Saturday August the 7th
Total distance driven: 5.704 Km
Today’s distance: 113 Km
Walked distance: 13,4 Km
It’s August and the temperatures are rasing, especially in the cities. Plovdiv registered 41 degrees Celsius the day I left it. Everyday I face 38-39C which is nice when you are at the lake or at the beach but with my motorcycle gear, it gets hot 😅
So you can imagine how happy I am to head again to the mountains 😉 Specifically we are driving to Rila for an epic hike to the seven lakes. One of the natural highlights of Bulgaria. But first… a snail house 😂
As soon as I got outside of Sofia the road began to climb and be entertaining. Later, it descended to a valley, to rise again when I was close to Rila.
I reached the lift station and while considering the parking options, a voice asked me from the back, if I needed help.
It was Cristina, who owns a souvenir shop there. Her English was superb and we began talking about travels and more. She offered me to park Lollo in a space next to her store and proceeded telling me a fabulous story.
In 2016 a young guy from South Korea parked in the very same spot and even pitched his tent there. He had a small bike, reaching only 70 Km/h and no money. He didn’t even speak English but everyone helped him with money, food and fuel because he was very friendly, polite and kind. He had travelled through Kazakhstan and Russia using a normal map 🗺 A legend.
I changed clothes to hike and off I went.
The panorama above 2.000 meters is stunning and you realise why so many hikers are attracted by this place.
There are even horses sounding like a cattle 🐄
The hike reached 2.575 meters with great weather and even better views. Here are some photos of the seven lakes
The Kidney 
The eye 
The seven Rila lakes are truly something special. Even if the climb is quite an exercise, it is so relaxing to be up there.
A lot of tents! 
When I returned I had another pleasant conversation with Cristiana, who also happens to be a ski teacher and bought some souvenirs also to say thank you.
The day was fading out and I was tired. Since it was a weekend day, all the accommodations nearby were fully booked. I took a ride down the mountain at sunset and enjoyed that moment too.
