We finally got on our bikes again, got lucky with the weather and hit the roads of Bulgaria. It's a pretty hilly country but our route hugged the lowlands and on the first day of riding we set off from Plovdiv and headed down highway no. 8. It's a fairly busy road but the Saturday traffic gave us plenty of room and we whizzed along at 18 km/h. There weren't too many food opportunities to be had on the way but our excitement was very real when we spotted a sign for a service station with the little knife and fork symbol next to it. And it was just outside the town of Pazardzhik, our destination.
We've lost count of the number of times we've fancied sausage and chips over the last few months but for once our wishes came true. The waitress at the "Road House" seemed a little surprised to see a couple of cyclists turn up, especially when we asked to sit outside. Our linguistic overlap was small but the pictures in the menu meant we could get our hands on exactly the sausages we wanted. Life was good!
We managed to find 3 hotels in Pazardzhik; one expensive and crappy, one full and one expensive but with a bath. We chose option 3 and actually got upgraded to an apartment for no extra cost. It was fantastic to lounge about in our first baths since France and I took advantage to the tune of 3 per day. We spent a couple of extra days in Pazardzhik due to a stomach upset for Vic and some sore legs for both but got moving again on Wednesday.
The no. 8 highway was not as pleasant on a weekday and a noticeable headwind (the only type they have) made everything a bit of a grind. It was hard but enjoyable and the scenery was lovely. Hills loomed on either side and the sunlight lit them up when it broke through the clouds. We rode with our thermals, Buff hats and thick socks & gloves on and were just about warm enough. At about 4 o'clock we reached Belovo and it became obvious that it wasn't a big enough town to have a hotel. As we resigned ourselves to getting the train the 20 kilometers to Kostenets we met an Anglo-Bulgarian couple, who own the town's Aladdin's cave second-hand shop, and they showed us the way to a holiday cottage owned by friends of theirs. It's a nice little place but with not much to do...
On Thursday night I decided to nip to the shop to get supplies and managed to take a tumble down the steps and ended up by going right over on my left ankle. I bravely tried to shrug it off but the slightest amount of pressure on it caused me agony. I dragged myself up the steps and back into the room to make a pasty-faced report to Victoria. She said I didn't look good. The swelling started immediately but our proddings indicated nothing was broken. (Photos to follow gore fans!) That was Thursday night and today, Monday, on the advice of the handy doctor next door, I went to the hospital. The doctor prodded me, sent me for an x-ray and then proscribed some ibuprofen gel and tablets and told me not to do much walking. There goes tomorrow's Belovo marathon...
So for the last 3 days we have sat around the house, listening to the World Service, reading and getting frostbite every time we leave the one heated room. We really need to get out of the village of Belovo so tomorrow, against doctor's orders, we plan to get the train to Sofia.
