Another freezing start. And we were quite glad to have a long slow gradient to keep the blood flowing!!
As we approached the Greek border…the road steepened – of course! – to another hilltop crossing. But first….a heart-sinking moment, as a big sign advised that the border was closed!
….read on…”for trucks over 3.5 tonne”. Phew! It would have been a long detour!
So…only four nights in Bulgaria…somewhat shorter than planned as we diverted south for warmth!! Thoughts? Altogether a bit disappointing. Yes…lovely scenery…but really no more special than elsewhere in the Balkans…and the towns were greyer…the people too perhaps. None of the delight of the Albanians…none of the great vibe of North Macedonia. And then there was Plovdiv…the highlight…which had become such a miserable….squelchy….. lowlight. We hadn’t Plovdiv!
And then we were in Greece! It felt warmer already!!
And what a road!! A classic show-off road! Greek roads are no better than Bulgarian roads really…but this section running down from the border – albeit with precious little traffic (& no trucks!)… was simply spectacular.
Great surface, wonderful gradient, brightly lit wide tunnels…and probably the longest 50kmh run ever! Iain broke his own speed record…! 74kmh!! In next to no time we were 25kms down the mountain and enjoying our first Frappe (iced coffee!)…in relative warmth!
We opted to head straight for the coast.
But…it was closed. The coast was closed. Everything was closed…but for one small taverna, for beers and a recharge!
So we researched Google…and found a place 30kms further East, which Mr Google advised was all open! We had already cycled over 100km but thought the extra would be worthwhile.
And a great track it was too. The road was under construction…and closed! But it was magnificent!
Until we arrived at out lively destination…..for it too…was closed!
Closed beach-side places have a slightly eerie feel about them….and this place was no different. We had booked our hotel to give us something to aim for….but we were probably their first guests since October, and we felt more of an irritation than a welcome end to the winter drought.
Awful place. And very probably just as awful when its busy!
So…despite our longest run of the trip…we then had to get back on our bikes and ride back up the hill to find signs of real habitation…beer…and food! We were knackered!
