I’ve been drafting this post in my head today whilst cycling (what else?) It was going to mainly be an ‘ode to Bulgaria’, which has surprised us in many positive ways.
But I’ve just looked back at the last blog and realised that there’s a bit of catching up to do before we even get to Bulgaria, as I last wrote from a hotel room in Prizren, Kosovo – wondering when/where we would be able to wash our clothes!
Kosovo
It was just a short visit but we really did enjoy our time in Kosovo. Prizren itself was a lovely city – we especially enjoyed visiting the Fort (up a very steep hill) – particularly given it was a Saturday which meant that lots of teenagers were walking up there/down and just hanging out.
We also visited the Sinan Pasha mosque (and had coffee and baklava in the gardens – delicious), the Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour and enjoyed a traditional clay pot meal. All good recovery to tackle a big climb the next morning.
Another lovely surprise, we were straight onto a beautiful road cutting through a gorge for this climb which ultimately took us up to 1,500m. I say ‘beautiful’ – the road itself was in the process (we guess a very long process) of being resurfaced so we bounced our way up, weaving between potholes, gravel, landslides and landslips, etc.
We got lots of waves on the way up (mainly people wondering what the idiots on bikes are doing cycling up such a big mountain when the car has been invented). The top was full of said people who had driven there having a sit on a grassy slope. Sounds lovely in theory but it was a bit weird, especially given the odd massive mound of rubbish (something that has become familiar in both Albania and Kosovo) and the pack of stray mountain dogs roaming around.
We didn’t hang around and zoomed down the other side, getting very cold in the process before warming up again quicker than you can say ‘coffee stop’ as the sun came out and we approached the border with…
North Macedonia!
We last visited this country when it had a different name. Aside from some numberplates now saying ‘NMK’ rather than just MK, we weren’t sure if the name change was really sticking, internally at least – but adding on the ‘North’ has opened some doors for this small country which can only be a good thing.
From crossing the border, to leaving 5 days later, we found it to be a consistently energy filled, quirky place (more on the quirks in a bit) – with glorious scenery and lovely people.
Our first stop was Skopje, the capital. We had booked a bargain apartment, right in the middle of town. The main draw not being the bargain, or the location but the presence of a washing machine. Yes! Our own laundry facilities – which we promptly put into use.
The rest of the time in Skopje was spent planning our next moves (more complicated than it sounds, and than we always think it will be – when there are so many options/potential routes) as well as enjoying this historic but also very quirky city.
It’s difficult to describe so I’ll let a couple of Matt’s fab photos explain it:
We loved it, and felt really at home here. Topped off by really genuinely fantastic cycle infrastructure (bikes paths along the river, on main arterial routes and right in the middle of the city), and large parts of the city centre being completely car free, enabling strolling and a super social atmosphere.
As we had two full days in Skopje we had enough time to actually visit a museum (or two!) There were a few options – we went for the Museum of the Macedonian Struggle for Independence and the Macedonian Holocaust Museum.
I’m not sure how it’s possible to have two such different museum experiences back-to-back. We literally struggled through the Struggle (sorry North Macedonia for minimising your struggles to independence. But we didn’t really need an enormous multi-floor homage to the use of the waxwork to bring history to life. With the history ending randomly after the Second World War and both of us leaving none the wiser as to the outcome of said Struggle.)
This was immediately followed by the Holocaust museum which we would recommend to anyone visiting Skopje. A moving, informative and absorbing memorial from which we learnt a lot – and which made us reflect (again) on the myriad complexities of European past and present.
Having fully immersed ourselves in capital city number-three of the trip we were up and off the following day to ‘put in a shift’ and cycle most of the way across the country.
116km later we arrived at a campsite for the first time in a while having sweated more than our body weights given the climbing temperatures, lack of shade and probably just too much time outside. The campsite was basic but in a stunning setting, and a good night’s sleep beckoned.
I woke early having heard some rustling (the other couple staying on site no doubt, I thought). A couple of hours later we woke up properly and after doing some ‘inside tent’ jobs I went to unzip my porch. I was just putting my hand on the zipper when I felt something big, black and heavy on the other side of the tent inner – something big, black and heavy that wasn’t one of my pannier bags, or my helmet or in fact any of my belongings.
Hmmm. I ask Matt to check I’m not going mad before I go ahead and unzip. He confirms that there is a foreign body INSIDE THE TENT. Remember readers, this is the land of the doggo and the last thing I need is a doggo INSIDE THE TENT.
After a bit of shoving, Matt manages to chase snoozing foreign body outside of the tent which he confirms is a big black cat. PHEW! Thank goodness! Not a doggo!
[Over the next few days of cycling I find myself coming back to this moment a few times. It felt very heavy and big to be a cat. Even a big cat. I ask Matt a few times, ‘was it really a cat?’ He confirms. Until one day we’re having an ice-cream and I ask him again, but this time ask him to swear on his mum’s life (sorry Clare, but it needed to be done).
Suffice to say, it wasn’t a big black cat. Somehow I have snuggled up/snoozed with a big black doggo in the land of feral doggos. Basically my worst nightmare!]
After this ‘exciting’ start to another day of cycling we set off for a planned 120km+ day – the longest of the trip so far. I am a bit nervous as 120km+ seems a bit far, plus we’re crossing into Bulgaria (new countries always get me a bit nervous).
