Bulgarian Bike Blog

Bulgaria's Best Bus Stop

We are back in Pernik safely, and tomorrow morning we go to the Sofia airport. Marty and I will ride in by bike with Borislav, and Laura and Steve will take the train. We are all very tired. Tonite we had a long long birthday dinner (long dinners are a tradition here, I believe) for Maya, since she turned 19 yesterday. We sampled more wine, and Rakia (very strong drink, actually only Borislav drinks it - the rest of us turn pale with just a whiff of it). We had a fantastic capuccino cake and sang the obligatory Happy Birthday song, which is also a tradition here.

Yesterday was a very tough day for us. It began to rain as we started up a mountain. Marty and Laura went ahead, and I stayed back with Borislav and Steve. We put on our rain gear and started walking. Steve was too tired to ride.

And we walked and walked and walked.... and the rain came down harder. Borislav said we would camp on the top of the mountain, but it was still raining when we got there and no sign of Marty and Laura. We put on cold weather gear and started to ride down, and then Marty showed up. He had ridden back up the other side of the mountain to bring us some more cold weather gear. Descending in the rain when you're already wet is not fun - we were cold, and at the bottom we met Laura who had taken cover in a small shelter for shepards.

We decided to venture on and Borislav was convinced we would ride out of the rain. Steve was very cold - he is a Floridian and not used to the cold weather. Before we left, I remember him saying to me on the phone, "I just can't imagine being cold". And now I said to him, "Can you imagine being cold now?" He did not find this amusing. He was extremely cold. We had him put on a polar fleece hat and jacket and this helped a lot. We rode on..... but then we had our first flat tire! And it was getting dark and still raining. Not good!! We changed it quickly and decided to push on.

Then, Borislav spotted an oasis.... a bus stop shelter. And there we camped for the nite. It even had a table permanently installed in the center of it. Marty prepared our dinner on it. The ambiance improved with time, as the rain lessened and the traffic subsided. It was a remote back road, so there was little traffic anyway, but we laughed as we imagined what the drivers must be thinking as they passed by.

Marty saw the light go on at the house that was just above the bus stop, and I was very concerned that they would call the Bulgarian police and we would have yet another encounter with the authorities, and that they would force us to pack up and move out.

We slept well, and in the morning the house owner came down and said he was a cyclist and if he had known we were there, he would have come down the nite before with food and drink! Ah, Bulgaria, we will miss you.....

Next stop, Heathrow.

Absolutely Forbidden Road

We haven't had much of a chance for internet access since the Black Sea. We arrived by train in Burgas on Monday and on Tuesday we found an internet cafe, but the next one we found was not until we returned by train back to the eastern side of Bulgaria, and in the last place it was so slow (same problem today) that we couldn't upload any photos and we didn't even think that Marty's 2 entries to the blog made it up, but they did! We are now in Breznik, and we just finished breakfast and a short interview with a local radio station. They were very happy to hear that we have good things to say about Bulgaria and will recommend it to other cyclists who are adventurous.

We were not as thrilled with the Black Sea area as we had been with the mountains - we had to ride on busy roads most of the time and even though the cars were nice to us, there too many tour busses and trucks. And not too many views of the sea. But right at the beginning of the ride on our first day at the Sea, we found a little road just beside the water - it was dirt and had fantastic views. Then we came upon a sign over the road and small booth beside it, where a man was stationed. The sign read (by translation according to Maya): "This road is absolutely forbidden!!". After a few words from our all powerful leader Borislav, we were happily riding along the lovely Absolutely Forbidden road. This was the best road we ever found along the sea, although at the end of it our bikes were fully encrusted with mud. That nite we had a camp site right by the beach.

Our climbs continue each day.....We have now had 2 eight mile climbs, to Bansko and just north of an area of the Black Sea called "Sunny Beach". My knees start to hurt after about 30 minutes of climbing - I am so glad that I have a 3rd chain ring for those extra steep parts. Today we descended to breakfast down 4 switchbacks in a row. I tried to get a photo of it from the top, but it just could not be captured by the camera!

On our first day back in the east, we rode south from Mezdra after spending the nite sleeping on the train. This was the hardest day yet - about 50 miles with lots of climbing and we were running low on sleep. But for the first 15 miles or so, we were surrounded by rock. It was like a mini Grand Canyon. I kept wanting to stop every half mile to take photos. There were 2 tunnels where they rock had been blasted through. When I return to the USA, I will upload a gallery of photos showing this area. The best views of the trip and also the hardest day of riding.

We have been blasted by the sun here continuously, but Marty has just informed me that it is now raining! So off we head to brave the waters.....until Pernik tomorrow!

Bulgarian autos

Ann and I have been fascinated by the various different autos we see here in Bulgaria. Lots of them are remnants of the Soviet era. The Lada looks a lot like an old model Fiat and for good reason. The soviets bought an entire auto plant from Fiat including old machine parts and produced them in Russia for years.

The Moskvich is another Soviet model that you see all over. It's more rounded than the Lada and looks like poor copy of an American style from the 50's. The Trabant was imported for East Germany, has a 2 cylinder, 25 horsepower engine and sounds like a badly tuned lawn mower running down the road!

Fuel is 5 dollars per gallon so you also see many fascinating very small cars from European manufacturers such as Renault, Peugeot, Citroen and other companies that aren't sold in the United States. Next to them a Honda Civic would look like a Cadillac! Too bad we don't have as many choices in the United States. Very few SUV's here.!

Borslav is the best

Six points for Borslav! Guess what he suprised me with last night for dinner...two beautiful polincinta with nuts and honey, my absoloute favorite! He is the best leader ever!

Everything is possible in Bulgaria

"Everything is possible in bulgaria" is what Maia and Borslav keep telling us, and yes, yes it is: Getting stopped by police thinking we were gypsies stealing onions, marijuana growing on the side of the road, holes in the ground that serve as toilets, bathing in the town water spout, biking in a black speedo with knife still strappd to leg...yes, yes, yes, being interviewed by a Pernik radio station, of course...what a memorable trip!

The tour is almost over ... :(

Yes, the tour is almost ending. I believe, it was very interesting, even a little crazy bike tour. All the time we spent here we were smiling and enjoying everything around us. I believe my new Amerikan friends will always remember this tour, I believe, one day they will come again here and we will bicycle again together. All they are ALWAYS well come in Bulgaria!

On the home stretch!

Since you last heard from me we've travelled North along the Black sea coast from Burgas to Varna, travelled west again by train overnight to Northwest Bulgaria and spent several days touring through the hills and valleys near the Serbian border. Today is our last full day of touring and we return to Pernik tomorrow to get ready for our return flight on Tuesday...

I also had my first experience with "bonking". Totally lost energy going up a hill and Ann came to my rescue. Said I'd just not been eating enough or drinking enough water so one of our Clif bars and some water restored me to good health after a long rest stop at lunch.

I've set a new personal record for number of days without staying in a hotel or taking a bath! Six days so far since we last stayed in a hotel! Yesterday we stopped at spring in small village and all of us took off as many clothes as we decently could and washed hair and various body parts in the spring. Borislav even stripped down to his speedo bathing suit and managed a complete bath!

