Blagoevgrad to Bansko (Bulgaria)

Raring to go in Blagoevgrad 

Somehow this morning we all managed to get out of bed, ever after yesterday's long day and losing an hour crossing the border. Our hotel water smelled like sulphur, which our tour leader said was due to many places siphoning hot water off the hot springs, although she said usually places would put something in the water to mask the smell. I ate as much as I could at breakfast; and, then we were off!

Food stand at coffee stop

We all stayed together to get through town, then split up once we hit the rough country road. When the road improved, I enjoyed cycling the flat terrain. Eventually, though, there's always a climb. We climbed partway up to a little coffee shop. Alongside, there was a little outdoor stand selling beautiful looking fruit and vegetables, as well as a variety of preserves. The vendor would respond to our questions in English by speaking Bulgarian into Google translate on his phone, which would translate into English and then he'd play the audio for us. We learned that the jar of creamy white substance was milk thistle honey. There was also a jar of honey with hazelnuts and walnuts. Dried chilis hung from the ceiling rafters.

We enjoyed our break so much that we were the last to leave the coffee stop. Maybe we were subconsciously dreading the rest of the climb: 600 meters (~2000 ft) over 12 km (~7.5 miles). I wouldn't let myself stop, just kept cycling while watching the kilometers count down on my Garmin. It was wonderful to reach the summit and see the van waiting for us! There were snowcapped peaks off in the distance.

The road, though, was busy, with no shoulders. It's the only road to Bansko. After the summit, I tried to go as fast as possible on the descent just to get off the road sooner! We did stop near the bottom at a pullout for a photo of the mountains.

The special tool to bend the hangar back in place

Once in town, I went in search of the bike shop that our tour leader had mentioned. She'd already dropped off two cyclists there today during the ride, due to their bike issues. Bike Center was a great shop! The mechanic put my bike up on the stand and used the special tool to bend the rear derailleur hangar back into shape and re-index the shifters. Now all the gears on my bike are usable. Watch out climbs!

Veles (North Macedonia) to Blagoevgrad (Bulgaria) - 160 km!

This morning, three of us started cycling before breakfast. The plan for the day was 160 km (almost 100 miles) with 2000 meters (about 6500 ft) of climbing. Since it's been getting dark around 6 pm, I was worried that we couldn't possibly finish it in time. Plus, at the peak of the climbing, we had a border crossing at 132 km (82 miles), which required all twelve cyclists to cross together with the van transporting our luggage. We have some very strong cyclists on this tour, which is why three of us wanted a super early head start. Diane, Claudia and I left at 7:15 am.

The first section of the ride was a long flat section. Perfect for those of us in Minnesota (Diane) and Canada that struggle to find any hills. We settled into a groove against the headwind; and, I was even able to help a little by being in front for a small portion of the time. However, Claudia despised the flats. She'd start with us and then fall behind, catching up again on any climbs or descents. The terrain in this area reminded me of southwest Minnesota. We saw the first grain silos of the entire trip and fields of dry cornstalks. Wind towers sprouted from the horizon. For awhile, there was even a shoulder on the road!

Climbing to our final refueling stop

While it was mostly flat, we were gradually going up. We kept our stops to a minimum, stopping quickly for snacks for facilities, not taking time for photos. The first cyclists to catch up with us caught up at 96 km (60 miles) into the ride when we'd stopped at a coffee shop for quick refreshments. Seeing them zoom by, we quickly finished up and started cycling after them. The plan was all to meet at kilometer 121 (75 miles) at a gas station / deli / market to fuel up and then start the 11 km (7 mile) climb to the border crossing. The best thing at the market was a Mexican tuna bean bowl with its own little spoon. There were also lots of fruit juice pouches, which have been wonderful cycling treats! Today, I've drunk peach, blueberry and pear.

The climb to the top was an interminable 560 meters (1840 ft) over 10 km (6.2 miles). My legs struggled to even pedal after the refuel stop. When they did start working, my butt really did not want to sit on the bike seat any more. Yet, I wouldn't let myself stop; or, I knew that I wouldn't get back on the bike. Other cyclists started passing us with what appeared to be the greatest of ease. As we got closer to the top and yet another cyclist pulled up next to me, somehow my legs started rotating faster to keep in pace with him. Then, he pointed out the flag for the border crossing; and, my legs had newfound energy to spin energetically the rest of the way to the top.

