Bulgaria, Cycling through, Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

September 19 -28 2015 - Another great week.
(Very slow getting this blog posted as we have not been able to access blogspot in Iran.)
We crossed the border from Serbia into Bulgaria at Strezimirovtsi and followed the sign for the motel in the small village a few km away. Lovely signs but no motel, it had closed some years previously... We met a guy, his wife, young daughter and his elderly father. We wandered over to his fathers place nearby, they were visiting him from Sophie over the 4 day long weekend but staying in the hotel 25 km away in Tran. They were pretty sure the hotel was full but offered for us to stay at his fathers if we could not find anywhere else.
I must admit to being quite taken back when we first met this guy (who shall remain nameless on this blog but hopefully has a laugh if he reads it!)  he was shirtless, which was not the problem BUT the pistol tucked into the waistband of his shorts was clearly visible...  Coming from NZ, where that would never happen, it was quite a shock to me. Taken back because, firstly, I wondered if it was OK/legal to carry a gun and secondly did you need one in Bulgaria? And then only 30 minutes into a new country I am asking myself, is this a safe place to travel?
Maybe he was secret police!
Anyway, to continue, we enjoyed a drink and chatted about Bulgaria and his father who was described as an 'old commie.' I think he was talking about his attitude to life and the hangover from the old bygone days, its obviously been difficult for some of the older men.  A couple of ph calls later and we had a place to stay at a kind of lodge as long as we understood there would be a disco later that night. It was late afternoon, we had already cycled a tough 80km but quickly covered the remaining 25 and were escorted just on dusk to our digs for the night. (Photo 1)  It was just a notch up from a Nepalese tea house - the notch being the hot shower. We had to plug the cylinder in and wait a while but it was worth the wait and a very cheap place to stay at 5 euro each.
There was a group of young people eating at the restaurant. They spoke English, were very excited to talk to us and to make sure we got checked in and looked after. A great bunch. They were from Sophie and visiting a nearby tourist attraction. Bulgaria has a 'See your own country'  programme which has been running for many years and they were ticking off the 100 sites. By the time they left it was about 9.30 and we were starving. The menu meant not a thing to us being totally in a foreign script and language. I asked for the only Bulgarian thing I knew - a Chopska salad - and got a number of wobbly shakes of the head back from the waiter. This continued until we remembered (we had read) that in Bulgaria a shake of the head means yes and a nod means no. So funny to see. Trevor headed out to the kitchen to play charades with the cook -  I tend to avoid such places prefering to keep the image  of a pristine environment firmly intact! But he did well and we enjoyed an omlette, Chopska salad, fries and a beer.
The music cranked up as we headed up the rickety stairs to bed and continued until 3.45 am but we were so tired it was not a problem. Funny, we didn't even consider joining them.
We were glad we had paid the night before as there was no sign of life the next morning when we left. We met up with our new friends at their hotel for coffee and chatted on the ph to his rugby mad mate who told us the All blacks were playing that night and that Japan had beaten S Africa. We were very glad to have met this couple and their daughter, they were good fun, very helpful and also exchanged some euros for us which was great as no banks were open until Wednesday. 
Tran - Pernik 50 km
A cruisy ride to the next big town of Pernik through mainly an agricultural area. Big farms with huge machinery, different from the small holdings we had seen in Serbia. 
We had been warned about the 'gypsies' and told to stay clear and avoid eye contact. Not possible. We stopped for lunch in a small town and sat outside to eat. Almost immediately this gypsy woman approached us begging for something, anything. She stood really close totally invading our space and had that - I am not going to move till I get something look. I contemplated giving her my half eaten bread roll as she looked particularly thin and hungry but remembered we had a half loaf of (stale) bread from Serbia still in our bag which I am slightly embarrassed to say was heading for the rubbish bin. I gave it to her, her face lit up with a huge smile and off she went. I'm not sure if the smile was because she had succeeded in getting something or if she was genuinely pleased to get bread. Either way it was a sobering reminder again of how little some people have. 
We stopped in Pernik at the first hotel. It actually looked a bit rich for us (3***) but was surprisingly cheap. A lovely huge suite and a zillion tv channels, one broadcasting the All blacks/Argentina game so that was a huge bonus.
