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Mountain men

We were up and out of the Plovdiv rush hour early, weaving through stationary traffic until beyond the confines of the city.

We knew that at some point some mountain climbs were on the way. For the first 30km or so we rode towards them, and then skirted alongside them, looming over our right shoulder.

We had a stop for second breakfast – coffee and omelette – at a roadside cafe, and soon after there was a right turn pointing directly towards those big hills.

Up we went, gently, but for a long time, moving around the contours. As the road got twistier the traffic became lighter and the views broadened. The broad plains of Bulgaria could be seen clearly to the left when the tree cover allowed. To the right and ahead, more mountains for us to tackle tomorrow.

We’d packed our bags with bananas and bread at the cafe stop, so we chose a park bench in a small town for a delicious lunch!

We’re now in Kardzali, a hill town that’s larger than we had anticipated. It’s been a glorious day.

Tomorrow’s weather doesn’t look so kind for part two of our ride up and over to Greece. We’ll have to contend with constant rain on a mountain pass.