Back in the U.K.

Dear All,
Just to let you know that I am safe and nothing serious has happened to me. Rubber still on the road and me still on top!
Over the last 3 weeks of the journey,I got pretty depressed and quite lonely and in particular this got worse when I was in Hungary. Since this has happened before, and I recognised it quickly, I took rapid action and rode back home from Lake Balaton over three days.  I have been back at home for 3 weeks now and am feeling much brighter.....I had begun to feel isolated as very few people in Romania or Hungary spoke much English, it was mostly German and I can't do conversation in German.  So, I spent three weeks simply asking for petrol or a room or "what is the bill" for meals, and despite seeing many lovely places there was nobody to discuss it with or share the feelings.   The weather was pretty good for the first two weeks back home and I got stuck into several outstanding jobs and soon started to feel brighter.  I have all my photos labelled and know what they all were and can recall all the trip, so when I get a few moments, I will finish the travelogue both for myself and for the great people who have followed it and encouraged me.  When I arrived back home I had covered 6184 miles (9895km) in 9 weeks.
Best wishes,  Doc

Romania, ….Wow!....surprise after surprise

Sorry, again the beginnings of a post  to be continued. Photos for this and the end of the Bulgaria blog will be added as soon as possible.

Constantja is not the best place to see to get a feel for Romania. Like Varna, it too has some enormous shipyards on the outskirts, and really is not the most attractive of places. A lot of it is very run down and the one thing that was true about Romania here, as well as elsewhere, is that there is clearly an inadequate amount of cash about to be able to properly restore or preserve properties that fall into disrepair. It was the place that the Romans despatched Ovid, the Roman poet, to when he fell into disgrace in Rome. It is said that he hated Constantja, which is only to be expected as then it would have been a bit like being deported from high society in London to live in Milton Keynes. I am quite pleased to have discovered this since Ovid gave me no end of trouble when I was at school, and the knowledge that he passed his final days in a trading outpost of the Roman Empire gives me great satisfaction.

Constantja is a strange town, pretty run down for the most parts but with some interesting features. On the centre square, Place Ovidius (they have at least adopted the excile poet as theirs) is a statue of Ovid, outside the large archaeological museum. Everywhere they dig they find ancient bits of previous civiliastions. Close by is one of the longest Roman mosaic pavements but this is covered by something that looks rather like a tatty bus terminal. Around this area where the pavement was found were Roman warehouses which contained spices and oils in jars. The area was virtually destroyed by an earthquake and these warehouses collapsed and were hidden under debris for centuries, but when the pavement and the remains of the warehouses were found they found many of the earthenware jars, some even in tact, and the oils and spices had congealed and become almost fossiled, so you can actually see the contents, still in the shape of the urns in which they were stored.( all in the “bus shelter”.) Adjacent to this there were a couple of quite lovely rococco buildings, both unoccupied and almost wasting away, and indeed there are many similar buildings in Contantja which deserve restoration, but which, during the recent decades of austerity have been left to rot. Noticeable for not being allowed to rot is the large central church, rich and opulent as so many are. I think if there is one thing that really has hit me on this trip, it is that the Formal Church, and by that I mean both Orthodox and Catholic, have almost disgusted me beyond measure everywhere I have been. I accept that some of them have been the most beautiful things I have seen, but the enormous wealth of their treaures, icons, gold, works of art, and the fact that all of them are selling stuff or charging for admission, is such an enathema to the teachings of Jesus and in the climate of surrounding poverty. ( I remember the priest at Glamoc in Bosnia, after the civil war in 1997. People had no houses to live in, and all he wanted was money to replace the bell in his church tower. In Livno, Rome provided the Catholic church with the money to rebuild their church and add a huge seminar and study centre to it for visting artisans, when people around had nothing.)

I do accept that they are built “ to the glory of God”, but I do not feel that this excuses the actions of amassing vast fortunes when people on their doorsteps are suffering such hardships. It is still hard to follow the teaching of “give everything away and follow me”, and clearly we cannot look to “The Church” to set this example.

Enough of this preaching. Despite this I have to admit that for the pure beauty of them, many of the churches and monasteries I have seen have been outstanding, although that doesn't make it right.   

Bulgaria,Veliko Tarnovo, the suffering of Bulgaria, and Varna is not as bad as I thought!