We've had incredibly good luck with weatrher. Except for one cloudy day with rain it's been sunny, clear and warm all the time.

Today at breakfast in town of Reznik, Borislav ran into a local radio journalist from Pernik he knows and he interviewed us for his show. He expects it to be broadcast tomorrow afternoon so maybe we'll get to hear part of it at Borislav's apartment.

Too bad we haven't been able to post more photos but the scenery has been beautiful wherever we've travelled and Ann plans to create a full photo album on the web when we return so you can see the full range of sights we've seen.

The Onion Thieves

Descending from the mountains to the great plains in view of distant Plovdiv, we camped in an open field recently planted by nearby villagers. Waving goodbye to them as they returned home, hoes on their shoulders, as we trundled down the road, sleeping bags on ours, we set up house in the gathering darkness, hoping for an early night's sleep. It was not to be.
Borislav thought he spotted someone in the dusk, prowling around the railroad tracks nearby, but waved it off as inconsequential. With 6 of us present, we thought so too. Everyone had settled down to sleep while I was still up looking at very distant lightning over the mountains behind Plovidiv which Borislav assured me was a good 100 km away, when a flashlight beamed in my direction. Then several flashlights. There were not the usual double-A battery types used by us campers, but serious devices that could have spotted WWII bombers for anti aircraft guns. I just stood there, more curious than worried. The low murmer of what I took to be Bulgarian came from one of 3? 4? mouths....

Borislav opened a weather eye, then worked his way out of his sleeping bag and tent to confront our late-night visitors. By this time everyone was awake and reverting to their basic natures. Steve kept stone cold still in his tent. Ann played peek-a-boo pulling down her tent flap to get a look at things until a flashlight ventured near, then pulled up the flap again. Laura grabbed her night-vision video camera and Maya translated the distant Bulgarian conversation. I just stood there watching the distant lightning.
Heavy grumbling from the 4 natives. A conciliatory tone from Borislav. A less heavy grumbling from the natives. More conciliatory notes from Borislav. Then a bit of laughter, then lots of laughter and we realize that whatever else may go on that night, we are not likely to spend it in solitary confinement in a Bulgarian prison.
The 4 men turn off their searchlights and leave. Borislav explains. The villages we had originally seen have been having problems with gypsies stealing their crops. Borislav thought that issue would be several months in the future given that the crops were first being planted now and none were coming up. Not quite true. The onion crop was up. The villagers had arranged for several of their number to patrol the fields against maurauding bands of gypsies bent on pilfering the onion crop and had mistaken our, by now swarthly complexions, for gypsies. They were about to pounce when Borislav, explaining the circumstances, finally pointed to our bicycles, something the gypsies never ride, and all was clear. Americans? Americans camping in our fields? Why of course! Welcome. Enjoy yourselves. We'll keep an eye out for any gypsies that might attempt to steal your bicycles. Oh, and by the way, could you use some onions for dinner tomorrow night?

DisneyWorld Comes to the Balkans

welcome to Nesebar, the charming little town that time forgot, until about 10 years ago when someone remembered it and set out to turn it into one of the strangest tourist traps I've ever seen. Set on a promontory in the Black Sea, the ruins tell of a defensive holdout against repeated Turkish invasions. The remains of stone towers, walls and fortress enclosures held back the worse of the maurading hordes.
Until now. Now savage hordes of English, Danish and Dutch tourists flood the tiny medieval streets, which are awash in cheap trinkets, glassware, shoot-em up toys, handbags, etc. All as ticky-tacky as can be imagined. Despite the flood of tourists the vendors still outnumber them. Ice cream stands abound; postcard racks spill onto the cobblestone streets.
I think Borislav took us here deliberately and we shall exact our revenge someday when he getst to visit Orlando.
I am trying to find an out of the way nook in which to write postcards but am assaulted by the sounds of the ancient bazouki instrument played by an equally old man in traditional garb. He has played the same tune at least a dozen times in as many minutes. Apparently he will not stop until he either drops from exhaustion, the Bulgarian government cuts off his subsidy or some irate tourist finally goes berserk and strangles him. I am a leading candidate for the latter position. One can only hope the Turks launch a new invasion and sack the town thoroughly.
All this is nothing compared to nearby 'Sunny Beaches', literally the name of a 7 kilometer stretch of beach ringing a fine sand bay, where acres of ghastly high-rise hotels surround the pink flesh of northern Europeans so desperate to escape their cold spring that they will forsake the delights of cities such as Amsterdam, Mainz, Copenhagen and London to frolic on this make believe Miami Beach on the Balkans. One can only hope that ethnic strife breaks out amongst the northern tourists and NATO is called in to return Sunny Beaches to its native state.

Peace Corps worker in Borino

We finally met a couple of other Americans here! We have stopped in Borino for coffee and snacks and Marty and Borislav headed off to buy our dinner at the local market. They returned with salami, Morena (chocolate wafer bar that we eat constantly), wine, and bread, and 2 Americans!

One of them is a Peace Corps worker, and the other was his brother who was visiting for a few weeks. Their names escape me at the moment, but we have them on tape, because Laura wanted to interview them, so I was the talent and asked them many intriguing questions while Laura taped it. The Peace Corps worker said he has been there for about 6 months and is working with a Bulgarian organization that is helping to make the people more aware of environmental issues. Since the fall of communism, Bulgaria has struggled with responsible use of resources and keeping the environment clean. We indeed see evidence of this and hope to see improvement as a result of the work of this organization. Bulgaria is a beautiful land and I hope to see it preserved.

Peace Corps worker boy - if you are reading this, please let us know more about what you are doing, and let us know your name!

The Springs of Bulgaria

Every town has a spring - it's basically a concrete or marble structure (some are more decorative than others) with a pipe or two coming out of it, and water is flowing constantly from the pipe. The water here is good - we always drink from these springs and refill our water bottles. Borislav said the water comes from high in the mountains. Sometimes we even find these springs along the side of the road, between towns. We are never at a loss for good water here in Bulgaria.

Ann my best friend

.............So here we are really enjoing the trip....we are 6 crazy persons(espetially some of us)Today we will swim in the sae and that is the best!

