Mathias and Dorothea

	Mathias and Dorothea from Germany! Matthias and Dorothea (from Wangen im Allgäu, if I have understand well) will come in BG and we will tour together – 22.05 – 06.06 ... YEAH !!! I have always known, that people from Germany like so much to visit different countries all over the world. Many of them like to relax summer time at BG Black sea resorts. It is because I have always been wondered, that more than 10 year nobody from Germany was in contact with us to arrange a bicycle tour in Bulgaria. Maybe they will explain me it, I really am curious to know it !!! Well … Dorothea is a chemical assistant in the pharmaceutical industry, Mathias works as a teacher in informatics in a vocational school. For now we have a common agreement for the tour – our daily mileage will be as much as we can, nights we will stay in the wilderness in tents or in small hotels when it is necessary. Where we will head, we will decide together at the moment, according to the 5 day synoptic prognoses – I have in mind 3-4 different routes.
Useless to say, I and Maya meet Mathias and Dorothea at Sofia Airport, after we go home, speak about possibilities of bicycle tour in Bulgaria. I pictured 3-4 possible tours having in mind Mathias and Dora wish, I picture tours on the map, showing photos of my previous tours. So, next morning they choose the best tour for them. We will bicycle 60 – 70 km/day, each 2nd night will be in a hotel (but ... it seems in the wilderness it was so nice, that in the end we really stay only one night in a nice private home-hotel). We will begin our tour in mountains – Vitosha, Rila, Rodopy Mountains, in the end we will reach the Black seaside. We have enough time to fix bikes, to change seats, to attach and fix baggage to it. So ... I will not describe our tour in details, pictures will speak better than me. I can only say we spent 14 beautiful days ... It is still in my mind.

Several photos in the mountains

Vitosha Mountain. This first day we had 3 x 10 minutes rain. And 45 km climbing.	The divide of Vitosha Mountain. Soon Mathias will run to the top of the mountain, I prefer to relax on my back ... We are refreshing while crossing the river early in the next morning

Avramovo narrow-gage line station. We take on the train reaching the highest train station "Avramovo".	Up and up in the mountains.
The mosque in Satovcha		The gorge of "Buinovska" River
Above Yagodina.	Towards Trigrad.
"Vacha" Reservoir	In a little church along the road.
Several photos - Black sea side It is still out of season, so beaches are empty. Water temperature in the end of May is approx 16 deg C. Two weeks later, when I do this page, it is already 22 deg C at the north and 25 deg C at the south.
	It seems the heroes are a little tired :)))))
Our camp places

Our first night in the wilderness - Vitosha Mountain. In the night we had a fire near us.	Behind Kostenec - Marica River is just to us - the water was perfect.	Here we are next to Mesta River.

A night in a small home-hotel in Yagodina.	"Bus Shelter" hotel. 2004 was the last time I use such a hotel with other crazy group from USA.	But in the morning we are absolutely dry and ready for the next distance.

On the dike near Aheloy.	The desert beach - Irakly.	The sunset near Kamchia River.
Some other stories

Along Mesta River - at a spring near the road we met this 3 funny people intending to eat this home prepared "BANICA". They invited us to join them and the result can be seen ... soon the large baking dish was empty. There were 3 different types "Banica" - 1)with white cheese and eggs; 2)onion (+white cheese and eggs) and 3)spinach (+white cheese and eggs). We decided to stop at each spring along the road where there are people, but this case no more repeated.		Towards Satovcha - everywhere people produce stone plates - here Rushy shows to Mathias how to do it, Mathias was very successful. Later Rushy shows us an interesting rocky place.

In the remote villages in the mountain still can be seen pictures like these. Mathias took a movie, we spoke with the people, but this time Mathias refused to try it. Maybe next time.		Borino - an usual lunch for us - in front of some little shop.
In Rodopy Mountain high above Yagodina we have found this little kid - a lost one staying helpless in the bushes. Mathias decided to turn it back in the village, but we were surprised to see, that some of the villagers leaved the flock to live free ... Luckily they did not want to bring it back in the mountain.
	In Yagodina we spent a night in a small home-hotel. In the morning the lady of house prepared for us tee and coffee. It is really a nice place.	It is raining - so, a little relax, coffee, juice, tee, speaking and laughing.

The morning tee in the "Bus Shelter" Hotel.	Again relax in a scenery place above "Vacha" Reservoir.	We spend a night in Pazardjik. In the morning Ilka prepared for us pancakes with honey&walnuts and see us at the train station. We head to the seaside by train. Maya will join us soon. She is in the train.

Relax in the train. There is a special coach for our bikes, only 4 we are in this cart.	The beach lane in Obzor. The sun will dry our wet equipment - in the morning there was a little rain.	Soon the tour will be over - we are in Varna, the night train will turn us back in Sofia.
SUMMER '11 Summer'11 is here, and we will be together again!!! : 11.06 - 25.06 2011 - along the north side of the Balkan. This is my most favorite season.
	And ... summer 2009 I and Maya toured in BG and we met Anna. We stopped and told with her for a while, we shared E-mails … now Anna will join us … it will be a great tour, I am sure :) This summer we have decided to bicycle along the north side of Balkan following the road: Pernik – Breznik – Slivnica – Svoge – Mezdra – Roman – Teteven – Troyan – Oreshak – Sevlievo – Veliko Tarnovo – Elena – Tvardica – Stara Zagora and back by a train. We had 14 sunny days except an hour of rain in the beginning of the tour. Hm ... 10 days before and 10 days after the tour the weather in BG was windy and raining ... again we had a great chance with the weather!!! Except 2 nights, we camped in the wilderness, almost each night we set up out tents near rivers.



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