80th day - Sept 26: Wrong turn on the way to Turkey

(Photos to follow)

I had a good night's sleep, but my legs were tired from the previous day. I bought some provisions for the day because on the first half of my journey through the Bulgarian lowlands, I only passed through small villages. My bicycle handlebars became a 'clothes rack' because the night before I washed some clothes that were still wet in the morning, so my handlebars were a bit cluttered. But that didn't hinder my cycling.

The country appeared very flat, as I noticed from a road bridge over the highway (photo). In the distance, I saw the Bulgarian mountains that I had conquered the day before (photo). Unfortunately, I took a wrong turn at a very lonely road junction and cycled in the wrong direction for about 8 kilometers. There should be more cars on the road, after all, it's the main road to Turkey. After about 25 minutes, I checked my bike navigation and realized the mistake. So I turned around again and headed back in the right direction. Once I was on the 'right' road, I saw a lot more traffic.

Originally, I wanted to find an affordable accommodation in the small town of Elhovo, about 25 kilometers away - but I found nothing. So I decided to keep cycling until I found a suitable place to pitch my tent. From now on, it was all uphill again, as the Lesovo border crossing is located at the top.

Only 5 kilometers before the border crossing, I found a simple resting place with an eco-farm that is used as a tourist destination in the summer. A small stream crossed the area and I was able to wash myself. The seating areas that were set up also looked very rustic and eco-friendly. I quickly set up my tent because it was already getting dark. In the evening, the owner, a 73-year-old long-haired gentleman, suddenly appeared and was happy about the change and had no objections. With the help of my translation app, we managed to communicate. An hour later, the Bulgarian border police suddenly arrived. When they found out I was German, they just gave a thumbs up and drove away. This day was quite exhausting again because of the detour and uphill climb. But I knew that tomorrow I would reach Turkey if there were no problems with my passport.