Pernik - Samokov 87 km
Off early on deteriorating roads. It seems maintenance is a totally foreign concept here. There are rusted road barriers hidden by trees, shrubs and weeds growing over the roads. What originally would have been a full two lane highway with a shoulder is now about one lane wide with the trucks pruning the foliage as they whiz by. We felt like we were cycling in the middle of the rd - a bit scary. The apartments we saw today were the same, ugly, decrepit and have that old soviet bloc look and the people seem to have a let's do nothing to improve things attitude. 
We kept to the smaller roads but often the nearby motorway would run out or was under construction and all of a sudden we were ambushed with traffic until the motorway started up again. I was being particularly careful while negotiating our way through a busy town when a bike went flying past, one young guy cycling and his mate standing up on the back of the bike giving the instructions. No helmets, dark clothes, weaving in and out of the traffic without a care...
Another nice hotel at the end of the day with a good restaurant, great, we didn't need to venture out in the dark.
It's an easy country to travel in, unfortunately it is the poorest country in the EU, ( its like Croatia, in the EU but retains its own money ) again with high unemployment but everything is pretty cheap which is a bonus for us. We saw drains being dug - 15 guys with spades. But just up the road fibre optic cable being laid and all the machinery to go with it.  The villages we have seen are fairly basic, just the necessities. 
The wobbly shake gives us a laugh everyday. People are friendly and wobble shake and wave. We in turn nod and smile in greeting or nod and say hello. A nod to us is a kind of positive affirmation. As much as we tried, it is impossible to shake and smile or shake and say hi, try it!
Samokov - Vetren Dol - 71 km
A little bit of highway then off onto quieter roads winding through small villages. Lots of fire wood collecting going on as there has been in every country. It's a full time job!  There was a hotel showing on our map quite on its own and off the beaten track. We headed that way getting less optimistic as the hours went by, wondering if it would be there or abandoned like a lot we had seen and all the while hoping we didn't have to head back down to the highway and a further 30 km. But up and down a hill, over the railway to the edge of town and there it was, a Bulgarian resort with lots of hot pools. We timed it right arriving on the last day of the 4 day holiday when most people had gone home. 30 euro for a small stand alone cabin. A great way to spend the rest of the afternoon soaking in a spa pool.  Who would have thought?? 
Vetren Dol- Batak Lake 75 km
We had to do a detour to a bank to finally exchange some money, we had been paying our accommodation in euros and getting just enough local money in change but not ideal so a really busy road for 25 km then off up into the hills to Batak town where we got some supplies and then up to Batak Lake. A popular place in summer but not much happening as we rode in. The sun was going down, it was really chilly and a lot of the lodges closed up for winter. But we found one open, a lovely view across the lake (photo) and it came complete with a deep bath. Perfect.
Batak Lake - Devin 70 km, Wildlife day.
We whizzed back down to the town and wandered through the cafe street, an incredible amount of coffee places open and not many people about. We got some bakery food then wound our way up through a valley. This was a cross-country day over some rough roads but nice through remote bush. As we headed down one hill a large deer came crashing down the bank beside us, across the road, up the otherside and off again through the bush. A few minutes later we disturbed a smaller one beside the road and in its panic to get away ran right between our bikes.
Further on, again blatting downhill,
I heard Trevors wheel skid and saw him  stop in a hurry.  As I got closer I slowed right down both brakes on thinking take it easy maybe the rd is slippery... I looked down just as I was about to put my foot on the ground and right under my bike was a big fat snake slowly slithering away. Trevor had woken it up and it had raised its head and given him a fright, I somehow managed not to stand on it or run it over...  But still no bear sightings and they are here in these mountains. Quite a few signs about. We asked some locals before we took this road, they said they had only seen the beers on TV. It was raining as we arrived in town.
Devin - Smolyan 54 km
Heavy rain this morning so we didn't leave until it started to fine up around lunchtime. Easy, mainly downhill, a reward for yesterdays up. They are advertising tours to see bears. 90% chance of seeing one. I was very tempted but the weather put me off.
The towns have been getting nicer, cleaner and tidier with obvious signs of pride and the area seems more wealthy than where we started a week ago. More tourist attractions in this area. We missed a turnoff but before we realised the locals had stopped us and pointed us in the right direction. I love it when people know where we are going.