McDonalds in Bulgaria and other adventures

I'm sure someone already is writing about our run in with the Bulgarian police in the field by the train tracks where we camped so I'll skip that part...if not it will make you very curious and will make you keep comming to this website to see what happened.
After descending the mountain we found a camp spot in a field of weed...literally....and pitched our tents. Maia and I had apparently faced ours right into the wind..oops....when it began to storm our tent was lifting off the ground and shaking furiously. It felt like someone was shaking it full force all night. In the morining, still raining, we tried to take down our tents against the strong wind. Then we biked head first into the wind towards Plovdiv. It was still raining when we go there and we took cover under a the train station. My dad immediately started setting up his tent to dry in the middle of the station. He hung his wet towels and ground cloth over a railing and then headed off to the bathroom. Mean while the wind blew the wet, muddy ground cloth off the railing, over the edge and down on a well manicured crowd of Bulgarians heading down the stairsto their awaiting trains. Borslave rescued it and Maia and I, too embaressed just shrunk in the corner drinking coffee.
Finally the arragnements for the train were made and we left our bikes at the station while we headed out for a walk in the rain around Plovdiv. We dined at McDonalds, which is the same as the U.S. McDonals's just tangier, a little lemonish or vinegar like...I can't say for sure, just tangy and less greesy.
The streets of Plovdiv were lined with sicamore trees and the buildings seemed to look just like them, their paint peeling away in uniform with the tree bark. As we walked back to the train station a chunck of building fell off and hit a lady on the head. She seemed to be okay though.
Around 4 we got on the train and had a whole compartment (8 seats) to share with one fellow. That poor, poor fellow, he was nice and clean in his jeans and "coca cola" sweatshirt and all six of us sweaty bicyclists in our neon stinky rain gear and endless bags of bags. First Steve took off his shoes... then steve went to wash his feet....then Martin took off his shoes...martin did not go to wash his feet...no for about 2 hours we sat there politely smelling them. Then I finally I told him they really stunk and were giving me a head ache. he just said to take some tylenol. So I went to open the window which was stuck and as I did Ann chimed in that he was being rude to make us all smell his gnarley feet. As soon as my dad came back with clean feet Maia broke out with the limberger cheese sticks(very sweet infact) and shared them with us all, so that added to the aroma. Limber cheese and the reminants of foot for a five hour train ride. I felt so sorry for the man next to us......very sorry!
When we arrived it was dark and raining and after biking a little while we found a hotel that wasn't too expensive. It was kind of strange though because it was a 12 story high pain cement building. There was only one light on in all of the 12 story rooms. We ended up getting three rooms on the sixth floor. We were the only people on the 6th floor. In fact I think we were about the only people staying there that night. The hallways were dark and empty and the only sign of life were six men gambeling in the lobby. However it had good hot water and very difficult to flush toilets. In mine and Maia's room Borslav had to do a full body lean on the flusher to make it budge...

Signs for the Dead

There is no literal translation for what these signs are called, so "Signs for the Dead" is the best I can come up with. There are many signs hanging up on phone poles and buildings that have a picture of of a person on them, and the dates of their birth and death. Also on the signs are poems and notes from the family saying how sad they are that the person has died and how much they miss them. It is a practice of the Bulgarian Orthodox religion to post these signs. Even when a person has been dead for years, on the anniversary of their death, the family will post these signs. I took some photos of them and will upload them later.

Stray Dogs of Bulgaria

Before coming to Bulgaria, I had read that there were many stray dogs here, especially in Sophia. I was somewhat concerned, because in the US dogs often chase bicyclists and try to bite them.

There are many stray dogs here - every town has them. I only saw a few in Sophia, but every town we ride through has them. Some of them are lame - limping on 3 feet, or very thin. They usually walk around with their tails down. They never bark at us or chase us. If they look at us at all, it's with a look of vague curiosity. It's very sad to see them. Laura often feeds them scraps. Borislav said that sometimes the townspeople will feed the strays, but sometimes they will just kick them.

Even dogs that are owned don't chase us. If they're tied up, they bark, but we have never been chased by a dog here. I've seen them chase the cars on the back country roads we've been on, but then when they see us they just ignore us.

Wet and windy weather

We finally had our first taste of bad weather yesterday. After a long downhill ride from the Rhodope mountains (almost 20 miles) through a beautiful mountain valley, we camped about 10 miles outside Plovdiv the night before last.

It was a beautiful night when we went to bed, but the village police woke us up with searchlights looking for gypsy onion thieves and questioned Borislav extensively. (Marty will give all the details) and then later it got windy and rained almost all night. Next morning we rode single file into Plovdiv and spent the rest of the morning and part of afternoon walking around the city exploring.

The old part of Plovdiv is very pretty and they have a long pedestrian shopping street in the center. Also saw the remains of the old Roman amphitheatre. On the way back to the train station we gave in to our American instincts and stopped at the local McDonald's for cheeseburgers and fries. We all agreed the McDonad's corporate standards for food quality are being met by the Bulgarian employees.

At 4pm we loaded our bikes into the baggage car (after watching Marty crawl around on the floor in the baggage room for 10 minutes looking for a lost screw), boarded the train and headed east for the five hour trip to Burgas on the Black Sea coast. The route followed the broad central valley that runs east and west from Sofia to the Black Sea. Rolling hills and farmland with small villages every few miles. We were all in one compartment so we had a good time laughing and joking and eating bread, salami, candy bars, peanuts etc. Poor Maya had to study for her math exams part of the trip. We arrived last night at 9, found a hotel and had a hot shower!

This morning we had breakfast here in the town square at Burgas, another prosperous city of about 300,000. From here we're going to head north along the coast and will camp near the beach tonight. The weather today has cleared up and we have sunny blue skies and warm temperatures again.

The plan is to travel north to Varna during the next three days along the Black Sea coast. We'll then take a train back west to an area north of Sofia to ride through an area Borislav says is Bulgaria's equivalent of our grand canyon.

In the heart of the Rhodope Mountains

This was at the beginning our long climb to the top of one of the mountains in the Rhodopes, where we managed to find a place to camp last nite, in spite of cliffs on one side of the road and a drop off to the river on the other side. A clearing magically appeared half way up! I have never seen Steve look so happy in my life, to simply see a flat area on which to pitch his tent.

Tired on the train

Laura insisted that we put up this photo - showing her doing what she does best, sleeping. I have found that when I get on a train, I feel that I am back in the womb, and the movement of it lulls me to sleep. We managed to stay awake for the trip to the top of the mountain, but on the way back down, Steve caught us sleeping.

Narrow gauge train near Bansko

On Thursday, Laura, Steve, and I opted to take the train with Borislav, from Dobrinishte through the mountains. We saw views of all 3 mountain ranges - Rila, Pirin, and Rhodope mountains. The train wound up the mountain in circles, and went through many tunnels. We hung out the windows and enjoyed the views.

Ann on Turkish bridge

Borislav took this picture of me and insisted that I upload it here. We started to see more of these as we entered the Rhodope Mountain area, but many of them had handrails installed on them. Turks controlled the Balkans (including Bulgaria) for centuries, so many remnants of their culture are here.

Donkey cart

A typical donkey cart that we would pass - we see so many of these now that we just call out "donkey up" and pass and wave, saying the usual Bulgarian greeting, "Dobar Den!", which means "good day".

Scene in the foothills of the Rhodope Mountains, as we headed for Satovcha. There are many small plots of land that villagers farm. We see many people using donkeys or horses to pull plows. They also farm the land by hand, and we often pass people walking along the road, carrying farming tools.