Snowcapped peaks in the distance on the descent

All twelve cyclists had to clear the borders together with the luggage van. The quickest ones had the longest wait in "no man's land" between the North Macedonia and Bulgarian borders until the last cyclist arrived. It was quite chilly at the top in the shade between the crossings. We were pulling more layers out of the luggage van to warm up and prepare for the descent. When the last cyclist crossed from North Macedonia, we could all move onto the Bulgarian border, which took even longer, as many of us had to be photographed or fingerprinted as we reentered the EU. By this time, we were even colder. As soon as a cyclist would clear, they'd quickly start cycling the 28 km descent to our hotel. It wasn't long before we were noticing a significant difference in the cars on the Bulgaria side: much more modern and expensive. We'd gotten used to Yugos, Ladas, VW rabbits, and many older Mercedes. Now there were recent models of Volkswagens and BMWs, even a Maserati on the road. The views of the mountains on the descent were also spectacular! At least Diane stopped and took a photo.

Bitola to Veles (Macedonia)

After a restless night of sleep due to the wedding reception below (the last time that I woke up to music to check the time was 1:15 am), it was time to hurry up, get packed, and breakfast. A 126 km (78 mile) day today. The small dog that had greeted us yesterday walked with us to the back of the hotel to get our bikes. It was shivering in fear of the big dogs back there but led us bravely there and back. The nearby supermarket was so well stocked that we thought we’d grab some more snacks this morning. However, as it’s Sunday, all the supermarkets were closed.

It was a sunny but chilly start. We’d taken off layers waiting in the sun for the morning briefing. But as soon as we were out of town, we put on extra gloves. Along the way, two road cyclists passed us! We saw them a bit later when we stopped at a gas station. They came over to ask where we were from. They were from Bitola and doing a 60 km today. It’s so surprising to see other road cyclists after having not seen any for so long! Around this area, we also saw a car with lots of road bikes on top. We had many more friendly drivers wave and friendly honk at us around here.

Today was mostly flat. Woohoo! For once I could help pull a little bit. While we were in the flats, the mountains still surrounded us. In the valley, the fields were now full of corn. We were so intent on pounding out the distance that we didn’t even stop for a photo this morning! 

Lunch salad and strawberry juice

Coffee stop was at a small shop in Prilep. They did have hot milk. The new sweep went and got us snacks from the supermarket. Then, we were climbing the hill for the day. Only 700 meters of climbing, but, my legs still complained. At least the downhill on the way to lunch was gradual. The lunch stop was off the main road; and, they had a pig with piglets outside in a large enclosure. It was so nice to see pigs have so much room to roam! Pork was one of the items on the menu; however, I ordered a delicious salad instead. The menu was entirely in Macedonian; and, we pored over it using the Google Translate photo feature. The other cyclists before us had ordered each of the three salads, so, I could pick which one looked the best.

Leaving the lunch restaurant

After lunch, it was back to flat terrain almost the entire way into Veles. We ground it out and made it to the hotel by 4:30 pm, before the tour leader started searching for us. Since all the supermarkets were close today, was forced to eat in the hotel restaurant. Several of us will try to start early tomorrow, as it’s 132 km (82 miles) to the border crossing; and, we all have to cross together with the van carrying our luggage. There’s also 2000 meters (6500 ft) of climbing to get to the border crossing, then another 28 km (17 miles) downhill from there to the hotel. I’m dreading tomorrow.

Ohrid to Bitola (North Macedonia)

Starting from the boardwalk along Lake Ohrid

After a day’s rest, it didn’t feel so bad to get back on the bicycle. My legs felt fresh zipping out of Ohrid along Lake Ohrid, part of the way on a very nice bike lane. We had a stop for snacks about 18 km out, at a tiny one room market/bar/kaffe. Then we cycled to our turn off into Galicia National Park around 21 km, as our 900 meter climb was beginning. Unfortunately, that’s when my shifter cable snapped in two.  My rear derailleur was stuck in the hardest gear and wouldn’t shift. I immediately called the tour leader, who came down to pick up me and the bike and take me to the top of the climb, where the other cyclists were stopping for photos. I had WhatsApped the entire group, too; and, the very nice cyclist who had gotten me rideable gears with the bent hangar contacted me immediately. Steve was nice enough to wait at the top of the hill at 1600 meters on this chilly day to turn my bike into a fixie at an easier gear, as the tour leader said that she didn’t carry any shifter cables. While Steve was digging through the tool box to adjust my rear derailleur, he came across a shifter cable. Then, we got the bike stand from the tour leader; and, Steve threaded that new cable through the internal housing, without more than a screwdriver and a hex wrench. He is a very skilled mechanic! 

The repair took quite a bit of time; and, we all had on all of our coats by the end. Then, we had to descend down the other side mountain in the chilly temperatures. I even had my winter gloves on and was shivering the entire way. Reminding myself that the faster I got down the mountain, the faster I’d warm up on the flats was the only thing that kept me from stopping. At the bottom, I stripped off my gloves and stuffed them in my raincoat pockets, even though stuff has fallen out of them before. The new sweep road side by side with me most of the way to Resen for lunch. We were passing through gorgeous apple orchards! The harvest was in full swing with tractors towing boxes full of red apples. By the time that I arrived in Resen, I’d lost one of the winter gloves. The rest of the trip will need to be warmer!