Smolyan - Zlatograd 57 km
We rode along a river through a gorge. Mountains of scrubby pine trees that get cut in half and basically thrown down the hillside and used for firewood. No forest roads. We arrived early in Zlatograd but were not sure if there were any more places to stay closer to the Greek border so decided not to risk it and stayed in a gorgeous hotel. (We did see a motel the next day about 20 km further) We had time to have a good walk around the town. Saturday night and lots of Greeks were visiting, eating at the restaurants and drinking at the hotels, apparently its much cheaper.
Zlatograd - Alexandroupolis, Greece 148 km.
45 km and time on the super highway as we got close to the Bulgaria/Greek border, a steady climb up to the top of a hill. Goodbye Bulgaria,  it's been fun.  Although we only saw one gun we are told many people carry them... Only in Bulgaria!
Greece here we come.
A quick passport check and stamp and a thrilling down hill on an even better road through six tunnels, all short, well lit, and no traffic, we flew through going 60 kph - that's how tunnels should be!
Then the super highway just petered out to a narrow country rd, 15 km from a big city, hmm I think the EU money may have run out...
Cotton fields, olive trees and a really long ride to the coast. In fact the most kms we have done in a day but there was absolutely nowhere to stay on the route we had chosen.  There was also no food places open (Sunday) so we were really tired and really hungry as we made our way into Alexandroupolis just on dark. We found a campground right on the beach. Phew.
Akexandroupolis, Greece  to Kesan, Turkey - 85 km
I enjoyed a swim first thing in the morning (Mediterranean) thinking it would probably be the final opportunity on this trip. Sea temp and air temp pretty much the same. Cool.
Not a lot of austerity evident in this city. Unbelievably expensive. A coastal, tourist spot, the start of the off season and not many tourists about but an overload of empty high rise flash hotels.But the locals tell us how bad everything is for them and they can only withdraw 250 euro per week from the Atm. Not so for us, we managed to get the rest of the euros we needed.
Then off we pedalled to Turkey. It bucketed down almost all the way to the border. A busy highway. Just 24 hrs in Greece, an easy exit and then about 5 passport checks on the Turkish side.  We got so cold standing around in queues of traffic in the wind and the rain. Then on past tense looking armed guards stationed along a bridge as we crossed an area of no-man's land and into Turkey. Just another 40 km to Kesan where we will stay the night. Hope we dry out before then.

Serbia, Where, have coffee with me translates to come drink Snapps with me...

A great week here, friendlier more outgoing people and great getting off the beaten track. But back to summer weather, 35 degrees all week.
Campground to Cacak 65 km
A mixed first day that started off on a quiet road but soon joined a main highway. Drivers thinking nothing of overtaking coming towards us, as if we were not there... Lots of exiting into the gravel until we found some secondary roads. And just a few more tunnels... Our knee jerk reaction on seeing a train line at lunchtime was to get a ticket straight through and out but we opted instead to continue and find the quieter rds, which made for a much more enjoyable afternoon but we had to head back onto the busy road to find somewhere to sleep. There was a cheap motel right along the highway, great food with all the truckies stopping to eat and fitting, I thought,  watching Novak Djokovic win the US open tennis while in Serbia. They are very proud of him.
Cacak - Kraljevo 68 km
25 km on the busy highway then onto a local rd for the afternoon, we met a school teacher, Borac, who rode up behind us on his way home, he spoke quite good English and led us through the town then a stop for coffee, then to his place for Snapps, its compulsory to have at least 3... He had a basement apartment available and offered it to us for the night so after a restaurant meal we were set. We were ready to go at 8.15 when he dropped by on his way to school to pick up the key. Lovely friendly person who went out of his way to make our stay in his town memorable.  He was telling us there are not enough buildings at the schools for the students so they have half the students coming in the morning, the other half in the afternoon and no sign of that changing.  Again the people here seem to have little faith in their government but it does seem a little more prosperous than Bosnia.
A lot of buildings half finished though and abandoned as if the money has run out. Old decrepit cars, still a lot of Yugo cars made in the old Yugoslavia last made in 1981.
Kraljevo - Krusevac  80 km.
We took a parallel rural road which was interesting, small holdings growing produce, we overtook lots of tractors and trailers carrying the cabbages and red capsicums to market, everyone friendly, waving and smiling. Not a great day in the food ordering department, lost in translation again. The coffee did come in a big cup but was undrinkable, later we ordered lunch and got enormous bread buns, salad and then 2 meat patties nearly as big as bread and butter plates and an inch thick... Massive hamburgers, not quite what we expected.