Betrayed by Borislav

Yesterday some of our group (who shall go unnamed) cowardly opted for indoor lodging. Borislav said he would find a place for them, then find a campsite for him and me nearby. On the way into town he lucked into a fellow whose relatives had a private house with extra rooms and for 50 lev ($30) we had 3 rooms for us all. Thinking he would still camp with me, I was aghast to discover he too was opting for the great indoors. Ann, who was wavering, and wanted only a hot shower and then might have camped with us was seduced into a night's stay at the house as well.
They each got their just desserts. Maya and Laura got first dibs on the shower and when Ann, aching for just one nice hot shower for her poor body finally turned on the water, she got lukewarm water at best and only a locked door saved the girls from her wrath. It was only after repeated explanations in English and Bulgarian that Ann was made to understand that no one had showered in water any warmer, and that a 'hot shower' meant that the ice had finally thawed in the rooftop cistern.
And Borislav, for his perfidy, discovered what he called a 'concave' bed, which indeed it was, a situation terriible for his comfort, and wound up in his sleeping bag on the floor.
I took the bed and found it okay, and also managed a sponge bath with a washcloth. They are getting soft with all these towns around.

Camping near Bansko

This was our campsite just after we visited Bansko, which was a tourist town for skiers visiting the many ski resorts in the Pirin Mountains. We saw snow capped peaks on the horizon for days.....quite a treat to see!

The Sheared Bolt

Two days ago, after having gone off on my own climbing the same hill by bike that the others cowardly took by train, I suffered a very bumpy pot-holed descent. It must have been the last gasp for the bolt holding my front rack in place.
It actually was supposed to be held in place by a U-shaped clamp and that fine bolt, but I had installed it incorrectly, having declined to read the complicated instruction manual some 5 years ago. All this time the bolt held. Until I rejoined the group and we headed for our late afternoon ride.
Gradually I noticed everyone passing me. First Ann, then Laura & Maya and eventually Steve. Borislav, as usual always stayed with the last person. But the last person was rarely me. Could I have been so tired out by cycling that day, and the others so fresh from their train ride that I was now the slowest of the group? Apparently so. Borislav calculated my day at an astonishing 160km, about 100 miles on a fully loaded, 60+ lb bike.
Then a curious thing happened. On a downhill with everyone coasting, I was again passed by the entire group. This was not a matter of exhaustion. Gravity was all that was at work here. When we stopped we found one side of my front rack had been rubbing the front tire when the bolt on that side sheared. Ann, as usual, came up with a replacement and Borislav worked on the U-clamp that should have been bearing most of the load and we were underway shortly, I, no longer, bringing up the rear.

I Saved the Day

On a long, steep descent yesterday, where we all taxed our brakes and nerves to the fullest, Borislav narrowly averted disaster by using a well-placed side road as a bicycle run-out, allowing him an alternative to an uncontrolled roller-coaster ride to the bottom of the valley with non-functioning brakes.
It seems that for some time his meticulously maintained brakes have not retracted when applied, or at least the brake levers have not retracted. This means that either he manually pokes them back into position after each braking maneuver or...or...well, maybe there is a gentle concrete wall he can plow into to reduce his speed.
He told us at the bottom that he had new brake pads, a good brake spring and new cables, which indeed he did. Neither he nor Ann could quite figure out what was wrong. Forgoing my rapidly melting ice cream, I wandered over to his bike. I have had so many brake problems riding in winter salt over the years I figured I must have encountered all the braking problems there are. The only thing I remembered was that the cables might be rusty and not sliding in their housing. I lubed one side with Ann's little bottle of lube and a moment or two later the brake level did indeed work. After letting it sit in position I turned the bike and lubed the other side. Now he has functioning brakes again, and a good thing it is too, since on our latest descent today his choice would have been either to find a soft tree to slow his drop or using a finely set up pyramid of home-made preserves arranged on a little stand by the road side, effectively bowling a strike right through the middle. As it turned out, both he and I braked just shy of the stand and secretly bought strawberry, blueberry and honey walnut for the girls to enjoy with their bread tonight. An act of selflessness that will undoubtedly not go unpunished once Laura finds something about my personal habits to complain.

Small town Bulgaria

Today we are in Dospot - it is like mini San Francisco here! I actually had to walk my bike up the hill into the town. My lowest gear started to slip and I had to get off the bike. Laura got some great footage of my dramatic performance as I struggled to push 60 pounds of gear up the hill.

The climb to this town was long - about 2000 feet change in altitude, over 25k, up and down. So we probably climbed more than we did on the climb to Bansko, which was nothing but up up up! Steve struggles sometimes, but he has a good attitude and Marty and I turn back sometimes and ride the hill twice, encouraging him on our second ride up.

In every small town that we ride through, there seems to be a similar sequence of events. First as we arrive, we head for the town spring - there is one in every town! We refill our water bottles and word quickly spreads that we are there. Foreigners in lycra! Who are these aliens?? Then the children start to gather, and slowly the adults become more curious. Laura starts taping and asking questions, while Borislav and Maya translate. Then we show them the video and they are so thrilled! I shoot photos of people during this time.

As we leave, every one waves and says "ciao!!" Borislav that in many of these towns, foreigners have never visited before, and no one there has ever seen or met an American before. I feel so priviledged to be able meet these people. They are so nice to us, even though was sometimes tire of the stares!

I am finally becoming accustomed to seeing snow capped peaks all around us and breathtaking views. When we first saw the snow on Pirin mountain, I was in such awe. But now I am starting to take it for granted. Borislav says more incredible sights await us, so onward now toward Plovdiv for 3 days, where we will then take a train to Black Sea.

Ordering Food

Perhaps the most taxing time of day is...well, not the climbs, not the camping, not the dust, the dirt, the insects, the allergies...no, it's ordering food. This is when everyone has let down their guard. They have looked forward to lunch/dinner through all the former difficulties, kept a stiff upper lift, brought forth their best in determination and now have sat down for a long-awaited meal.
But what is there to eat. Oh no! Egg and cheese fried! Egg baked in bread! Cheese baked in bread! Another salad just like the last one! No, I want...just what I always have back in the U.S.A. - pancakes with maple syrup, fruit cups, stir fry, pasta, mou shu pork, pasta primavera, etc.
And so the horrible recognition takes place that even after you've let down your guard, sat your weary body down at a table, washed the sweat and dust from your hands and face, earned every inch of those last, horrible 25 km all uphill (how easily we forget the downhill portions), after all that suffering we deserve the best. And what do we get - Egg baked in ...oh never mind.

To Bansko and beyond!

Wednesday we rode from our camp near Simli on the Struma river east up into the mountains and reached town of Bansko about 3pm.

A lot of it was uphill but I found that if I took my time and didn't try to push it I had no trouble. Bansko is a beatiful ski resort town nestled at the south end of a valley ringed by the Rila , Rhodope and Pirin mountains. Snow capped peaks in every direction but the weather the past couple of days has been beautiful and warm but cool at night. Bansko is popular ski resort for Europeans and especially English according to Borislav. We had pizza for snack then rode 3 km south and pitched camp in beautiful meadow and saw sunset over the mountains while we ate our dinner.

Thursday we took a ride on last narrow guage train in Bulgaria from small village up into beautiful mountain valley and ended at highest railroad pass in Bulgaria. Many switchbacks and tunnels. Switched trains and rode down back to Bansko. Five hours round trip. Poor Maya stayed at train station to study for her math exam and Marty insisted on riding his bicycle along the train route instead of riding with us!

