A very different day in which I crossed into the the lowlands to reach Chuchuligovo, and Margarita saves the day again.
After a breakfast of cheese and tomatoes the hut keeper left me to lock up. As I set off he was already herding his goats. I met a couple of flocks of goats today, each with a few sheep mixed in and being looked after by a goatherd and his dog. Some care on my part was needed to avoid dispersing the goats.
I began along an asphalt road down a narrow wooded valley with plane trees next to the stream and conifers higher up. The village of Petrovo was at the end of the valley. Grapes hung on wooden supports across the pavements, heavy with red and white grapes ready to be picked. Fig trees were dropping their ripe fruits. After the next village of Yanovo I turned off onto a track into farmland. The following countryside was either vineyards, grassland or scrubby trees.
I had picked my route from the map to avoid roads and followed dirt tracks instead. Apart from one overgrown section this generally worked well until I reached the village of Novo Hodzhovo.
Here I spotted a shop and since I was hot and sweaty, having left the cool of the high mountains, I bought a coke and ice cream and sat outside with some villagers to enjoy it. Unfortunately the lady running the shop seemed suspicious of me. I guess we were near the border and me being alone seemed to worry them. Maybe they thought I was a people smuggler. They spoke only one or two words of English but they wanted to see my passport and asked where I was going. They were speaking about the police among themselves and when I got up to leave they made it clear they wanted me to wait, I think for a police jeep. So I phoned Margarita at Bulguides and she spoke to them explaining what I was doing. Then it was allowed to leave.
Not wanting to look suspicious near the border and require Margarita's help again I stuck to the roads for the rest of the way to the Hotel Komitite at Chuchuligovo.
Despite some bad reviews on booking.com the hotel seems fine, well, apart from needing some new, clean carpets, and a few new light bulbs (I had to use my head torch in the bathroom). But compared with some of the mountain huts it was luxury!
After a breakfast of cheese and tomatoes the hut keeper left me to lock up. As I set off he was already herding his goats. I met a couple of flocks of goats today, each with a few sheep mixed in and being looked after by a goatherd and his dog. Some care on my part was needed to avoid dispersing the goats.
I began along an asphalt road down a narrow wooded valley with plane trees next to the stream and conifers higher up. The village of Petrovo was at the end of the valley. Grapes hung on wooden supports across the pavements, heavy with red and white grapes ready to be picked. Fig trees were dropping their ripe fruits. After the next village of Yanovo I turned off onto a track into farmland. The following countryside was either vineyards, grassland or scrubby trees.
I had picked my route from the map to avoid roads and followed dirt tracks instead. Apart from one overgrown section this generally worked well until I reached the village of Novo Hodzhovo.
Here I spotted a shop and since I was hot and sweaty, having left the cool of the high mountains, I bought a coke and ice cream and sat outside with some villagers to enjoy it. Unfortunately the lady running the shop seemed suspicious of me. I guess we were near the border and me being alone seemed to worry them. Maybe they thought I was a people smuggler. They spoke only one or two words of English but they wanted to see my passport and asked where I was going. They were speaking about the police among themselves and when I got up to leave they made it clear they wanted me to wait, I think for a police jeep. So I phoned Margarita at Bulguides and she spoke to them explaining what I was doing. Then it was allowed to leave.
Not wanting to look suspicious near the border and require Margarita's help again I stuck to the roads for the rest of the way to the Hotel Komitite at Chuchuligovo.
Despite some bad reviews on booking.com the hotel seems fine, well, apart from needing some new, clean carpets, and a few new light bulbs (I had to use my head torch in the bathroom). But compared with some of the mountain huts it was luxury!
Tomorrow I will be in Greece. Follow my continuing travels on johnpone4greece.blogspot.com
The gpx file of the E4 route through Bulgaria (from waymarked trails or traildino.com) ended at Mount Gotsev. A gpx file of the route I then followed into Greece can be found on wikiloc.com and ViewRanger under the short code johnpon0035.
The gpx file of the E4 route through Bulgaria (from waymarked trails or traildino.com) ended at Mount Gotsev. A gpx file of the route I then followed into Greece can be found on wikiloc.com and ViewRanger under the short code johnpon0035.
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| Grape vines over the pavement in Petrovo |
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| Countryside of vineyards and grassland |
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