We stayed right in the centre of Krusavac and enjoyed an evening out. The main street in the towns gets closed off to cars around 7 pm and becomes a walking only street, the people who live in the nearby apartments enjoying coffee, ice cream or beer,  shopping or watching cable TV, mainly sport, the Serbian basketball team was doing well in the euro league so everyone was out watching the game. Not a lot of restaurants, more fast food or takeaways, hamburgers, pizza, kebabs.  Nice looking people, most quite tall, but quite clearly a very mono culture.
It felt too hot to go anywhere the next day so we had a quiet day off the bike.
We heard the main road to Bulgaria and Sophie was really busy and lined with tunnels so we opted for the longer steeper border crossing more south.
Krusevac - Prokuplje 80 km
Country rds, we stopped for ice cream at a shop and the lady and elderly gentleman there were thrilled to bits to see foreigners. Coffee and photos and  maps being drawn and animated discussions took place. I think they believed if they repeated it over and over louder each time then we would eventually understand what they were trying to tell us. Luckily a sales rep dropped by,  she spoke English and translated, turned out the road we were on soon became a dead end and we needed to take a different rd which was under construction, so that was helpful and saved us unnecessary kms in what was a long hilly day.
The alphabet here is cryillic and makes the road sign reading really difficult, in the main cities it is written in English letters as well but not in the country places. It was hard to match our map with where we wanted to go but we figured it out, found a nice hotel and enjoyed another evening strolling the town with the locals.
More churches and old monastries to visit in this area.
Poorer as we went south, rubbish tips on the outskirts of villages just dumped anywhere. Basic housing and as usual lots of people stocking up on firewood. 
Prokuplje - Leskovac 73 km
Straighter flatter roads parallel to the new motorway but we decided it must have been a toll road as all the traffic was still on the road we were on! About 6 km from our stopping place, about 3 pm a guy on his way home from work cycled beside us and insisted we come to his place for coffee. His house was right beside the road and his wife and mother were there too. As well as his dog called Linda... A big house and section, lots of fruit trees and garden. So coffee first, followed quickly by Snapps and lots of food, tomatoes, Snapps,cheese, Snapps, walnuts, pears, more Snapps, it was hilarious, basically playing charades to communicate, he showed us his supply of home made Snapps, he had over 300 litres. More Snapps... it took a supreme effort to get away but was a very enjoyable couple of hours. On to the motel complex we were heading too, only to find it full with 2 bus loads of Polish tourists, "a very unusual situation" the chap in reception told us. The camping area was not very nice but we got talking to a Hungarian couple in a camper van, another half hour gone, then we moved a few hundred metres to look at the next accommodation option only to be stopped on route by a cafe owner, shouting us beer and trying to give us free food. I left Trevor happily being entertained for a bit and sorted a room at the next place before it too was full. So the last 6 km took us over 5 hours... But great fun.
Leskovac - Trans in Bulgaria 98 km
We had to spend all our Serbian money so stocked up on a few things at a village on route to Bulgaria and a few more potato pastries.  Another conversation with a local who told us the Serbians are used to being called the bad guys himself included even though he was only 10 when the war began. A legacy that seems will remain a long long time.
Then it was up, up and up, 30 km up. And tough. Amazing what we will do to avoid tunnels. Then a great fast 15 km down to the border crossing into Bulgaria about 4 pm. It was a Saturday, no money exchange places at the border and the first day of a 4 day national holiday. No banks open until Wednesday... Hmm... Hope they take euros...

Bosnia Herzegovina, 14000km and some scary days...

September 2015
Coatia to Bosnia, Plitvice to Bihac -35 km
The easiest border crossing so far, just a cruisy 15 km on a quiet road, no mountains or rivers to cross. Croatian and Bosnian officials side by side, exit one country enter the next. A little bit of excitement when a Dutch camper van driver knocked out the security camera, lots of raised voices and heated discussion but the guards with the guns held the power... Interesting to note the camper did not overtake us as we headed for our destination so it may have been turned back. He was being rather aggressive.
We arrived in Bihac, Checked out the tourist office, got an accommodation recommendation, exchanged some money then headed off to 'Grandma's place' . Actually I think it was more like Great Grandma's... Complete with sear sucker bed spreads on divan beds and a chain smoking worker retiling the bathroom. We had to ask him to leave everytime we needed to use it...But the lady was lovely bringing us bowls of grapes and numerous apples and offering us coffee.