View across the gorge from my room

"clinging to the edge of the gorge"

Back streets Veliko tarnovo

Back street Veliko

From the Shipka Pass, I rejoined the originally targeted twisty valley road for another 30 miles into Veliko Tarnovo, a small town of some considerable delight, which used to be an ancient royal seat.  Veliko is set on the side of an S-shaped gorge with the river, whose name I can neither spell nor pronounce, but is written something like AHPTA in cryllic, flowing deep below the houses on the main street.  Many of these house just cling to the hillside and the hotel I found was such, in that the view from my bedroom window looked directly across the S, to the the Asenovsti Park with the State Art Museum and the Asenevs Monument, of four Bulgarian Kings.  It was a lovely view to start the visit.  The winding back streets of Veliko Tarnovo

The approach ramp to Tsarevets

 fan out from the north side of the main street.  A bit like Plovdiv, they frequently had projecting upper stories to their houses. Here is an area of restaurants, small hotels and artisans. There are many museums and churches all open to view, but I was actually more

Me sat on Tsarevets wall

 enthralled simply by the atmosphere of the place than by any specific attraction.  I arranged to stay two days, partly just for a chill out and partly to write some blog. The one place I really enjoyed though, despite the fact that there was no shade and it was about 38 degrees in the sun, was the huge triangular fortress, Tsarevets Castle.  This is a site which has been occupied over millenia by Thracians, Byzantines in the 5thC BC, and then Romans,  and the remains of what is there now was largely constructed over about 600 years from the 5th C and includes the foundations of some 400 buildings inside the walls.  Between the 10th and 14th century it was the political and ecclestiastical capital for the Tsars (Kings) of Bulgaria. The entrance from the main street is a long cobbled ramp, built high across the gorge on massive stone walls.  There is a gap in this,before the main gateway, where a drawbridge used to give access, although that is long since replaced with a

The Patriarchs' Monument
on summit of Tsarevets Fortress

Footings of ancient house Tsarevets

 wooden ramp.  The outer curtain wall is impressive to say the least, stretching across for almost a kilometre, with intermittent watchtowers.
Inside, walkways lead around the excavations and gradually up to the top of the hill on which there is now what used

to be an orthodox church, but is now named The Patriarchs' Monument.  The inside has been painted with modern murals, mainly in sepia with vivid interruptions of reds and ochres, and it portrays the centuries of suffering by the Bulgarian people. On what used to be the main altar wall, in similar style, a

Mural in the Patriarchs'
Monument

Madonna and child has been painted, presumably the only ray of hope that they could find to illuminate their very mirky past.   I have to say that I have never seen anything like them, and the

Scenes of abject misery

 more I looked at them, the more they disturbed me.  I suppose that there is an element of need for interpretation of the stories which they depict, but it reinforced my view that the Bulgarians have had more than their fair share of problems over the centuries.  They deserve a bit of a break now.  I read in the Lonely Planet Guide that someone had asked how they felt about now being accepted into the EU after 60 years under the communist regime.  The reply was that only time would tell. That they had spent centuries under the Romans, 500 years under the Ottomans, and only 60 under the communists.  They thought that it was much to early to believe that everything would now come right just because they had joined the EU!   Well, inside the capitalist system, for one of the poorest countries in Europe, they might be right to be wary.  I hope it works out for them.  They deserve a thousand year break!

Execution Rock

Incidentally, on the extreme north corner of the Castle walls, there are the remains of what used to be a monastery and a courthouse. At the back of these buildings, the wall is absent and the pavement simply stretches out on to the flat surface of a large rock with overhangs the gorge 150 feet below. This is the site, in the medieval period, of executions, where those found guilty at the court were whipped round to the monastery for the last rights before being thrown off "Execution Rock". At least no hanging about on death row in those days, simply out of the back door and over the cliff!  Yes, by golly, these guys really have had a rough time!