It was a stunner of a day. Very hot again, the first 20km were a bit of a nightmare as the ‘yellow road’ was actually deteriorating gravel which rivalled Croatia for number-one-worst in my personal gravel league. Plus the main climb was boiling hot and a bit too steep. Plus we had a minor incident with a group of dogs in a small village.
But it was still a stunner of a day, and we crossed into Bulgaria unscathed and still smiling.
Bulgaria
The smiles have continued ever since, because it turns out… we love Bulgaria. Here’s a list of things we like about it:
1. Salads
This may not have been what anyone was expecting at number one, but Bulgarians really do love salads! Every restaurant we’ve been to here (admittedly not that many) has an extensive salad list and they’re all delicious. The best, and most ubiquitous is the ‘Shopska’. We have seen/sampled variants of this delicacy in other locations in the Balkans but the Bulgarians have taken it to the next level. A delicious combo of diced tomatoes, cucumber, red onion and olives topped with loads (and loads) of grated white cheese (a bit like feta). Yum.
2. Mountains
We have spent all of our time here in the south of the country (so we’re not sure what the scenery is like elsewhere) – but the mountains here are beautiful. Really breathtaking. Particularly the Rhodope range which we have loved cycling through.
3. Roads/drivers
Some of our pre-research had pointed to bad road surfaces and aggressive driving in Bulgaria. This hasn’t been our experience at all. Yes there’s been a few potholes on occasion and not every driver gives us loads of space but overall we have had quiet and wide roads to climb up and down, with drivers giving us loads of room and tooting to say hello/give encouragement.
4. Water fountains/taps
These are everywhere, particularly on mountain passes. Delicious, cold, fresh water, literally on tap, has been the dream scenario for these two sweaty cyclists.
5. Affordability
For a developed country with lots of infrastructure and a more ‘western’ feel than we’ve been used to, we have been really surprised by how cheap most things are. There is a real lack of campsites here (one of the less good things) but this has been made up for by really cheap and good quality guest houses/hotels. As well as eating out being very affordable (yay for salads). The exchange rate between the Bulgarian Lev and the Euro is about 2:1 which has made everything half price. Lovely.
As mentioned, of course there are things that we like less. Jokes aside, one of these has been doggos. We’ve probably had more ‘incidents’ here than anywhere else, but on balance (and due to bringing ‘Matto’s Dog Protection Services’ with me) they’ve been OK and have responded well to the combination of throwing treats, us both stopping to diffuse the desire to chase us and on occasion brandishing the stick. Thanks Matty 🙂
So overall we have had a very enjoyable five and a bit days cycling from the border with North Macedonia in the south-western corner of the country, to our current location (Ivaylovgrad), very close to the border with Greece in the south-eastern corner. We just wish more people were cycling here as we think it’s definitely a secret that needs sharing!
We have seen just one other recreational (local or touring) cyclist our entire time in the country, and in fact the first since Montenegro. Asen lives in Smolyan and we met him near the top of the climb above town. Matt enjoyed whizzing down into town with him, and we were grateful for the pizza recommendation too!
So what next?
Dare I say it… but we might actually be heading to Istanbul!
Postscript
Those of you who follow us on Strava may be wondering if I’ve forgotten an anecdote in reliving the last week and a half above. I’ve weighed it up and think everyone needs letting into our brush with… nudism. Or I should say ‘nudey-ism’.
Our first night in Bulgaria is spent at a small campsite. We arrive to black clouds gathering and an owner who tells us they don’t take tents. Not what we want to hear given there is nowhere else to stay for miles around and we’ve just cycled more than 120km (see above).
The reason for the ban is because he has had complaints (apparently) from other people in tents who he has prohibited from camping on the grass, and has made camp on the concrete/sand instead as apparently a tent can ruin the grass in less than 12 hours in Bulgaria.
We reassure him that we will put our tent anywhere (we definitely will at this point) and he agrees reluctantly to let us in. Soon after the thunder duly rumbles and the downpour commences so we shelter under the umbrellas beside the little pool whilst we talks at us (we really just want to tuck into the big bottle of cold beer we’ve purchased to celebrate our arrival). It’s general chit chat until he drops a bombshell,with no warning. ‘So me and my wife [who is currently away] like to get nudey, and so we encourage campers to join us, so if you want to be nudey here that’s fine’.
Errrrr, NO!
(…is what I’m thinking. Goodness knows what passes through Matt’s mind at this point).
Neither of us snigger (somehow) and we open the beer to try and get rid of him. He duly leaves us to it (we Brits love a heavy hint don’t we?) but comes back a few minutes later to clean the pool, in the rain, nudey.
So far, so weird. It manages to get even weirder when he then beckons us over (Matt goes, I gulp more beer as I am no longer able to converse with him due to his ‘nudey-ness’) and offers us his spare room to sleep in given the rain (for the same price as the camping). Matt checks it out, finding it to be incredibly comfortable. We agree to sleep in it.
Completely unnecessary it turns out as the rain stops about 10 minutes later! But the aircon is lush, I don’t have to snuggle up with a big black cat (or doggo) and aside from feeling the need to wedge the door handle with a chair from the inside overnight, given he has walked off in the nudey with the key, we have a very comfortable night! (Luckily all clothes are back on in the morning). We are overall not sure what to make of this sequence of events other than:
1. It takes all sorts to make a world
2. Never turn down a bed and aircon when it is offered, even by someone in the nudey.
Thanks again all for the comments/messages and support. And a particular shout-out to my one Bulgarian friend, Ally – who told me how brill this place was over a decade ago and I’ve finally found out she was absolutely right 🙂
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