Just 35 km in and the change is evident. The country has that unkempt look and feel, rubbish lying around, quite untidy looking. Stray dogs... Lots more houses with signs of  the war still apparent, unrepaired bullet holes and signs warning of land mines. (Photo) Much poorer than what we saw of Croatia. Cafes everywhere selling mainly coffee. It seems the poorer the country, the more unemployment, the more coffee houses and places for people to gather.
We wandered the town, Trevor found a dentist who replaced a filling for $10 euro. Quite upmarket premises and a lovely lady dentist.
Bosnia is mostly Muslim with a lot of Mosques but it does not seem to override their everyday life. Mostly the women do not wear the hijab (head covering), A European feel still exists.

Just 22 km up the road
It was raining when we left Grandma, she was very concerned that we would get wet, well that was my interpretation, she spoke as much English as we spoke Bosnian - zilch (these ex Yugoslavian countries all speak the same language) and she loaded us up with more apples...
We waited a while at a cafe then headed off about 11.30  slightly uphill into deteriorating weather, foggy misty cloud and driving rain. I felt really bad, the virus continuing to sap all my energy. Just 22 km and we happened upon a newly opened lodge that seemed pretty much in the middle of nowhere. That was my call to quit for the day. Beautifully appointed rooms, a hot shower and I slept all afternoon. Lucky Trevor had a book as there was no TV or WiFi and the generator went off at 10 pm to be replaced by candles... Also lucky we had enough food with us so we didn't need to eat at the overpriced (in our opinion) restaurant!
Near Bihac - Kljuc 75 km
Lovely breakfast then off we went into clearing skies. We were nearly at the top of the climb so it was flat cycling after that for most if the day. Not much traffic at all and not much along the way just farm and agriculture land. We seemed to have acquired the celebrity status once more, with kids waving and cars tooting. Only one hotel on the outskirts of town, there was noone there when we arrived but the bush telegraph must have worked because soon after the manager showed up, later in the evening another 2 couples checked in which was nice as it felt a bit odd being the only ones there.
Kljuc - Jajce 75 km
Again an easy day towards more of a tourist destination by a lake and an interesting area where there were lots of little huts/mills (photo) that were used in the past, the water powering the wheat grinding. A nice day and a campground near the lake so we stopped and set up camp.
Jajce - Travnik 80 km, Who let the dogs out??
We looked around the nearby town and old fort area, enjoyed the yummy pastries stuffed with potato, (apple pastries in Croatia, potato, meat or cheese here) and had a chat to a local, it seems they are a bit fatalistic about their country and government, not believing they can change anything or make a difference. Unemployment is really high, 30-40% , there appears to be no industry and they all say corruption is very bad. A lot of the Croatians who were living in Bosnia have moved to Europe looking for work now that Croatia has joined the EU. 
Then it was off through some awful tunnels on the way out of town and quite a climb later in the day. It is quite a hilly country with small roads up the valleys. Lots of scary dogs about. I have got better at stopping, yelling and picking up a rock, seems to work...although when there are a few of them together it is not nice. The traffic increased heaps when the road we were on joined another busier one. It was cooling down when we finally found a place to stay and dark when we headed out to eat about 7.30, Autumn seems to be on its way.
Travnik to Sarejevo 98 km
We left early, a real nip still in the air. The traffic was manic, a really built up industrial area that went for about 20 km with lots of trucks on the narrow rd. The drivers aren't bad - there is just no etiquette around cyclists because there are so few so they pass very close.  We rode on the footpaths whenever we could until we turned off onto what looked like it would be a quieter option. It was slightly better but no shoulder on the road so Trevor added half a tree to his bike (photo) to increase the distance between him and the vehicles. It seemed to help. They definitely had to slow down before overtaking. We made good time, stopping for lunch at a very local diner... we devoured a whole chicken and bread, they seem to cook everything here on a spit. A bit of a climb over a hill later then down towards the city of Sarajevo.
Trevors love (not!) of cities has not changed and he made murmurings of camping 15 km out of town! That seemed completely pointless to me so I had to drag him along right into the heart of Sarajevo. The road turned into a fast expressway for about 10 km which was a bit disconcerting but finally ended and we cruised along the bike path for another 10 km up to the old city and through what used to be known in the war as Snipers Alley. We found an apartment very close to the centre and only 25 euro so we were all set and enjoyed a wander around the old city later in the evening, although we were really tired, lots of gorgeous old buildings. It's not a huge city but quite long and narrow surrounded by hills. Interesting to visit given its past history and hearing about it over the years. (Photos)
There are many many grave yards all over the country similar to the one in the photo, they are the war cemeteries. So many young men died.
