Tuesday August the 3rd
Total distance driven: 5005 Km
Todayās distance: 281 Km in 3:56h
Walked distance: 12,8 Km
We had a running gag with Alexey about the glue. He always asked me to remind him to search for the glue to fix his boot. The problem was, he asked me while we were drinking and of course I forgot to remind him š
Somehow he remembered to look for it. He had already searched through all his stuff more than once. I asked if he was sure he brought it. He said: yes! And I believed him. Suddenly: I found it! š It was hidden in a tabacco bag š¤£
Rumi prepared breakfast at the hostel: some bread with cheese and fresh tomatoes and coffee. Alexey was going to stay for another night, while I was heading West. He had ten days for his travel and had to go back to Kharkov in Ukraine šŗš¦. Just the route from his town to the Romanian border is already over 1.000 Km long!
To thank Rumi for the breakfast, Alexey decided to make a new sign for the Hostel. He also wanted to spend the afternoon at the beach drawing some new illustrations.
āLetās visit the Stone Forest togetherā he proposed. āGood ideaā š
Half an hour later we arrived at a very curious place. We enter the parking and found a small road through the trees. It was a matter of a look at each other and we were rising it. It was narrow with tree branches in the way. The last meter was sand. We dismounted and thatās what we saw:
It looks like some old columns. Nope. Itās a natural phenomenon better known with its Bulgarian name āPobiti kamaniā. It is assumed that the rocks were formed approximately 50 million years ago when this part of the world was a sea bottom. There is a strip of about 800 meters / half a mile full of these stone formations of various size. Stunning.
We took some photos and enjoyed the place. When we returned to the parking where the trail started, we understood we had bypassed the site entrance including the ticket office š
We drank a coke together and Alexey had the idea of recording me while leaving. It was a different way of saying goodbye but sad nevertheless. I had already laughed in my helmet, this time I cried. A true person of hearth and a great man. Hopefully weāll meet soon again.
The tour must go on and soon I had to tank. My sat nav was convinced this was a good a petrol station. It reminded me of a PlayStation game called Days Gone where there are Hordes of Zombies awaiting you hidden. Sometimes at petrol stations looking exactly like this one.
Around lunch time I was in Madara, a very nice place on the mountains where the Madara Rider, a medieval bas-relief, is carved in the rock. The rider is real size and at 23m above the ground and it was made around the 7th – 8th century. Long time ago.
I then climbed the mountain to get the the fortress on top.
Look at the stairs path:
I was exhausted of the climb and had a typical dish called meatballs and garnish salad.
From Madara my eyes caught a big building on the mountains ahead. The story repeats itself. I couldnāt keep my sight away of that and my curiosity was growing, to the point where I changed the route to Shumen.
The sat nav sent me on a narrow road with a dead end, so I proceed on foot.
The monument ā1300 years of Bulgariaā. Absolutely magnificent. It has a lot of Transformers reminiscences and itās massive. Once you see it, it stays in your head.
So glad I took the time to drive here. Definitely an highlight of Bulgaria for me. But soon a big problem was arising. You see, Lollo was parked uphill on a narrow road with about 10% inclination. I was in trouble.
I attempted to turn the motorcycle but the inclination didnāt allow the motorcycle to stay on the stand, while perpendicular to the road. Imagine me holding the bike and not being able to put it straight. My legs were shaking. I thought about starting the engine and using it to walk again the bike parallel to the road, but the engine does not turn on when the side stand is downā¦
A man was walking down the path and I waved at him asking for help. He took his time but a minute later he was there. I was sweating and risking to fall with Lollo falling over me. He helped me put up the side stand, I started the engine and managed to park Lollo in the original position. Still, I had to find a solution.
I walked back to a CafĆ© nearby, where I had a drink previously and asked the guy working there, if he could help me. Dani said: āsureā. Together we walked the bike backwards downhill, until the inclination allowed to turn it. It must have been over 100 meters!
I thanked him thousand times and offered him some money as a reward. Lesson learned: steep inclination and roadās end is a troublesome mix.
Tired, I resumed my way to the old capital Veliko Turnovo and had a short break when I saw some soviet airplanes exposed. There I met Giorgi and his daughter selling watermelons. We understood each other using hands and feet. He wished a photo with Lollo and I got a whole Watermelon š
