Bicycle Touring to Australia: Bulgaria, Pirot, Serbia to Valkarel

My latest bicycle touring to Australia update: cycling in Bulgaria on Sunday, the 20th November 2011. Pirot, Serbia, to Valkarel, Bulgaria. 84 miles. Well, I’ve finally made it to Bulgaria. It was only a short ride to the Serbian/Bulgarian border this morning, and there were no problems with the crossing.

Cycling through Sofia, Bulgaria’s capital, I couldn’t help but notice the large number of tanks. I hope there isn’t something going on that I don’t know about, i.e., war. As per usual in big cities, I got lost. I eventually found my way out, but I had to cycle down a motorway for a couple of miles. And by the time I’d got off the motorway, it was dark.

Off the motorway, I looked at the map for the next town in the hope of finding a hotel. There was nothing. With no sign of a bed for the night in the next few miles, I resigned myself to a long ride in the dark to anywhere that half looked as if it might have a hotel. I was halfway up a long climb when a car pulled up alongside me. Fearing the worst, I was all set to turn around and peddle like mad back down the hill. I needn’t have worried. The man in the car was just asking if I was okay. I said yes and asked if there were any hotels nearby. None for miles, but I want to help you, so come and stay at my place. He replied in his broken English. You follow me. And with that, we proceeded up the hill. Stoyan (whose name I later found out) led the way with loud dance music blaring out from the speakers in his car.

Are We There Yet

The hill was a lot longer than I thought, and I was grateful to arrive at Stoyan’s house. Stoyan made sure that my bike was secure for the night before taking me in to meet his family. He had two small children, a seven-year-old boy and a baby girl of seven months. His wife, whose name I never got. (Or rather, I did, but it went in one ear and straight out the other!) Served us up some cold meats and cheese while Stoyan broke out the Raki. While we sat eating and drinking, Stoyan’s wife was on the phone. And from what I could work out, she was telling her friends about the Englishman they’d found on the road. And sure enough, a few minutes later, in walked Stoyan’s brother and girlfriend, and a little later, their dad.

They were all pleasant and friendly, and we sat around talking for the evening with none of us really understanding each other. But it was a very entertaining and enjoyable evening. The warmth and friendship some people show towards strangers is very touching and much appreciated.

Tour Information

It’s been years since I took this ride, but the memories (and the data) are all archived:

• Photos: See my photos on Flickr
• The route: View my journey around the world
• Videos: Check out my YouTube videos

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