Turshija

My friend and I had another delicious Macedonia meal. We tried another bean dish; and, I also ate turshija, which was a salad of pickled vegetables. We sat outside in the sun to warm up. It lulled us into relaxation, making us the last to leave town. The way out was uphill on a busy highway. With dust, fumes and cars honking at us, it was quite unpleasant. Eventually we were able to turn off on a quieter country road. By now, our shadows were growing long on the pavement. We picked up the pace as the road descended toward Bitola, finally arriving as the tour leader was in the van heading out to look for us. The days are too short now.

The hotel is on the outskirts of town. Music was blaring when we arrived. There is a wedding reception being held here tonight. We headed next door to the supermarket to pick up some food for supper and came back to even louder music. While I jokingly asked the receptionist if it would end by 2 am, she only smiled noncommittally. The floor of our room is now vibrating from the volume.

Wandering around Ohrid (North Macedonia)

After six days in a row of cycling, we finally got to rest on the seventh day! We got to the hotel restaurant for breakfast just after it opened at seven thirty. It was so wonderful to go back for seconds and thirds and not worry about the time. The fried mushrooms were especially delicious. Then, we gathered up our dirty laundry and walked a mile to the Ecowash, passing some other cyclists on their way back from dropping their laundry. Our legs were pretty tired, making it more of a saunter.

Mosaic outside Church Dormition

From there, we headed toward old town Ohrid. The main attraction is the fortress on the top of the hill. However, we found other interesting places on our way up and around. First there was the Church Dormition of the Holy Mother of God, a relatively young church built in 1832, with beautiful views over the city and its own kiwi plant. It had beautiful golden mosaics. Then we hiked higher to see the clock tower, which wasn’t as tall as it appeared from below.

Holy Mary of Perybleptos

Continuing on, we came across an imposing Byzantine church from 1295. This was the church of Holy Mary of Perybleptos (in my guidebook listed as Church of Sveta Bogorodica Perivlepta). We didn’t enter this church, simply admired the architecture from outside. 

Greek amphitheater 

Following the cobblestone streets, we came to the amphitheater built around 200 BCE. Per my guidebook, the Romans later removed 10 rows of seats for gladiators and Christian executions. While we were there, a large school group was sitting on the amphitheater bleachers. There is a modernized stage in front. It would definitely be a spectacular venue for a show or for watching the lake and mountains behind.

Samuel's Fortress

Interestingly, my guidebook didn’t even mention the fortress on the top of the hill. From a sign outside of it, it said that restorations had started in the year 2000. The original fortress was mentioned back in 200 BCE, although the placard also mentioned Phillip II of Macedonia, which is earlier than that, However, today it’s know as Samuel’s fortress after a leader from around the year 1000 AD. We sat on a bench outside the entrance to give our legs a break.

St John of Kaneo

Next, we headed down to look for St. John’s church. This involved walking past the ruins of an old church as well as the construction of a brand new basilica that is projected to be completed in 2028. While we were stopped trying to determine how to get to St. John’s, an old Yugo drove past us! We did finally make it down to St. John of Kaneo on the tip of the peninsula. It was a beautiful location overlooking Lake Ohrid.

Tavce Gravce and Turli Tava for lunch

By now we were getting hungry for lunch. We started heading back through the old town toward our hotel. As everywhere, there are stray dogs and cats. In this touristy area, there were also lots of shops, including several selling pearls. We stopped at a restaurant with a menu that looked good. It didn’t appear that anyone was smoking inside. This was my first meal of Macedonia food. We ate the Tavce Gravce (a bowl of beans in a mild tomato sauce) and the Turli Tava (a stew of mixed vegetables including eggplant, potato and okra). It was delicious!

Wake & Bake raspberry custard croissant

While lunching, we received a WhatsApp message that our laundry was ready for pickup. Wonderful same day service! I volunteered to pick up our laundry, stopping to get some sardines for supper and then for a croissant for afternoon tea. The raspberry custard croissant was an unexpected treat. Hopefully we’ve all eaten enough to start on our next six consecutive days of cycling tomorrow.

Along the boardwalk near our hotel

Peshkopi (Albania) to Ohrid (North Macedonia)

This morning I loaded up on eggs and crepes. One of the other cyclists convinced the tour leader that we should start a little later, after the outside temperature warmed up. That gave me time to run over to the Dibra Museum nearby. However, the one room that they turned on the lights for me was only photos of historical people with all signage in Albanian. The museum employee did not offer to turn on any other lights, so, I left soon after arriving.

Our ride today started through the wide walking promenade. It had been pretty quiet when we had arrived last night and wandered around. Today it was full of school children and adults walking. It was great to see so many pedestrians! Then, unfortunately, we were back on the road and heading up a switchback. Our climb today o-n-l-y 1000 meters in total (3280 ft), but with the accumulation of the last two days, my legs have started a quiet rebellion.

