26.-28. August 2020: Stopover Sofia (Bulgaria)

If there was ever a plan for our journey, it was supposed to take us through Albania to Greece, where we have an appointment in September. But since Corona, it is clear that plans are not worth much and our route is determined by the entry possibilities of the countries: The only way to get to Greece by land is currently through the border crossing Kolata-Promachonas in Bulgaria - with a negative PCR test and prior registration.

So no Albania. Also, a longer stay in Serbia on the way to Bulgaria is currently not possible, as a negative test or quarantine is also required for this. We regret this not only because we would like to spend a few days in Belgrade. On the beautiful panoramic roads through the mountains in the south of Serbia, we drive over a mountain ridge on the border with Kosovo, where we would have liked to stay longer: Fantastic view over the mountains, which become a ski area in winter and now attract hikers. Unfortunately, we can only stay for a lunch break, then we continue eastward.

In the evening we arrive in Sofia and have to get up early the next morning because the PCR tests are only taken in a small window of time from 8:00. Since the little one has been a bit stuffy since the rainy days in Montenegro, I am worried if everything will work out: negative tests, online registration, border crossing: If there is a problem, we would only have a few days left for quarantine before our appointment in Greece.

So the head is full, we are tense and the heat and exhaustion from the 8-hour drive limit our desire to explore. At least in the late afternoon we manage to stroll through the city a bit: Drinks in a garden bar with a view of interesting sculptures relax us and as the evening ends in the Raki bar Rakete, we are sure to come back to Sofia with more peace and time.

The negative test results we receive the next afternoon relieve us and we quickly drive to the border:

There we stand ... and stand ... the afternoon sun burns ... the air conditioning eventually only works with the engine running ... it stinks and it's hot ... SUVs and other fat cars try to overtake the traffic jam and luckily fail at the police barriers ... the mood sinks and only picks up again when we drive through the disinfection gates and are waved through the corona check after presenting all documents.

Yamas Hellas - off to Chalkidiki!