In afternoon we rode about 20 miles (ALL DOWNHILL!) through beautiful river gorge , winding road, many little villages, donkey carts, etc. Camped again near river.

Friday ate breakfast ( Our usual - banitsa, yogurt, orange juice, strong coffee!)in Gotse Delchev? very pretty and prosperous town. Good bike shop so while Ann got her wheel trued. Maya, Laura and I were guided to bathrooms and internet cafe by 11 year old boy named Ivan who spoke good English. He gave me a sob story - he's an orphan, no family, no money and said today was his birthday and he needed 10 lev. for a birthday cake. I decided he deserved something for his creativity so I gave him 5 lev. (about three dollars).

In afternoon we had a long uphill climb into Rhodope mts. to Daspot. 37 miles total for day. Now we're lreally in highlands, lots of pine trees, oak, acacia trees. Still sunny but cooler. Daspot is at foot of valley of Daspot river with big dam and resorvoir with lake 20 km long behind it. We stayed in second floor of a private home. Very nice couple who are both teachers. They had identical twin daughters, Navy and Savy and we invited them to dinner with us. Good restaurant. I had Spindle which is like beef rollade and potatoes and the ubiquitous Shopska salad.

Just had breakfast this morning and we're off to the East further into mountains for next couple of days then head north to Plovdiv in central valley then train to Black Sea coast. Fantastic trip so far!

Excuse typographical errors. We need to get on the road, it's already 10 am. Plan is to ride about 40 miles today.

The Climb that took Forever

We were warned in advance, but did we listen? No. Another night spent up late telling stories and trying not to step in sheep poop as we stumbled from our meal eaten in the dark into the equally dark tents. Sleep at last. Interrupted only briefly by a late night bathroom break to view the stars, so many they crowded out the familiar constellations, courtesy of a new moon.
Up bright and early and we began climbing from the moment we left the campsite....

....campsite. Nothing as steep as Hines Hill Rd, but relentlessly upwards. Everyone has their own technique. Laura's is to plow along, head down so she doesn't have to see what's ahead. It's tempting to let her drift off towards the Turkish border, but we dredged up the vestigial remains of our sympathy and redirected her on the right and proper path.
Ann drafts behind me in the hope (a vain one I might add) of getting the jump on me and making it up the mountain first. The trouble with this is that the mountain is some 30 km long and there is no such thing as a jump. You actually get to live an entire day in a microcosm on such a road...you stop to eat, go to the bathroom, get elated, then depressed, fall in love with the scenery, and then get bored with it, all in one climb. A little longer and I might retire and collect a pension while still on my way up.
Somehow we reached the top, although there seemed to be many tops. But no matter how many false tops there are, there is only one bottom, and upon reaching it, we had to...climb again.
Pizza was on the menu tonight, Laura being the picky one who couldn't decide between CPTLNBR with ^RYUE{PV or !WFDVBNM. Eventually we all compromised and got our first pizza with no tomato sauce. We did get a big bottle of ketsup and applied it hesitantly at first, then liberally as it became clear it was either than or a 1/8" round of fried bread. With salty cheese, of course. Much was said about the relative merits of Bulgarian pizza with Geraci's coming out far, far ahead. So far, in fact, that it has been agreed that upon setting foot on U.S. soil, the first thing we will do is order a Geraci's pizza. Even if we land at Dulles International. To all you who yawn at the prospect of yet another pizza, yawn no more. We yearn for what you yawn.

My team

several words about my Team:
1. STEVE - this morning this man overcame a 22 kilometer hill WITHOUT any rest, climbing almost 3000 feet height, just like experienced sportist ..... when I get 65, I want to be just like him ..... amaizing !!!!!!!

2. MARTY - when one day I begin a trip around the world (by bike) , the man I like to do it together with is Martin .... but I'd like to wait for me in the end of the hill .... so strong this man, so strong .....

3. Ann - we will take her with us at this trip ( around the world), but she have to leave some of her furniture at home .... too mach furnitures in her tent , too much ..... each morning, each evening she deals with them in the tent .....

4. Laura - I know only one girl like her - Maya ..... But this girl is so serious .... I prefer to see her much more smilling ..... maybe I will arange for her a shower some day ... and a hot water ..... Lucky will be the boy, who will bicycle with her one day ... lucky ....

Ohhhhhhhhhhh.................I love all them ......................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

ten leves

Ten leves to sleep in awarm bed with a shower and flushable toilet and ten leves to call the U.S. Which one will Marty Cooperman choose????

My father protested that it would be too expensive to sleep in a hotel tonight...it costs ten leves (7 Dollars) to sleep in a hotel with a warm bed, hot water to shower in, and a flushable toilet. After making his argument, and refusing to sleep in a hotel, my father proceeded to make a ten leve (7 dollar) phone call to the United States (about 3 minutes). In addition my father argued that you can sleep in a bed and take showers all you want in the United States and we will have plenty of time when we get home to sleep there so we should sleep in a tent...Ah but you can also talk to people on the phone all you want when you are back in the United States and talk to whom ever you like!

Bulgarian Pizza

Ann mentioned pizza yesterday and after many days of yogurt, feta cheese, sausage, and peanuts it sounded terriffic. So today we wound up in a little tourist town with...yes...pizza...or shall I say bulgarian pizza.

The pizza was a flat bread, very thin with melted cheese. Then you have two bottles, one of ketchup and one of mayonase. It definitly was not the pizza I was looking forward to, nothing close to Mama Sanatas or Popa Johns...but it was tasty. However the very first thing that I will do when I get back to America is to eat as much italian food as possible!

All about Borislav

Let me take a few moments here to tell you about our guide, Borislav. He is our magic ticket through this foreign land. He can fix anything and he can talk his way out of anything, and all the while with a laugh.

He may seem to be in the background of our adventures here in Bulgaria, but we could never do this without him. Not only does he know the language, but he is very clever at getting us out of "situations." Did I mention we were stopped by the Macedonian border police? They heard that foreigners were on the road, which was near the border, and stopped us, just in case we might be headed for Macedonia. They took all of our passports, and wrote our names down in a book. Then they told Borislav that we should all have cards showing us as registered at each place where we were staying. We have been mostly camping by the rivers, in "free zones". He managed to convince them that this was ok, and made them laugh, and on we went! Every time something like this happens, he makes them laugh, and then all is ok, and they say, "go on! you are fine!"

How did I get into this situation!

Everytime I go on a trip with Ann there comes a moment when I ask myself - how did she talk me into this trip!

What she didn't tell you about the path from the monastery down the mountain was that in several places the path was only a few inches wide and was covered with sand and rocks with a sheer drop down the side of the hill of several hundred feet. If I had thought about it a few more seconds I probably would have decided to go back with Laura and Marty and take the long way back.

Fortunately after the first quarter mile or so, the drop offs weren't as steep and the path was steep but not as scary.

Borislov was very encouraging, and helped across the difficult parts of the path. If the weather had been clear, the views on the way down would have been spectacular since the monastery is at the top of a hill and is surrounded by jagged rocks of sandstone and sweeping vistas in every direction. It was a cloudy and drizzly afternoon however, so we didn't get the full effect.