PHOTOS FOR THIS NEXT BIT WILL FOLLOW....only had time to finish the story...Doc

Almost across the southern part of Europe from the Adriatic I am now within reach of The Black Sea coast, and I left Veliko Tanovo for Varna.  The guide books say that this is the most popular area on this coast and it is hard to find a hotel in high season as all the locals come here.    In the communist era it was even more crammed as people from across the whole of Yugoslavia and down from the USSR came here as well, although I believe that it was not so popular with them as the Ukrainian coast.I almost missed Varna. I know it sounds stupid but the satnav doesn't work in most of these countries except to show major routes between major cities, so when I rocked up at Varna, I firstly aimed for the sea and found myself at the docks. They were big, with ship repair yards as well, so, I followed the coast road until I finally almost made it to a beach. I had thought that Old Varna, the interesting part was just inland from here but when I tried to get there I found myself on a one way system and before I knew where I was I was on the coast road north out of Varna again. I was quite tired and thought that I would try and find a hotel and then perhaps look for the coast again the following day. I found myself following a road to a monastery again and ended up at a massive holiday resort  called St Constaninja and St Helena, on the coast which was full of hotels and I actually thought for a full day that I had found Varna centre. The only problem was that it was really like a funny hats type holiday resort and had scores of stores selling all sorts of souvenirs and cheap jewellery and numerous bars and cafes. There was actually a monastery of sorts where the healing waters (which also supply the swimming pool mentioned later!) have apparently been the source of many miracles if drunk at the monastery!  I suspect that if they were drunk at the swimming pool they may have the opposite effect.  It did have a beach though, of sorts. I went to the one where there was this “ natural mineral pool” on the first day. This turned out to be a normal swimming pool but fed apparently by a warm mineral water spring, as indeed was the monastery's.. The actual beach had a decaying concrete wall to it and the sea was right in. Nobody used the beach at all. It also started to spot with rain and neither the attraction of the pool, nor the beach was enough to keep me there. So, I started to walk around the resort and actually found another rather better beach about 500 yards further round the coast. This one actually did have a proper beach and I decided the next day to go there instead. Meanwhile, although the rain had stopped I returned to the hotel and studied the map and the guide book. I realised that I was actually not in Varna any longer but on one of the many resort areas. The guidebook listed a number of sites to see in Varna proper including an old lighthouse, a great park and interesting old centre which is pedestrianised. I did go to the beach for an hour the following morning but by 11.30 is was so stinking hot I couldn't cope with it even with the sea to cool off in. I also realised that lying on a beach on your own is extremely miserable and also means that when you do go for a dip you have to constantly watch your towel and our clothes(and camera and watch and money in your trouser pocket etc). So after an hour or so of sweating and dipping, I left the beach and went back to the bike to ride into Varna, which, this time I found. So, Varna was not as bad I I had thought at first, in fact there is indeed a very pleasant old town centre. I kept in the shade and stopped frequently for drinks, but managed to see a lot and enjoyed it. The old lighthouse was actually a bit disappointing. I had expected to see some massive obelisk of an ancient Pharo light, but the tower was dwarfed by the surrounding trees and, next to the large and rather beautiful building, which I thought originally was a very grand hotel but turned out to be either a naval or army academy. This was heavily guarded by guys with sub machine guns and there were a lot of inflatable craft covered in nets in the side yard. It seemed like some sort of school for Marines. I did not think it was wise to ask at the gate what it was, since there were no photograph signs and stuff around. Just along the coast through the park, was a military museaum which had several large exhibits in and outside it's grounds. I did not actually go in, but noticed some very interesting things outside. The first was a ship, that I first thought was a submarine, but it had a funnel. In fact it was a first world war torpedo ship, a predecessor to submarines, and it had an entirely enclosed hull, so presumably travelled along the surface almost submerged but not quite. The torpedo tubes were alongside on the upper deck and looked as if they would have needed sailors to man and fire them from the deck. The other thing that I am sure was there, although I have never seen one before, was a second world war German V-rocket, or “doodle bug” as they were called, mounted on a mobile launcher. I remember seeing pictures of them in old copies of The Illustrated London News which my Grandad and Granny had at their house in the early 50's. If anyone can actually confirm what this is, please let me know. Finally, the place I had headed to, The Medicine Museum. This was a lovely small museum in an old hospital, which in itself was worth seeing. It had been built by a generous benefactor and was largely original inside except that the rooms were now used to house exhibits . They started with prehistoric finds of skulls and bones illustrating early trephining of skulls, serious injuries and also bone diseases of early settlers of the area. In other rooms were surgical and other medical instruments and gadgets, some of which even I remember, and one, the Higginson's ear syringe, which I own and still use in preference to the new electrical syringes! The other thing that they had was dental equipment. I wished that my sister had been there to laugh with me. The chair they showed with the drill driven by a long rotating band was described as being early 20^th century. It was exactly identical to the chair, drill and spittoon used by the dentist we had as children, Mr Bell. It almost brought back the horrors we suffered there in the 1950's. It seems to suggest that Mr Bell never updated his equipment from stuff that he inherited or bought second hand when he set up his practice!

Finally one other thing at the Medicine Museum was a beautiful sculpted frieze which showed healers of antiquity including in the centre, Aesculapius, Hygiea and Hippocrates.

So, Varna was actually not all that bad, and I am glad that I bothered to go back to find it properly rather than just ignoring it and moving on.

In fact, the resort was not that bad a place to stay. I had a very comfortable hotel, with excellent air conditioning which I really needed, and there were two places at which I enjoyed eating. The first, I went for two evenings as they had an excellent singer as entertainment. The second I found after wandering about following a meal at the first. Here they had a cabaret of Bulgarian dancers doing traditional folk dances. The music and the dances were terrific and I enjoyed an evening there before leaving Varna for Romania the next day and Constantja, a Black Sea township further up the coast.

I enjoyed Bulgaria and am certain that here is a lot more to see and visit here. I was most moved by the story of the battle of Shipka Pass and the significance that it had in this part of Europe, something that we, as islanders, probably have never even considered.

Best wishes, Doc.

Best wishes, Doc

This is especially for my BMW dealers: For Alan Jefferies' BMW at Shipley

Dear Richard and all at Alan Jefferies', ( and anybody else who wants to look....it's not private!)

I hope that you will enjoy seeing some pictures of my trip with my new bike.  If you want to use them at all you are welcome but they are probably not good enough for any sort of commercial use!

Setting off on July 10th from Earby

They are all just dotted about but there is a label under them which tells you where it was taken.