We did a bit of sightseeing, resting and eating the next day and I tried not to think too much about the tunnels I could see on the road leading out of the city... (photo)
Sarajevo - Gorazde 86 km
About an hour out of Sarajevo we decided we had had enough of Bosnia. We had ridden through 6 more very scary, long dark tunnels, more about them later...,  Trevor had attached another half a tree to his bike because traffic was bad and we were loaded up with stones to throw at the snarling dogs! But we were still a day and a halfs riding from the border with Serbia. Thankfully the road petered out to a quiet one and the dogs gave up.
After 45 km there was a choice of roads which 2 local guys discussed with us in detail,  25 km on gravel through a gorge with many long unlit tunnels or 35 km up and over a mountain. It was a no brainer for me, I was off towards the hill, Trevor finally followed trying to find out where the logic was in my decision making. I was confident I could ride the hill, but not sure I could face the stress of more tunnels. That's all the logic I needed! So up we went, a steep long but nice ride to a summit (photo) before winding down to the town. It was the kind of climb that really deserved a sign with a name at the top but there was none, it became to us the 'Col de No tunnels... ' We slept well, very tired and I was comforted with the fact that I had avoided many tunnels... Ignorance is bliss aye?
Gorazde to a campground in Serbia, 75 km
The first 15 km lulled us into a false sense of security, a nice ride then we crossed a river and headed up a narrow gorge.
It was deceiving at first, we could only see one tunnel at a time. After the first 2 which were both over a km long I really started to get anxious because by then I could see them all ahead.  There was no choice but to continue, no way were we going back to Sarajevo and no way was there any transport option through them, we had not seen a single pick up truck or ute over the entire week. Let me explain these tunnels. Some have a few lights near the entrance and exit then the lights are visible in the ceiling but do not go, some have no lighting at all. The odd one is lit sporadically all the way through but basically they are big black.holes in the rock. They vary in length, the shorter ones 300 - 400 metres, but a lot 800 metres plus and some over a km with corners to navigate.
We settled on a simple strategy early on, the faster you go the quicker you get through... The main stress is the noise, it doesn't matter which direction the cars or trucks are coming from, the sound reverberates from everywhere and it sounds as if there is a freight train coming right at you. Plus you feel invisible as it is so dark at times.
So picture this...
Sun glasses off...
Flouro jacket on...
Rear facing flashing red lights attached to bikes and helmets.
One bright night light that Trevor has to hold by hand to shine for both of us.
We wait, about 50 metres from the entrance, sometimes quite a while, for traffic to lessen or at least not to be coming right up behind us.
Ready set go and I hit the tunnel at speed going like the clappers, as if not only is there a freight train chasing but 5 rabid dogs, the adrenaline pumping and soon yelling, "shine the light, shine the light, its getting dark, I can't see... " and Trevor yelling "well you're going too fast, I can't hold the light and change gear at the same time, slow down, you are going 35 km per hour uphill... " then a car or truck or 3 whizz by not slowing down at all, scaring the living daylights out of us and this continues until we exit...
22 tunnels later...actually I lost count. What a morning, although I must say we did get a little more in sync the more we did. We were in the middle of one just before a town and a convoy of cars came into it towards us, a wedding party I think, blasting their horns, I think our ears are still ringing. Then a puppy decided to join us scampering along barking and yelling all the way through 3 tunnels, just what we needed, a little more mayhem! It took a long descent to get rid of him.
Not sure if the actual risk was as great as it felt but never the less it was very scary.
Finally out of what was actually a lovely scenic gorge and towards the Serbian border. No love lost between these countries, exit Bosnia/Herzegovina then it is another few kms to the Serbia border control. Onwards and up and up and what do we get to another tunnel, straight through the hillside, 898 metres.
Successfully navigated the other side opened out into a huge high plain and it was a quick downhill to a campground. A pear Snapps was poured on arrival, good thing it was too strong for me as after surviving that day I may have over indulged! I settled for the peppermint tea instead then we put up our tent amongst the pear trees.
So an interesting week, another country crossed, but definitely not a cycling paradise.