Entering the Balkan Mountains

Downhill on a smooth road winding through those rock formations during sunrise... What a perfect start for a day on the bike!
Today, we could cycle on backroads most of the time, so we didn't see many cars. We are at the foothills of the Balkan mountains meaning that it starts getting hilly and we climb and descend alternately.
Again, we had our breakfast in one of the villages. Here in Bulgaria, the middle sized ones all have a central square with some Sowjet War Memorial and a mini market selling coffee. So that's where we stopped to eat our bread. We noticed that, in the villages, people print out dead notices or anniversary information of their family members and hang them up publicly in front of their houses or at a central location (like a notice board). That's what you can see behind Herbert.
In general, logistics in Bulgaria are more difficult than in other countries. They do have mini markets, but they mainly sell chips and softdrinks, so we can't rely on proper food. So today, we were very happy when we could go grocery shopping in a bigger supermarket in Berkovitsa. In the front, Herbert saw our new touring bike which will get us up the mountains faster in the future 😉
For the night, we booked a cabin for a change. The hotel was beautifully located: In the middle of the mountains, very peaceful and quiet and with a pool in which we could cool our muscles.Read more