With my wife, Ann,who spent two weeks riding with me,
on top of the Vrsic Pass in Slovenia....Brilliant ride on
 cobbled hairpins!
( Not so sure she enjoyed it all as much as I did!)

In the village of Sumnjajce,Glamoc Valley, Bosnia

On side of Kotor Bay, Montenegro

Youngster tries it for size in Tirane, Albania

On the Elbasan Pass, Albania

Meeting with Macedonian bikers in Negotino

Off roading in Vojsanci, Macedonia

On the Shipka Pass, Bulgaria

Heavy traffic off roading at Viscri, Romania

Off road again at village of Viscri, Romania

Bucharest Police...good taste!

A bit of the 54 mile Transfagarasan "Highway"
Ceaucescu's military road over the Fagaras Mountains,
Transylvania 

On the way down the Transfagarasan

So, all you guys, I hope you enjoy the pictures so far.  Off to Pecs and Lake Balaton and then Budapest while here in Hungary, and then move on to Slovakia, The Czech Republic, Poland, Berlin and Holland and back home about the 25th September.

Best wishes, Doc

Bulgaria, and the defence of Christendom.

I had been a little concerned about both Bulgaria and Romania. To me they were complete unknowns. The guide books say especially to be wary of theft of property and vehicles, and the languages are totally alien. However, I need not have worried, as both countries were just fabulous apart from some communication problems and the fact that it was too hot for my temperate English body thermostat. The temperatures were consistently between 34 and 40 degrees and the most comfortable times were riding and creating my own breeze, in a cold shower, or on a couple of occasions in an air conditioned hotel room. The biggest problem, well hardly a problem as I was not in any sort of a rush, was the roads in both countries. Hardly any dual carriageways or motorways except a couple, and all the roads are in varying states of repair and frequently very tortuous. If I say that my average speed for the whole journey, and that includes the trip from Yorkshire to Slovenia, which averaged 84m.p.h., has been 36.5 m.p.h (about 58km for the foreigners!) you get some idea of how fast you can travel. To get an idea of what these countries history is like, they say that you can dig almost anywhere where there is a settlement, and very soon start digging out artefacts from two millennia of previous occupants. They have both been hot melting pots of civilisations from all points of the compass, both passing through and trading with, and overwhelming, subjecting and enslaving, for centuries

Helen of Troy by
Evelyn de Morgan

After staying at the beautiful Kriva Palanka monastery in Macedonia, I travelled towards Sofija, the capital of Bulgaria, although I had already decided that I did not want to go there but head out over the wonderfully named Plains of Thrace to Plovdiv. This is the area first mentioned by Homer in the Iliad, that was inhabited by the fierce Thracians, the tribes that fought alongside Troy against the Greeks when dear old Helen, a hot piece of stuff by all accounts and already married to Greek King Menelaus, “launched the thousand ships” after having a torrid encounter with the young and no doubt equally hot Trojan Prince, Paris. I say hot because I wonder myself how anybody finds the energy in this heat to have any sort of extended or very satisfying relationship? Anyway, back to the Thracians; nobody is actually quite sure from whence these people originated, but they were Indo-Europeans and very much feared in battle. On the plains of Thrace, are several burial mounds which are known to be of Thracian Kings. A couple have been dug up and certainly one is open to view, although the artefacts have gone to a museum in the capital. More about that later. The plains are vast open areas of mixed range, and 

farmland ,with mountains visible on the north and south horizons where the plains end. 

The Plain of Thrace

Goats on The Plain of Thrace

Here they breed sheep and goats tended in flocks by shepherds who live out with their flocks. 
They grow, sunflowers, maize and barley to make oil, feed their livestock and make beer, so it seems that they have a pretty balanced view of land husbandry.

Plovdiv street

Plovdiv house

Plovdiv is right in the middle of the Plains. It has been settled for centuries. When you come into the town it seems a mass of concrete towers and apartments in varying states of repair although reasonably clean. Across the river and around a few back streets, suddenly one passes a bit of wall and a sign pointing to the centre. This, on a motorbike is quite a challenge. The old town is built on a hill and the roads are paved with massive irregular smooth stones. It is a maze of small streets, some no wider than 8 or 10 feet. The houses are all about 200 to 250 years old and are typically built with an overhanging first floor.

