was still in the hills, with great scenery all around me. A few kilometres down the road I found myself on flatlands and straight roads, with mountain ranges either side.

Initially I had aimed for Pazardzhik, but on arrival I realised it was only another 38km to Plovdiv, and it was 1330hrs so I had plenty of time. The nearer I got to Plovdiv, the more the traffic built up – understandable as it is Bulgaria’s second largest city. The roads were wide though, and once inside the city limits, cycle paths provided a welcome relief. They do slow you down somewhat, but it’s worth it I think.

Plovdiv is a great place. Quite a compact city centre, with cobbled streets, cafés and restaurants, and lots of history. The excavated Roman amphitheatre in the town centre is impressive, as is the Djumaya mosque – a beautiful building.

Once showered and rested, I went for an amble round the centre. As the weather is cooling down, lots of the restaurants have heaters outside to attract diners, which give a lovely atmosphere. I opted to sit inside. Pork fillet and a glass of red. Nice.

Due to the circumstances I mentioned, I am now a day ahead of myself. I could spend another night here, and I think I would find plenty to occupy me, or push on potentially getting to Istanbul a day or so early. I’ve a mind to push on. As much as I could explore here, I’m not really ready for another day off just yet. If I get moving early enough in the morning, I’ll have a look around Old Plovdiv on my way through, as that sounds interesting. There’s always a trade off between exploring and moving.

Mileage so far: 2454 km.

Day 35.

Really good sleep last night. Slightly later up than usual, but as there was no breakfast at the hotel I was out by about 0830. Croissants and a coffee at a bakery just around the corner then I headed east. I went in the general direction of Old Plovdiv, but it was the wrong side of a dual carriageway and up a hill. It was also only about 5°C, so I opted for keeping moving and getting warm. Something to come back for.

The outskirts of town, like nearly every other Balkan city, still has a lot of old style pre-fabricated Soviet Union housing blocks. Some in good states of repair, some not. Cheap, but I’m not sure how efficient.

Navigating was easy – it’s not a big place. I headed out with a lot less traffic than I had anticipated, but then the road runs parallel to the motorway which is toll free. The first 50km were on good roads, straight and flat. There was then a 25km stretch when the road surface went to rat shit, starting with a few kilometres where the surface had been planed off, leaving grooves and potholes. Blooming uncomfortable vibrations. It was then just in poor condition for ages, and took a massive amount of concentration. It still wasn’t hilly though, and so straight that I stopped to check the map just because I could.

I also stopped a couple of times to devour the sandwich I had bought at breakfast. I didn’t see anywhere I fancied for a coffee, so kept plodding on.

The only real climbs of the day came within the last hour or so, and even then weren’t very big (by recent standards). I got a view of my destination from the top of the hill, then effectively coasted into town. There’s not much here. In fact the guy on reception at last night’s hotel (a mountain biker) said, when I told him where I was heading “there’s nothing there, just watermelons”. I haven’t even seen any of those.

The hotel Olympia is clean and cheap. The nearby pizza was very good, and also cheap (about £5 for a pizza and a beer). I opted for a pizza as it’s possibly the last opportunity for a while. I’m not complaining though; trying new food around the world is a major part of this ride. Neither establishment takes credit cards, which is no bad thing as at least tomorrow I won’t be left with currency that I can’t use.

Mileage so far: 2565km

Day 36.

It was cold this morning. So cold that the cars parked in the street had a layer of frost on them. There was no breakfast at the hotel so I rode back on myself into town. There was no breakfast there either, but I did find a shop open and bought some pre-packed croissants. Coffee only seemed available from a vending machine. I didn’t understand what was what, so went without.

After about 5km I stopped to put my waterproof on. It was clear blue sky and a beautiful day, but I was so cold I needed the extra layer. There was very little traffic on the road – virtually nothing at all. It made the ride to the border with Greece very pleasant. The 32km seemed to pass in no time. There were no queues out of Bulgaria, and the border guards were again interested in my journey. Not so much the Greek side, where he didn’t say anything. Interestingly, they don’t stamp your passport at this border, either out of Bulgaria or into Greece. They save that for the next one.

A young couple on the Greek side who were waiting for passport control asked lots of questions about my trip. The bike is a good conversation starter.

I had approximately 36km to ride in Greece. It hardly counts as visiting a country, but I spent a pleasant couple of hours on quiet roads with a massive hard-shoulder. I stopped for a coffee eventually at a petrol station, and had to rummage around and find a couple of Euros to pay with. The sun was a bit higher in the sky by then, and it was pleasantly warm.

After warming up in the sun with my coffee I continued the gentle spin towards Turkey. I am finding that the distance and time passes really quickly now, so I was soon at the next border crossing. This was by far the most formal, regulated and militaristic border so far. Armed outposts and barbed wire on both sides. It was also the cleanest and most impressive, almost like a competition between the two countries. Again, there were no queues. No interest or interaction with the border guards on either side, but I wasn’t bothered really, as long as they stamped my passport! They did. I am now in Turkey. Another new country for me.

The Turkish roads into Edirne are super smooth, and appear to be brand new. I don’t expect that they will all be like this. The minarets on the huge mosque in the city are visible from a long way out. It made finding the centre very easy. The first hotel I went to was full, as was the second. A few doors down was the Efe Hotel which has a very helpful concierge and vacant rooms, as affordable as my first choices and including breakfast. Excellent. Since I now have only about 300km to cover, and a week until I meet Jane, Liv and Lottie in Istanbul, I have decided to spend a couple of nights here. I don’t particularly need the rest, but it looks like an interesting place.

Kebab (obviously!) and a glass of tea in a fascinating city centre. Looking forward to exploring properly in the morning.

Mileage so far: 2641km

Day 37.

Day off. Touristy stuff.

It was cold again this morning – well it is the middle of October I suppose! So after a bit of a lie-in and breakfast at the hotel, I went exploring. I had been out and about yesterday evening for a bit, but had deliberately avoided the main things to see. The Selimiye Mosque was built in the 16th century by the Ottomans. It is incredibly, both in size and condition. I walked around the outside and went for a Turkish coffee at a café overlooking.

You would think that after that, everything else would be disappointing, but not so. The even older Üç Şerefeli Mosque nearby (just around the corner from my hotel) was also very beautiful with its famous balconied minaret. Next the that is the Fatih Sultan Mehmet museum (free entry) which was interesting to a degree, although I couldn’t read anything inside so am none the wiser. Lovely architecture though.

After my cultural experiences and caffeine overload I wandered the smaller streets and cover market streets which are lined with restaurants, tea & coffee shops, baklava and Turkish delight specialists. Lunch consisted of a meat and pastry ‘slice’ type dish, followed by a small selection of baklava, both of which are eminently affordable. I’ll save the Turkish delight experience until next weekend when I have someone to share it with, otherwise it would be a bit more of a sugar overdose than usual.

After a bit of a nap in the afternoon (well it is a rest day), I went all of 20m down the street to a restaurant. Chicken shish kebabs, fresh tomatoes and onions, chilli sauce. Wonderful. I also met a retired French traveller from Paris, who has walked solo from Thessaloniki (Greece) to Edirne. I think it’s part of the Via Egnatia(?). A really interesting man with whom I discussed solo travel, Couchsurfing, weather, India, France etc. Sadly I still don’t know his name.

Back on the bike in the morning 😁.