Cycling in the Black Drin river valley

Because it’s become obvious that I’ll the slowest rider, at the first place others pulled off for a photo, I kept cycling. They all passed me not much further up the road. However, eventually even I was stopping. The views in the valley with terrific! And, the today’s downhills were much more gradual. We’d already stopped for coffee before crossing from Albania to North Macedonia. Now we stopped outside a bar kaffe and foraged the van for snacks (bananas, clementines, vocco energy bars). Walking around yesterday, it became clear that bar kaffes are only for men to sit around smoking and drinking coffee.

We continued on toward Struga, where we would stop for lunch at a restaurant along the water. The breeze was a bit stiff off the water, so, we chose to eat indoors. Many have commented on how lucky we are that smoking is no longer allowed in eating establishments of the respective countries where we reside. Even though the restaurant was empty and no one was currently smoking, still the smell of smoke hung in the air. It was nice to be warm, though! After lunch, we were pulling on jackets and extra gloves to cycle the rest of the way to Ohrid to our hotel.

Struga along Lake Ohrid

Walking Ohrid to find the market this evening, it seems like a much more touristy place than our last few nights. There was a woman outside on the phone, holding an iMac Air, speaking Chinese. In the market, there were English speakers, as well as other languages that I couldn’t identify. Very much looking forward to spending our first rest day here tomorrow.

Kukes to Peshkopi (Albania)

Last night’s hotel had the most wonderful bed; and, this morning’s hotel breakfast has been the best so far: avocado egg toast, plum, orange slices, banana, chocolate croissant, cherry tomato. If you’re ever in Kukes, check out Baz’hur Boutique hotel.

Cycling up the 32 km to the coffee stop

This morning’s forecast was a tail wind. Since it was only 2000 meters of climbing, our tour leader figured we’d arrive in Peshkopi quite early, even though breakfast didn’t start until 8 am. After gorging on breakfast, we rolled out about 9:15. It was quite chilly (about 40); and many people wore more layers after how cold we got yesterday. The tour leader said that the first part of the climb up to the coffee stop would be the worst, so, my friend and I cycled steadily uphill, refusing to take a break until then (32.6 km). We didn’t even stop for photos! One of the other cyclists caught a video of us passing a flock of sheep along the road.

The coffee shop was able to make us coffees when their electricity was on. The owner had just finished warming up milk for me when the electricity went out a second time. I don’t know if it’s because it’s at 800 meters elevation (approximately 2600 feet) or because of the incessant wind, but, it was cold, even inside the restaurant. One of the wood burning ovens outside was lit; and, cyclists would stand near it to warm up. But, with such a chill, we didn’t stay long. I grabbed one of the pre-packed lunch sandwiches from the hotel, stuffed it in my bag and started back up the hill after the other cyclists. The lunch stop had been canceled since it would have been outside in the wind on the side of the mountain.

We cycled alongside Korab Koritnik Nature Park

Since I was cycling solo now; and, because the worst was supposedly over, I stopped to take a few photos. One of the mountains was terraced. Possibly for all the delicious grapes we’ve eaten? The views were more and more magnificent! At or near the top of this mountain, there was a sign for the Korab-Koritnik Nature Park. Earlier cycling up, I’d seen a sign that Mount Korab was Albania’s tallest mountain. Thankfully, we didn’t try to cycle up it!

Magnificent mountains!

I saw several flocks and shepherds today, as well as a man coming out of the trees on the side of the road on a small horse, carrying large bags of something. In Albania, we see many mosques and hear the calls to prayer. In the smallest settlements, instead of paved speed bumps, there are thick ropes lying across the road. Many of the Albanians that I’ve passed waiting on the side of the road have smiled and waved. It’s been quite wonderful to travel through!

Drying stalks in a small field along the road

Coming down the mountain were more switchbacks. And, then, just when I didn’t think I could go any further, there was a billboard for our hotel. That helped me power through the last 5 km, starting with an uphill climb. I arrived by 3:30, so, I had time to walk around town with the other cyclists. We’ve had several friendly kids talk to us.

Gjergj Kastrioti Skenderberg

Near our hotel, there are a couple of statues. One is a bust of Iljaz Pashe Qoku (1812-1910). I can’t find anything in English about him online. The other is a statue of Gjergj Kastrioti Skanderberg (1405-1468). That name caught my eye because it’s almost the same as a chain of gas stations in Albania (Kastrati), which has a goat headed helmet as its logo. The statue had a goat headed helmet under its arm, the original metal helmet was forged in the 1400s and returned to Albania in 2012.  Gjergj is an Albanian national hero who fought the Ottomans.

View of mountains from Peshkopi