I manoeuvred the bike up a small passage with a steep and sharp 

Plovdiv Houses

 ninety degree bend on these irregular stones and found a quite nice small hotel where I stayed for a couple of days. They had a garage underneath to park as well, which was a bonus. Plovdiv was quite difficult to explore as there was no local information centre and the tourist map from the hotel had names spelt in cryllic. As you climb the narrow streets, uncomfortable under foot because of the size of the boulder-like cobbles, there are many very quaint houses, some in excellent condition and some completely beyond any form of restoration. There just isn't the money to preserve these private properties. The great highlight was that at the top of the town suddenly, you come across an enormous and well restored Roman Amphitheatre, still used today for concerts and plays. The most extraordinary thing about it was that this had originally had a stage front

Plovdiv amphithetre

Top row curved
marble backrests

which had been used for plays and recitals and where the Roman high dignitaries would have sat when meeting the High representatives of the Thracian monarchy. Here also they watched gladiatorial spectacles in view of the riff-raff. It originally had a three storey pedacled stage and about a third of it had been restored 

In addition to the amphitheatre, on another hill close by was the remains of an ancient fortress, with pre-Roman beginnings, dating back to Thracian times. Not well preserved, and much of it covered in litter and graffiti, it is a popular place for people from the modern city to meet and stroll over the top in the evenings.

Ottoman merchant's house

Ancient hill fortress

Other delightful buildings include an Ottoman merchant's house which is truly beautiful with amazing frontage and shutters, and a very lovely monastery with frescoes on the outside porch.

Frescoes Plovdiv Monastery

I met some very pleasant French people here too, who, when they saw that I was alone at dinner, invited me to their table afterwards for coffee and drinks. Some people can be so kind and it is so much welcomed when travelling alone. Somewhat of a strain on my French though! There are many French visitors here and the Bulgarians are more likely to speak some French or German than any .Plovdiv was a nice place to take a couple  days out and actually do very little although I wrote the end of Ann's and my holiday bit here (although, that reminds me I still have some photos to load up for Montenegro and Albania which I'll do shortly).

Thracian kings'burial mound 

On leaving Plovdiv, in the centre of the Plains of Thrace, I headed north towards the mountains where I saw the aforementioned Kings' burial mounds. I went to visit the one that was open for visitors, but now it seems it is not, unless you can read Bulgarian and know where to ask for the caretaker to open it, There is a horrible concrete house built over the entrance, clearly being reasonably looked after as there is an air conditioning unit working to keep the tomb cool and dry. There is a car park for 

 couple of dozen cars , empty, overgrown grass around the path to the house and litter strewn around. So sadly I left and headed up the road towards Veliko Tarnovo. 


En route, I came across a town called Shipka, mostly because I noticed a huge gold onion tower on the hillside and went to see what it was. It turned out to be a church built as a memorial to soldiers of the Russian Army and Bulgarian Volunteer Army who died in a series of battles starting with the Defence of Shipka Pass, 

Shipka Memorial Church

the nearby mountain route northwards. This church has the plaques of all the names of the Russian and  soldiers who died in defence of the pass, and an ossuary underneath with the bones of 330 of them in a sacred chapel in 12 plain marble tombs. It is a stunning building and made me want to learn more about what had actually happened.

Inside the Memorial Church

It was difficult to ask to find out more about these battles, so I left Shipka and continued on the main road towards Veliko Tarnovo. Only 3 miles up the road however it was completely closed for re-surfacing and I was turned back to a diversion, which of course, I had not been able to read when I had approached Shipka. How very lucky this was! I was diverted up a small side road northwards which, it turned out, WAS the Shipka Pass, the original old road, before the one I had intended to travel had been built. Not only was this a splendid twisty ride up through the mountains, but it took me to the very spot of the battles and superb views and a fascinating history.

Russian UFO Monument

The twisty road was steep and good fun with somewhat cloudy views from the mountain as I ascended. I arrived after about an hour at a huge hairpin bend, overlooked by a large hill on which was built something that looked like an enormous flying saucer. This, it turns out, is a Soviet monument to the battles at Shipka Pass. It is now deserted, empty, and closed off from the public but remains a legacy of the soviet occupation of Bulgaria in recent times. A massive USSR style statue of two hands together at the roadside reflects the struggle of the two armies side by side in defeating the Turks and holding the pass in 1877.

Bikers unite, Shipka Pass

While I was paused here, a couple of lads turned up on an old Bulgarian registered motorcycle. They were Italians on holiday and had bought the bike here in order to tour for a couple of weeks. I thought I had a lot of stuff just for me, but they were riding two up and seemed loaded. How they were managing to get up and down the hills, I don't know, but they seemed to be managing, despite the fact that they were quite big guys and the bike was a Honda Dominator NX 650 Enduro from about the mid 90's. They both had ruscksacks, so there wasn't much room on board when they were both on and left towards Shipka.

Shipka Pass Memorial Tower

I continued up over the pass and about 5 miles further on, noticed what seemed like a castle tower at first glance. I turned left up a side road to go and look at it and was confronted by masses of steps and a tower monument on a hill surrounded by crosses on small adjacent hillocks. This was the summit of the pass and the place of the famous battle. At the base were carved some emotive scenes of the struggle, which I did not understand until I had visited the museum here. Inside the 7 floors of the monument was an exhibition of artefacts from the time, battle plans, uniforms, paintings and portraits. To the south of the monument was a rocky hill, known as the Eagles Nest, where the Bulgarian volunteers had held off the Ottoman army even using rocks torn from the mountain as their ammunition ran low. Inside the museum, also, was an early mounted Gatling type of machine gun. 

