18. Plovdiv to Kurdzhali

A relatively slow start this morning….doubtless reluctant to brave the cold!

We had decided over beers last night…that the chill was simply too much! So we decided to select our route from…Plovdiv (say it very slowly!)…..based upon temperature! And…it was going to be a full 15+ degree (C) warmer on the Greek coast…than our Black Sea target! 

So…we waived our plan to provide a bit of solidarity to Ukraine in the darkness…..and opted to head South. A difficult decision…for it also involved our approach to Istanbul.

A long-standing debate amongst cyclists….for it is regarded as one of the most difficult cities to cycle in to!! There are but two routes…

The manic South route. 

Or the manic North route!

So…having read heaps…it seems that “manic” is the way!! North or South!! Both have their pluses…..

So…climate determined that we would opt for the South approach…with the hope that there are beachside options…to avoid the manic!! Here’s hoping!

So…to Greece it is…an unexpected visit…for the plan had been to cross from Bulgaria directly into Turkey!!

…..Anyway……we were just assembling our gear as the campanological cacophony cheered us au revoir!! So memorable!!

But it was cold. Bitterly cold…and only seemed to get colder as time went on….and as we started to climb…..as frost-bite was probably setting in.

Despite all the many layers…..it really was scrotum-shrinking-wrinklingly cold.

We stopped for coffee…and I went to the loo…and through all the seven layers accumulated around my waist…I thought I’d lost my wee man! Fingers which could not feel anything at all which possibly did not help…but Liz’ recent encounter with cricketer Gary Bartlett did spring to mind…”so small you need tweezers”……sort of thing!!

Indeed…we stopped for two full hours…after just 30km….in the hope that it’d warm up! 

It didn’t.

But the hill steepened…and it was good to push as hard as possible….if only to keep the cold at bay! The next 50kms or so were covered in record time!!

And when we reached the up and down top….it was gorgeous!! On any other day…this was a special ride!

Alpine meadows….

I just love unfenced roads…..

And then we peaked…7 kms to go…and the best sort of sign you could wish for!! 6kms…of hurtle!! (…don’t tell Liz!).

But….barely 500m on…..we were waved down by the police…once again! Passports? And the poor guy was trying to find our entry stamp! He couldn’t. 

Nor could we!! 

Why passport folk do not put their stamps in chronological order I will never know!!?

Eventually he gave up……and smiled…and wished us well!!

More hurtle……..

And then we had arrived!! In the strange town/city of Kurdzhali.

Now we had…as usual booked a place on Booking.com….but then got a strange message…to say that we would be staying in different buildings…on different streets!! A minor worry (probably less of a worry for Iain….hahaha!)….but it all worked out!! 

And we had two great rooms (albeit on different streets!).

This was mine! Really great wallpaper!! (..Cuba….?)

And thence to a bar but 100m  away. Too many Budweissers (real…they do love their Czech beer here!)…and good hearty food! No English menu….so I spoke to our neighbouring table….and asked them to order what they were having!!  Shopska salad, enhanced with egg and ham. A garlic bread-pie…and crispy chicken!! Yum!!

Turned into a great day!!!

….until…we went our separate ways home! I followed someone into what I thought was my entrance (…I actually arrived in my place from an underground garage from Iain’s street!!)….but…the lift did not look right! And my security tag did not work!

So…..back out into the street…I had no idea where I was!! Hahaha!!

Found the right entrance eventually!!