This week has been ace, we left Serbia and after a few days in Bulgaria were back in the hills.

We decided to get the train from Belgrade to Sofia because we were bored of cycling one long straight flat road. So we turned up at the station very early, hoisted the bikes a least a meter onto the train, and waiting for ages while we didn’t set off on time.

But it was SO easy to go on the train with the bikes, a simple €1 bike ticket, and just puting the bikes in the doorway. Perfect. We enjoyed a very long train journey though Serbia, reading, playing cards and snacking.

Bulgaria started off with us heading east on a biggish main road, after the horrible faff of getting out of Sofia. But suddenly we were in the hills, so much more interesting! We cycled past one of Bulgaria’s national parks, really beautiful forests and mountains.

It’s been really hot again which has led to us having alot of drink stops, lazing in the shade trying to cool down. And we are happy to have been above 1000m again.

We stayed with Stanil and his family (WS), who made us an amazing dinner and treated us to breakfast waffels! And we found one awesome campsite at a monastery which was quite luxurious. Other than that we have been embracing wildcamping, and loving it. It’s ace camping totally on our own, in a forest or at the edge of a field, and we are over the nerves now!

Bulgaria has been full of dogs and cats, but luckily no chases so far! Despite us not being able to speak to anyone in Bulgarian people have been very hospitable.

We get to Burgas soon and hope to be on the ferry to Giorgia on the 29th!

Jade

Jim’s words – Bulgaria, Hills, Grasshopper, Dragonfly, Dogs, Uphill and Cows.