We did get some idea of the surroundings, however and we got a couple of good photos of Ann and I making our way down the hill.

Hopefully this will be the only "What am I doing here" moment for this trip!

tired

I feel like I am at FAT CAMP!!!

I am very tired. I feel like I am at one of those fat camps where they make you keep exercisin and not stop and eat very little of the same thing. Yesterday we pedaled to Melnik which is somewhere over two big mountains, I has to get off twice and walk twice. When we finally reaced the place it began to rain. We left from lunch around 4 to hike to a montistery ( Most people take a bus!!!). I was so tired and kept yawning so I considered just going back and taking a nap, but Borslav said it wasn't too far away. So I hiked and hiked...and hiked and hiked a little more and then I began to realize this was pretty far away. After two hours of uphill walking we reached the montistery. It rained all the way and so there wasn't too good of a view from the top. All of our legs were so tired of walking up the hill that when we got within the last several meters of the montistery I discovered walking backwards felt much nicer on the legs, so soon we were all walking backwards on this path towards the montistery...in our neon yellow, red, and blue rain gear, speaking english and groaning. It must have been a site for all the other tourists. These americans in neon clothes walking backwards out of the mist. Anyways the montistery was nice. We saw a monk talking on a cell phone! That was a sight never seen! Then Borslav decided to take the "short cut" down out of the mountains back to where we were staying. I am very afraid of heights and these were huge sand peaks crumbeling down into vallies. As we went further along on the trail it got smaller and narrower until we hit a patch where there was no trail..instead you had to hop over a two foot crevace. Now had this crevace been made of rock maybe, just maybe I would have dared to make the leap after a lot of coaxing..probably now...however this crevace was made of sand, and there was no way, absoloutely NO WAY I was going to make a jump over a two foot crevace with only sand to leap from and to. I can crush a sand castle with one kick no way will I depend on sand to hold me up from fall some long way to the valley below!!!! So I turned back and walked the long way back down the paved road...still in the rain and getting very damp. I didn't reach the place where we were staying that night until it was about dark, maybe 9:30ish. I had 2 bowls of chicken soup (no more cheese or sausage for me) and went to bed. I awoke this morning with an entirely swollen face. It slowly went down. All I can say is that I am happy now to see a computer and eat some cookies!

Our Greatest Near Disaster

Riding back from Melnik to Smitli (where we are to meet Maya on the train) Ann's bike suffered a nearly insufferable injury. She, like the rest of us, had taken to drying wet laundry by hanging it on the bike. Unlike us, she did not exactly secure the laundry to the bike, hoping that sheer friction would do the work for her that stoutly attached bungie cords were doing for us. Alas, disaster struck...

....struck; Ann's blue jersey, her prized blue polypropylene jersey, the blue jersey she had spent $9 for on sale and carried thousands of miles (all of them by airplane), turned against her. Her beloved blue jersey's left sleeve came unstuck from the top of her pannier and slowly, maliciously, quietly, secretly, slithered down the pannier and caught her beloved chain. The chain, unfortunately, was in motion at the time, and, unbeknownst to Ann, the chain ate the jersey.
The chain, however, was only the first in a long string of digestive organs, the final one being the rear derailleur. The rear derailleur suffered an unexpected case of constipation upon encountering the jersey and the jersey stuck fast.
Ann, pedalling at the time was pushing the chain forward. When the derailleur refused to give up the jersey only one last piece of equipment had the option of moving - the rear drop out on the frame. It bent horribly. We all came to stare in disbelief. All except Borislav who, wielding Ann's crescent wrench, bent the rear drop out back into shape and our trip back in order.

Melnik and Monks

We have been to Melnik and back since my last entry on the blog. The same smoky internet cafe once again where we cannot upload photos. We have ridden over 100 miles since then, through gorges, through fields(!), through a creek, and down roads normally only traveled by donkeys pulling carts. We didn't expect to be off-roading in Bulgaria, but what fun we are having with it! And we even rode over a bridge made only of rope and wood. All of this has been fully documented, so we do have proof!

After we left camp on Sunday morning, we stopped in a very small town called Bobochevo. We were fascinated with it, but Borislav was bored. The children were following us around, repeating our names over and over again. We took photos of the towns people when they would say "ok". OK is a universal word that seems to be understood in any language. The town had little winding streets with ancient churches and incredible mountain views. When we rode out of town, then entire population shouted "ciao!!" - which is what they say here for "good bye". Every time we come into a small town, people think we are like a traveling circus!
After this town, we had to ride on a busy road for about 40 km (everything is in kilometers here - 100 km = 64 miles), since there was no other road in the area. But the cars and trucks are so courteous here. They give us plenty of room, and after passing, they often wave and shout encouragement. Just today I heard someone yell "bravo!!". This is such a nice change from the US, where drivers often yell things at us that are not very nice. Such as "get off the road" or "get on the sidewalk".
On Sunday nite, we camped at the foot of a mountain - an amazing view! The most awesome campsite I've ever had. However, we heard the gypsies partying late into the nite, since sound travels so well in the nite air. More later on the gypsies - they need an entire entry of their own here!
On Monday, we rode about 50k into Melnik. We've had great weather so far, but in Melnik, it started to rain. Not to be deterred, we hiked up the mountain to the monastery there and left our bike gear at the hotel (called a Mexana here). It was 2 hours up and 1 hour down. At the monastery, as we were leaving, I joked to Laura, "Look, there's a monk on a cell phone." I figured it was really a woman in a long black dress who was going to visit the monastery. As the figure came closer, I realized it actually was a monk on a cell phone!! Well folks, I have now seen it all.... a monk on a cell phone. Now, I do not profess to know much about monks, but this does not seem very monk-like to me. Don't monks live a life of simplicity, with only a cot and a bible?.....and a cell phone, I guess! Sheesh.
Borislav wanted to take a foot path back down from the monastery, since we had walked the road up to it. We didn't make it too far before Laura freaked out. She is afraid of heights and this path was very narrow and it felt like you were up in the clouds. It was foggy, and quite surreal. Steve and I were willing to go on, so Marty took Laura back down by way of the road. Steve and I were so happy to be alive when we finally got to the bottom of the mountain. Life is indeed good! I was glad that Laura had turned back.
And now we go to meet Maya and off to Bansko we go. We have a had a few mechanical problems with the bikes, but nothing we have not been able to solve with combined tools and cleverness. Ciao for now.

Forced entry

Ann is forcing me to write a log in this instead of enjoying the stares from the local villagers as I walk in the village. I learned how to say, "I don't speak Bulgarian" (Nay Govarria Bulgarskey), Thats how it sounds, maybe not how its spelled. And after trying to talk to two little boys who kept running away from me I've learned "What is your name" (Cack se casvatck). As for the scenery it looks like France and Russia collided, all these nice stucco buildings with red tile roofs next to huge block concrete apartments. Its something I've never seen before. There are lots of hatch back cars and these little russian ones that look like old Novas. They eat lots of cheese and sausage. For dinner Borislav likes to eat peanuts and cogniac...I don't think they have pasta. I like to eat "chopska" its a salad made of cucumbers, tomatoes, and feta cheese with a little vinegar, dill, salt, and garlic! I eat it three times a day.

