October 22 - November 1, 2020: Central Balkan (Bulgaria)

Without any problems or major controls, we now enter Bulgaria for the third time and initially land in a small village in the Central Balkan near Veliko Tarnowo, where Elli and her family run a farm and have converted an old village school into a guesthouse. We make ourselves comfortable there for two nights and she cooks delicious Bulgarian dishes for us. Elli proudly tells us that even the Bulgarian Slow Food movement is a guest here and enjoys these homemade dishes, which come almost exclusively from their own farm. The next day, we take a leisurely look at this farm and are impressed by the many chickens, sheep, ducks, dogs, and cows that Elli's husband and son Petr take care of with only two helpers.

Afterwards, we drive to Veliko Tarnowo, known as the 'Pearl of the Central Balkan', which is nestled idyllically among hills on the bends of the Jantra River and was the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire from 1187 to 1393. Each of these hills seems to have its own story, and we stroll through the ruins of the Tsar's palace in the most beautiful late summer sunshine, enjoying fantastic views of the city and the surrounding hills from the castle walls.

On the way back, we get quite a shock again, because this time not only the license plates, but the whole car is no longer parked where we left it. But unlike in Thessaloniki, there is a note on the curb with the address where the car was towed. After an exhausting march through the city and costs that are fortunately low compared to German towing fees, we have our "Bobby" back. 

We fortify ourselves with a lavish dinner and Bulgarian breakfast and now continue through the Balkan Mountains on beautiful serpentine roads to Shipka. This small town nestles against the south side of the mountains and has a great view over the Valley of the Roses, and already on the way here, we see the golden towers of St. Nikolay Monastery shining among the autumn-colored leaves.

We stay in one of the typical old houses, which with its dark beams and the fireplace in the idyllic garden exudes a lot of coziness. Here, we once again follow our 'daily travel routine' with some school in the morning and smaller excursions in the afternoons.

These take us to the surrounding mountains to the Buzludza Monument, which was opened in 1981 like a UFO on the mountain peak as a magnificent monument of the Bulgarian Communist Party (BKP), the Shipka Monument, the Koprinka Dam, and to Kazanlak, where we can get some supplies for our private Halloween party decorations.

In various hours of "art class," the children have produced great tombstones, garlands, and other decorations, so that we can celebrate a cheerful and spooky party on the last evening and thus conclude our time in the Balkans.

On Sunday, we will continue to Sofia, where, in addition to the obligatory PCR tests, we want to take some more time to explore this city and the nearby Rila Mountains.