Holding off the Ottoman Army

The Memorial tomb

Early Russian Gatling-type
mounted gun.

"The Eagles Nest"

Bulgarian and Russian
soldiers in freezing winters

In the basement, visible from a circular landing on the first floor, was the actual memorial with a marble statue of a Russian and Bulgarian soldier on guard at the head of the tomb where more of the dead had been interred. It seems that, not only did this small detachment of men resist the taking of the pass, but they drove the Ottoman's back, and then held the pass during severe winters when many of them froze to death. Reinforcements from Russia and Bulgaria eventually followed the Ottoman 

They repelled them with rocks
when ammunition ran low

 Army south and drove them out of South East Europe back to Turkey, so restoring Christendom to this part of Europe. It was a very moving museum and a most interesting visit to a place, that, apart from a road closure I might have missed altogether to my great loss.

It seems ironic that 80 years later, the Russians with their communist ideology, occupied the very same areas,which they had previously fought to liberate for a nation's freedom and for Orthodox Christianity.


I left the Shipka Pass after a great ride, and a fascinating and quite moving discovery of this great struggle against the Ottoman oppression.  What would Europe have been like now had these courageous men not laid down their lives back then to re-establish freedom: but, then again, for centuries, Europe has been at war either within itself or from outside, and I suppose that this is one of the sad facts that makes us who we all are. Indeed, it is perhaps the most essential thing to have shaped our histories, our culture, our languages, our architecture and our mixed bloods, the very essentials of the depth of our civilisations.  I do think now however, that the South East and Central European countries have borne rather more than their fair share of outsider aggression though!  How fortunate we are in the UK to live on an island, not that that is now as much of a defence against occupation as it used to be!  An aeroplane ticket seems to be all you need now to come and occupy us!

Bulgaria will continue in the next blog.

Best wishes,  yours Doc.

Just a quickie today.

Just a note to say that I am sorry that I am two countries behind, but will get round to writing about them this time, definitely....It's a question of finding a Wi-fi that works for a couple of hours with good speed and that is a bit of a problem.   I am actually now in Transylvania, in Sibiu, Romania.   Fabulous place even if it does owe most of it's famed towns villages and cities to the Saxons who settled here from Germany in the late 1600s.   More about this later but it really is all it's cracked up to be, beautiful countryside, amazing medieval villages, fortified churches, horses and carts, and desolate castles on hill tops.....no wonder with all this medieval stuff and the gothic buildings and old castles, and Prince Vlad Dracul III, ( Vlad the Impaler) who lived in the late 15th and early 16th C, Bram Stoker put together his wonderful tale of horror.   Bulgaria next time, hopefully towards the end of the week.
TOMORROW IS THE TRANSFAGARASAN HIGHWAY DAY!....check it out on the link above.!   Slightly scary because of other drivers predominantly, but I have looked forward to this all the time I have planned this trip.
TOP GEAR ALSO DROVE IT, but, of course they did it in a Porsche, an Aston and a Ferrari.

Best wishes, watch this space....Doc

Letter from Paul (definitely no Saint) to the Macedonians

When I have previously thought of Macedonia, I sort of associate it with biblical stuff...letters from St.Paul etc and I have to confess that, before I started to plan this trip, if you had asked me where Macedonia was exactly, I would not have been able to tell you. Well, Macedonia has had a chequered history of a couple of millennium, and more, of occupation by other peoples and so it has been associated with other countries rather than itself and it's own people. Even now, the ancient Macedonia is not what you see now as parts of it are still absorbed into northern Greece, southern Serbia and Eastern Bulgaria. The rows still continue, and despite wanting to be called Macedonia, in a recent bid for EU membership,(which they really ought to have), Greece vetoed their name, and their membership. What right Greece have exactly, with their record, is very debatable, but nonetheless they still have to call themselves the FYROM, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. That is as stupid as all the old Yugoslav countries having to do the same. Yugoslavia was a political bundle rather than a democratic alliance, but the problem is property, power, wealth and possession, and when borders have changed as a result of wars, even after the wars have stopped, it seems that, as always, the winners are those who can persuade, or buy,  allegiances in their struggles to maintain lands gained.

Well, I shall refer to the FYROM as Macedonia, influenced largely by how I enjoyed being there, and also, because I think they have an absolute right to call their country Macedonia, even if it is missing some captured bits.

Enough of this.  That is too much of a prologue when I know that attention spans in reading the blog can usually only be about 5 minutes.