Our first day on the road

After Laura's wheel was fixed, we got all packed up and finally rolled out at about 11:30 am. After 5 days of travel and 6 months of palnning, we are on our bikes in Bulgaria!

As usual with bike tours, we are off to a slow start. We find many adjustments are needed and stop often. After 15 miles or so, we stopped for lunch in Izvor and had shopska, fried cheese, and stomach soup (this nasty concoction seems to be standard fare here, but Marty ate it).

Then our longest climb of the day began - 3 miles to the top of Konyvska Mountain. This was the longest climb I have ever done, but tomorrow we climb to Bansko on Pirin mountain and this will be even longer. The climb was beautiful! but the descent was even more beautiful, as we screamed down the other side, down switchbacks, past rock cliffs and streams. At the bottom there was a road off to the side to use to slow down - I needed it!
Then the rest of the was was rolling terrain, where we saw peasants and donkeys. It was like going back in time. Around every corner was a view that literally brought tears to my eyes. The landscape here is utterly amazing. There are panormic views everywhere that are simply indescribable.
Then we camped by a river. We stopped in the village of Navestyno and got food for the nite. We crossed an old stone bridge to get to the village. The townspeople there were fascinated with us and were highly entertained by our outfits and bikes. They thought it was absolutely hysterical when I took a photo of a donkey pulling a cart with an old woman in the back.
Borislav says for the next 2 weeks we will see nothing but wonderful views and many mountains, and more donkeys!
We are in Simitli now, about 100 kilometers south of Sophia, where we started. We will camp tonite near Melnik, then visit a monastery tomorrow.
Steve and Laura are doing good on the hills. Yesterday was Steve's first mountain pass - not bad for a Floridian former couch potato. Laura is complaining as usual every day, but it is as endearing. She is videotaping a lot for her class and enjoying herself.
Borislav is an excellent guide - translating and negotiating the route for us.
The roads here are in good shape. The european union has paid for upkeep on many of them and there are very few potholes and cracks.
Maya will join us in a couple of days - she has to study now for an exam. we are having trouble with uploading the photos. the internet cafes do not want us to do it....

Laura's Bike fixed!

Hurrah!

Marty just returned and was able to find mechanic to fix Laura's bike. We're ready to start loading up and will be on the road by late this mornint!

Life in Sofia

We spent one day in Sofia sampling city life. Much like any large city. Still many old reminders of Soviet area such as monuments, ugly square apartment blocks, etc. Cars are mainly German and older Soviet makes like Moskvich. Women are into faded jeans, pointy toed shoes and popular hair color is ugly reddish purple shade. We hear a lot of bad imitations of American pop music.

Food is good but heavy. Popular breakfast snack if Banitsa which is a flaky pastry filled with cheese or jelly. Borislav had us try Bosa for breakfast which is a popular drink but none of us liked it. It tastes like liquid oatmeal with sugar. Yuk!

The bikes are here!!

Last nite at about 10 pm the bikes finally arrived. We met the delivery truck below the overpass near here and dragged them up 3 flights of stairs to the apartment.

When we got the plastic off of all of them, we discovered that Laura's back wheel was damaged - it's wobbly - too wobbly to ride on. So now Borislav and Marty are off looking for a man that Borislav knows who can fix it, hopefully. If he can't fix it, we may end up getting a new bike for Laura.

The bike that was damaged has cheap wheels which are hard to fix, but Marty may be too cheap to get her a new bike here (it will be about 120 USD) so if that is the case I don't know what we'll do. Maybe then I will buy her the bike! Because I would like to ride. Steve has just volunteered to split the cost of the new bike with me. When we leave, we will donate it to some poor bikeless person here!

At the Pernik train station

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Steve's bike actually DID arrive

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Steve has a folding bike and it did arrive. We assembled it outside the airport and Marty and Borislav rode to Pernik.

We patiently wait!

And wait! And wait! For our bicycles. Day 2 in Sofia at the airport is in vain as our bicycles again remain in London having made the grand trip from Terminal #4 to Terminal #1 (a distance of about 1/4 mile) in roughly a day and a half. At this rate they will arrive somewhere in the next decade.
Airport Sofia is very sorry but is unable to reach the baggage handler manager at Heathrow, London and has given me the phone number. I have not had any more success.
Then, in desperation last night, Ann redeems herself for past failures by throwing herself emotionally on the reservation desk at Heathrow, long distance, and pleading for someone, anyone, to help us PERSONALLY! She emphasizes that word.
Several people take pity on us and attempt to intervene, somewhere between 10PM and midnight Sofia time. I say several people since the erratic phone connection results in long waits after which an excited London airport person excitedly gets on the phone and says something like: 'Well I think I've solved your problem, the bikes are now in bbzzzzzzzzzzzzz' and the line goes dead.
We try again, get another fellow and the situation repeats. Eventually we ask for their names so we can get back to them at the next disconnection, but at last someone gives us a second number to Baggage Claim Heathrow and lo and behold, someone actually answers. This is after a full day of getting just a plain ringing phone at the first number.
Now we are told our bikes could not be loaded due to 'resource problems', theirs or ours, I'm not sure, but they are tagged to go out first thing this morning.
And, after a lovely hike over a small mountain, we return home to find Maya (who has been holding the fort in our absence) got a phone call and the bikes are in Sofia and on their way to us by van tonight. We hope.
You are not to interpret this message as containing the least bit of frustration or concern. No, we would happily spend our entire 3 week vacation on the train and bus to and from the Sofia airport hopelessly inquiring about the status of our bikes. Unluckliy they may actually arrive tonight and we will have to resign ourselves to the bike trip.
Many postcards are on their way home and if the Bulgarian postal system works anything like British Air you can expect them around Thanksgiving.
In case you were wondering, the weather here is like Cleveland's, cool and drizzly with occasional gusts of rain. Snow is only falling in the upper elevations of the Rhodope Mountains and the delay of our bikes has prevented us from our real goal, mountain biking the slopes of the ski resorts out of season.
We are all cheery and well fed, albeit via some of the greasiest foods we have ever encountered. Apparently when we suggested vegetarian fare, that meant 'oh, you want some vegetables with your pork', or when we mentioned that Steve does not drink that meant: 'so you'd like a glass of water with the 2 bottles of wine and one of hard liquor we've planned to drink this evening'.
Of such things are cultural misunderstandings comprised. Oh, for a head of lettuce! Marty

packing up the bikes for Bulgaria

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Laura and I preparing the bikes for flight. We have not seen them again since.

An American in Sofia

Laura and Ivan on the train to Sofia. He sat down beside us and we tried to talk to him. Borislav helped us with translation.

