16. Samokova to Plovdiv

It was a rough and early start this morning. Well, the same aim for 7…but leave at 7.30 sort of start….except of course we had lost our hour yesterday…so it did not feel like 7.15 at all, but the middle of the night (for Iain!). 

We did a bit of bike maintenance (tyres and chains)….and amazingly, out of our guest house appeared another two UK cyclists. From Nottingham. We had spotted the bikes…small-wheeled folding city bikes (with power!)..but assumed they were owned locally! And they were pedalling from Vienna..to Istanbul!! Mad indeed!! Ok, they had chosen a less ridiculous route…but still! They appeared with their two panniers each (a bit bigger that ours…but looked ok!). And then they dipped back to their room and appeared with two giant suitcases…which they proceeded to strap onto their carriers!! Madder than we thought!! We wished them all the best (might see them again in Plovdiv tomorrow..they were planning on two days to our one!).

Lovely start to the day…but icy cold once again as we climbed up over 1,000m (from a high start point!)….

…and enjoyed a bit of off-road…

We were both starving – and shivering – when we stopped for breakfast. And all the food they had was cake…or a tray of profiteroles!! So opted we for the latter! 24 of them!! I managed 8…and Iain finished the rest!! Not sure if it is the best nutrition…but it did the trick…and the coffee was good!

And the road was quieter and wider today…so the few cars on the road were not too much of a problem. Not great riding…..with stork-spotting an interesting distraction…

…..even a phalanx (or is it a muster) of storks…presumably the menfolk gathering feed for their gestating ladies!

….but altogether quite an easy day as we slowly descended most of those 1,000m over the day.

A long day though…..and we took the scenic route as we approached Plovdiv…..firstly following the railway….(don’t you like the gear….? And the expression….!!)

…..and then the river…..

……before finally pulling in to our central apartment, our biggest distance day so far…but so much easier without the grunt of too much ascent!! Indeed…Iain managed it all on just one battery…and I did not change mine until after the 100km mark. Another record!! So all about bottoms, rather than muscles today! (Actually both bottoms standing up surprisingly well!)

We managed to find a suitable bar…before the rain hit…..and the lightening struck…and temperatures plunged!! Guinness…in Bulgaria? Why not?? 

But we did reflect: Bulgaria so far has been a bit disappointing. None of the buzz of Macedonia..or of Albania…..and much of the urban landscape really quite dull. Plovdiv looks really interesting though, with plenty of Roman ruins…the Bulgarian capital of culture in fact….so more on that tomorrow!

(Apologies…these last posts have been a bit delayed!! Simply too long in the saddle for four days on the trot!! And a bit of trots too….!)