Lakeside Ohrid

Central Ohrid

Old 11thC Church Ohrid

Inside the ancient church

Ancient clock tower Ohrid

Old buildings down side street Ohrid

Macedonia was a really beautiful country, still quite poor by western standards but with a wealth of the most beautiful countryside, fields, plains and mountains, and an amazingly friendly and hospitable people. I say that not simply because I met 6 lovely people personally, but because I had such a warm welcome by everybody I met. It was such a relief after the northern part of Albania, especially since Macedonia was a complete unknown.
The first place I went to was Ohrid, the most visited city in Macedonia and one of the most ancient settlements. It is on the shores of the beautiful Lake Ohrid,    ( where they have an endangered trout species). The impression is that one is at the sea, because it is an inland resort with a beach, but the old town is generally where most people visit. The outstanding place I saw was an 11thC church but this was built on the foundations of one from the 8thC. There were many interesting side streets with some lovely old houses. One of these housed a two room paperworks where the artisan is making paper in the ancient way from wood pulp suspended in water and stirred and sieved to a sheet which is left to dry. He also prints on this paper on a press that William Caxton would have recognised!

The old Officers' Club at Bitola

Villa on way into Bitola

Central Bitola

Off then to Bitola, another lovely surprise. The entry is down a 2 mile, run down boulevard with the river running down the centre of the dual carriageway. Each side is lined with villas, from the 18th/19th centuries, now mostly run down but still showing their heritage and still reclaimable. On the way in I was looking for the Hotel Capri as I have stated and I had my first run in with the law, a most pleasant and extraordinary experience which I think really typifies the warm hearted and welcoming people as I was to find out. The city centre is dowdy but beautiful with the old Imperial type of building all over it, mostly in a tatty condition but still rendering the place with considerable style. The Old "Officers' Club from the late 1800s being a classic example, though now closed since the Military Academy there, is long since become a museum. ( It was here that in 1912, Mustafa Kamel Ataturk, the revolutionary who was to be the founder of modern Turkey, did his military training.....no jokes about Mustafa camel please.....that was Lawrence of Arabia who often settled for a lot less!)

Back Row: Elena, Dean, Me, Goran, Djan
Front row, Alex(in trousers he has had since he was 12) and Oliver....yes that really is his full height. (He rides a 600cc  skate board)

From Bitola, I set out for an area in the mountains where they grow most of the grapes which used to make Yugoslavian wine so famous and well loved in the U.K. ( Yugoslavian Reisling was a favourite tipple in the 1960's) This area centres around Kavadarci and Negotino. I just rode through the region enjoying the countryside and the ride, and did not stop in Kavaraci since basically all I saw were lots of apartment blocks and some large wine processing plants. So for some reason I ended up coming into Negotino, the entrance to which reminded me a little of Bitola, though a lot less grand and more rural in nature. It was Monday 2nd August and I rolled up into the town square ablaze with sunshades and resturants but seemingly devoid of people. I had thought it was quiet everywhere before I arrived here, but apart from a dozen or so people there was very little. I sat at a table waiting for a drink but nothing happened and so I went to the cafe and asked the lass if I could have a coffee. She told me that it was a National Holiday for the founding of the country and she was on holiday and not working. However, typically again, she offered to make me a coffee and bring me an iced tea. I sat in the shade of the umbrella just chilling and noticed a chap came round several times on a motorcycle and stopped close by but then moved on. About the third time, he stopped. He came over to me and said hello and sat down asking me in excellent English, where I was from and was that my bike? I was a bit suspicious at first but he asked me if I would like to come to his house where he was expecting friends for dinner and his mother was cooking. It turns out that Goran Necev is an internal medicine doctor in Skopje, and, the same as me, his father was a doctor as is his brother, Alex. He was quite insistent and since I had nothing else planned I thought I would take a chance on a pleasant afternoon. That choice was the making of my trip to Macedonia and the absolute epitomy of the impression I already was gaining about the welcoming and warmth of the Macedonian people.  I followed Goran on his "motorcycle" (a Chinese 250 cc cruiser thing about which even his friends are rude, so I think I can be too!) to their family home where I met his delightful and welcoming mother, and his brother Alex.  afterwards, his friends arrived, Dean (Dan) with his girlfriend Elena, on his Yamaha 650, and Djan (John) and Oliver. We had a lovely meal together of a particular Macedonia style which was delicious and they all spoke brilliant English. English that was good enough to be able to joke and really understand and get to know each other. I loved them all very soon and know that we shall remain in contact. Isn't just amazing when you get these few hours together and just "click", despite the enormous difference in our ages!

Most of them could have been my children! After dinner, they decided to take me on a visit to local winery and so Dean and Elena, Goran and myself departed
on the bikes with Djan and Oliver in a car following. Oliver took some pictures of us riding on the way which was great as one seldom gets a picture of one actually ON the bike and moving.