We are still without bikes, but we have been promised now that they will be delivered tonite. So we will start riding finally tomorrow!
Yesterday we spent the whole day in Sofia with Borislav. Since our bikes aren't here yet, we are walking instead, and today we hiked over a mountain behind Pernik and then took the bus back.
The city of Sofia is fascinating - there are signs everywhere in Bulgarian, which uses the Cyrilic alphabet. Some of the letters look like Greek letters. It is kind of like being on another planet for me, to walk around while surrounded by signs with letters that make no sense to me and hearing a language that I don't understand. Sofia is a city that not many Americans visit, so we are quite a novelty here. Everywhere we go, people who hear us speaking english will stare at us and listen to us intently because they don't often hear english and Americans are so rare here.
We rode trains, trams, and buses. They have a large network of public transportation and we used it often. The trains are the most fun. Trains are now so rare in the US, so it was great to ride on what I mostly only see in old movies. We could hang our arms out the windows watching the mountain scenery on our way to Pernik from Sofia.
On one of our train trips, we met an old man named Ivan. He happened to sit down next to us. He had a bag of fruit from his garden and he was taking it to his granddaughter. I tried to talk to him but he didn't speak any english. Borislav helped to translate and we were able to convey some of our thoughts with hand motions. I showed him our digital camera and he understood "photo". I took a picture of him with Laura and then showed it to him on the camera screen. His eyes and face lit up like I have never seen! He grasped my hand and tried to exclaim how thrilled he was with seeing this image. So amazing to experience this with him! I am sure that he lived in Bulgaria during the old times, when Communism still existed here.
Tomorrow we ride! (maybe....) We shall write again soon from down the road.

What REALLY happened on our arrival

Leave it to Ann.
While Borislav and I were braving the horrors of Sofia traffic and trolley tracks on the way to his home in Pernik, Ann, Steve, Laura and Maya were blundering their way across Sofia dropping gear each step of the way.
Their most egregious error was in transferring from the airport bus to the train to Pernik. In their confusion over luggage, fares, and directions, Ann left her backpack to the tender mercies of the bus travellers.
This was no ordinary backpack; it contained plane tickets, all her worldly money and, most importantly, all our passports.
As the bus pulled away and the group descended into blind panic, Maya fortunately kept her head, ordered up a taxi and took up hot pursuit, eventually catching the bus (they could have caught it on foot), relieving the bus of its precious cargo and themselves of a burden of anguish and guilt hard to imagine when closer to home.
It was a funny story when told hours later to us but produced nightmares, to which Laura (who shared a room with Ann) can attest, as Ann's screams of 'no, stop the bus!' and gnashing of teeth between 1 and 5AM bore witness.
Today I am in charge of the backpack and there will be no repeat of yesterday's adventures.
The ride from Sofia to Pernik, which included about 30 incomprehensible turns, dozens of mad taxis, half a dozen near disastrous parallel trolley track crossings, innumerable bus and truck near-misses and a low-flying buz by an airplane, was tame in comparison.
We have now changed money and have these funny monopoly looking bills to live on for the indefinite future.
A plea: If you have any spare monopoly money, preferably with slightly dignified personages of foreign disposition gracing the face of the bills, send them to Borislav, c/o Pernik town and we will be rich beyond description.
Yours, from the nearby bank (wherein lies the internet access) Marty the Hun

Our first crisis!

Yesterday we had our first crisi in Bulgaria. Maya, Ann, Laura and I took the bus from the airport to the train station to get to Pernik. In the confusion of transferring from one bus to another bus, we didn't have time to count our luggge and left Ann's backpack on the first bus! It had several of the passports and other critical material in it! Maya came to our rescue like a heroine out of the wild west. While Ann and I waited at the bus stop, he commandeered a taxi, chased down the bus and had the taxi pull in front of the bus to stop it! While Maya distractd the driver, Laura went in the back door and climbed in and found Ann's backpack. Ten minutes after they left, Maya and Laura returned victorious!

After that the rest of the trip was uneventful. The weather was glorious and we rode from Sofia to Pernik on a European style train with compartments. We hung out the windows on the aisle and watched the scenery along the way. Once we got out of Sofia, it was very scenic, with mountains in the distance with snow on top, rolling hills, cows, etc.

We arrived in Pernik about 7pm and Borislav and Marty met us at the station to help us drag all the baggage to the apartment.

We haven't been able to find a way to upload photos yet but we're still trying! USB connection issues, but we hope to be able to upload some later.

Do not believe Marty's account of the crisis - he was not there! He was enjoying his ride to Pernik while we suffered on the busses!

We made it!

There were a couple of snags along the way, and the bikes haven't arrived yet. We just had a wonderful dinner prepared for us by Maya and Borislav, and I have sampled many of their wines! And the coffee is delicious. We are heading out for an evening walk. More later as we have more news and more time. The bikes are supposed to be delivered by the airline tomorrow.

made it to Heathrow

We are now in Heathrow airport in london. our flight to sofia has been delayed. They have py internet terminals here, but the delete key doesn't work soe well so forgive my typose. A sklight snafu in Baltimore when the zipper on m\arty's big duffel bag broke. We made an emergency trip to a store and got anohterh one. And now we wait some moere.....

so far so good in Baltimore

We got Laura moved into her apartment yesterday, in the searing heat. The apartment was on the second floor and it was so hot in there that I slept out on her porch last nite. Today we are finishing up with moving her stuff, cleaning her dorm room, and packing. Laura is preparing her video equipment - she is taking a class on video production in the Fall and will use her footage for a project. My next entry will be from Bulgaria - we fly tonite! Bon Voyage....

Help - My bike fell apart!

Here's a picture of my folding bike in its travel case, ready for the flight to Bulgaria. I even managed to fit in an extra tire, rear bike rack, water bottles, etc. Tomorrow I fly from Florida to Washington D.C. to meet Ann and Marty and Laura for the flight to Sofia. The question is, will I be able to put all of these parts back together into a working bicycle when we get to Bulgaria! Check back again on Thursday and you'll find out!

Steve

cookies for Bulgaria

Tonite I have been up late baking chocolate chip cookies for Maya and Borislav. Do you think they have ever had chocolate chip cookies? Is the chocolate cookie a well known treat everywhere in the world? I will report back as soon as I have more information on this very important subject! Hopefully, there will still be some left by the time the plane lands in Sofia.

test ride

I rode for a couple of hours today, fully loaded down with gear, to get a feel for how the bike will handle in Bulgaria. I threw on a bunch of stuff to try to simulate the extra weight of Steve's gear, since I'll be carrying his stuff as well. So I carried grapefruit, potatoes, giant winter boots, and Murphy's Oil Soap up and down the Chagrin River Valley hills. I weighed it all afterwards and it was 58 pounds, which is about what I was expecting it would weigh. The bike handled well, a lot like a tandem, and since I have a lot of experience captaining tandems, I'm glad this skill will transfer to riding the heavily loaded single bike. Tomorrow is another test ride, a farewell ride with a bunch of Cleveland Heights cyclists. Then Marty and I leave early Monday morning to drive to Baltimore, to meet Laura.

Maya

This is Maya - she and her father (Borislav) will be leading us as we bike through Bulgaria for 3 weeks. If you have any questions about the photos and comments we will be posting here, you can ask us and we will answer. We hope to find internet access every couple of days.