Bulgaria - the sad beauty

The adventure feature of my new navigation device has three sliders, which I have all set to maximum. Mountains: very high, curves: maximum, roads: as small and asphalt-free as possible. The consequence is, on one hand, that I end up in areas where no one voluntarily goes on vacation. The infrastructure is simply too poor, no shops, no accommodation, no sights, no roads that are halfway passable. On the pothole-ridden route, I can only move forward at a maximum of 30 kilometers per hour. It's almost impossible to avoid the potholes. But on the other hand ...

BLOSSOMS ON THE RUINS OF SOCIALISM

Shortly after the Bulgarian border, I turn right from the wide road that leads from Komotini (GR) to Kirkovo (BG). Instantly, the glossy surface of a representative country road, which my tires had the pleasure of enjoying, becomes a thing of the past. The guardrails, if they are still dented, rust away here. The road is reclaimed by nature with an abundance of blossoms on the edges and in the countless potholes.

The never-ending densely wooded mountain area presents itself in stark beauty. Suddenly, in the middle of nowhere, a dilapidated socialist sculpture greets me, meaninglessly martial, around which cows graze. Otherwise, hardly a sign of civilization.

WHO OWNS THE ROAD?

Horned cows block the holey asphalt, it is their territory. Large herds of long-maned goats burst out of the thickets. Sheep flocks are guarded by huge dogs, confident, independent, intelligent animals, and their posture and their dog faces express it in an impressive way.

A small river joins in, changes the landscape. The road follows. From time to time, you can see ruins of bridges, small dams, tiny power plants.

In Bulgaria, you spot many things that testify to ambition. But over the decades, they seem to not endure. Some architecture may actually have seen better times, while others may have only dreamed of it.

The few poverty-stricken villages seem to come from the last century. Horse-drawn carts creak by. Women in colorful harem pants drive cattle forward or cultivate the field with a hoe.