Look....no feet on the floor

Amphitheatre at Scobi

Named seat in amphitheatre

The following day, Alex had offered to show me the archaeological site at Stobi, a few miles west of Negotino. He had his morning surgery in Negotino so we met after lunch in his "siesta period." It must have been nearly 40 degree when we strolled round the dig sites. Quite wonderful with enormous amount already discovered of the ancient Roman settlement which was at the junction of the two rivers. The two outstanding features for me were the

Pavement at Scobi

The Roman Baptistry

amphitheatre with the carvings of the Roman families names on the seats and the fact that there are original gladiatorial entrances. and perhaps the most beautiful of what has been discovered, a 4th C Basilica which has adjacent to it, a most beautiful mosaiced Baptistry which has two steps down and three steps out signifiying the baptism in the trinity. Predating this are many other Roman houses, and remnants of the Forum and also of a very large cauldarium or bath house. We were both dripping by the time we had finished, and we certainly did not need a hot bath house after this. It was sad to have to say goodbye to Alex, but he had to get back to his surgery and I had arranged to meet Goran near his apartment in Skopje, so we bade farewell to each other.

Old market place Skopje

Goran

I moved on in during the afternoon to Skopje, the capital city, where Goran works and we met and shared coffee at the street cafe next to his apartment,
where Oliver also rocked up and Dean and Elena. Goran and had I dinner together at one of the restaurants on the hillside overlooking the city. The following day he had taken as holiday and he took me on a guided tour of the old city and the castle. We also went into the amazing old market area, a place which sells the most beautiful fruit and vegetable and spices and herbs and almost anything else that one could possibly want. Note the stills for making home made brandy!  I felt as if I had known Goran and his friends for years and yet it was still less than 48hours. We ended up about mid afternoon in the modern centre at a cafe which is almost opposite the memorial building and statue of Mother Theresa who was a  Macedonian nun! ( well I bet less than 5 % of you knew that) (Just a thought, (bearing in mind what I have seen happen from the cabinets in the Cathedral at Kotor, )while she is waiting to see if she is granted a Sainthood.....do you suppose that they have kept her limbs and other bits ready to encase in gold as reliquaries around the world?  If so how many legs and arms do you reckon there may be?...I am sure she would prefer the money to go to the people she worked for rather than into the coffers of the Church.) Soon after we arrived, Dean also turned up to say goodbye. He works as the manager of a local radio station in Skopje and popped out "for a business meeting"!

Domestic size or kitchen size sir?

Mother Theresa statue. (Unfortunately,
 it does look slightly as if she is sitting on the loo,
 but you will notice her foot behind her, so I think
she is only genuflecting)

Dean and Goran "ride off into the sunset"

Yes, Skopje had a lot to see and is a pretty nice modern city although it feels like most others and there is little in particular that stands out. If there is one thing at all that I shall remember about Macedonia it is not the beauty of Ochrid, or the fascination of the old empires at Bitola or Stobi, and not the old Ottoman areas of Skopje; it is the remarkable warmth of its' people, especially these six. I know that, God willing, we shall meet again and hopefully ride together.

It was with a big lump in my throat that I left them all and said goodbye to Goran and Oliver who also came to see me off the following morning.   I set off for the Macedonia/Bulgaria border.

Monastaery at Kriva Palanka

The porch of the church at Kriva Palanka

As I approached the border town of Kriva Palanka, it was getting very cloudy and an ominous black cloud covered the mountains. I had hardly noticed it and hoped that I could make the last few miles without getting wet. Luck was not with me however and I rode into a curtain of torrential rain, from dry to soaking wet within a 3 minute period. I was absolutely drenched through but could not be bothered to stop at that stage and it was warm so I simply rode on. Water poured across the roads making riding dangerous and I stopped for half an hour inthe shelter of a service station on the outskirts of the town. I was heading for a famous monastery here which had a tradition of hosting travellers. It was some 3 miles up a mountain road to the south of the town. I climbed through a couple of tight hairpins on a narrow road and then crossed a small bridge over the steep gorge to the monastery. What a beautiful place! No longer an active Monastery, it has specialised in its role as a harbour to travellers, and although there was no room in the smart parts, the senior brother there offered me a dormitory bed which I actually had to myself for the night.(NOT THE BED.....the room!) My washing facility was in their laundry which had a hand basin

My dormitory

Onward, upward and eastward to Bulgaria

 between two washing machines and also had a shower and toilet, a bit public for my tastes, but nevertheless accepted as I was pretty fed up by the time I arrived. Sadly I left the lovely shaving brush that Ann had given me on the top of the loo, but otherwise, it was clean and comfortable if somewhat basic! The charge was just 10Euros! It continued to rain for some hours and also to thunder which, rolling around the gorge, was quite atmospheric. The following morning I left for the border and passed into Bulgaria.


Best wishes, Doc.

P.S.  Posting pictures is still a nightmare...it takes an hour to write the text and about 3 to load the pictures.  Eventually, when loaded, it is very hard to move them into the place you want and then the  text doesn't always wrap properly. Being a Google facility you would think they would have made it idiot proof by now, but we idiots will just have to struggle on and I hope that the slight displacement of photos doesn't spoil the overall read.  Doc .