TRAVEL | BULGARIA | EUROPE | CYCLING
Cycling Through the Bulgarian Countryside
After not riding bikes for over two years!
We are staying at a traditional Bulgarian house that is located a 20-minute drive from the town of Gabrovo. We don’t have access to wifi there, so we decided that we would take the weekend off and enjoy some disconnection and focus on the trees and nature around us.
The man that owns the house has a couple of bikes, so after pumping the tires up on Saturday, we decided to go for a ride. The last time we rode bikes was in Rissani, Morocco out in the Sahara desert in 2020. We stayed there for 5 weeks and had great fun exploring the area and touring through the small desert villages that we encountered.
Riding bikes is such a non-invasive way of exploring.
We were a little concerned, though, as the terrain here is a bit more hilly than it was in the flat desert, and we weren’t sure if our legs were in good enough shape to get us back and forth. I was especially worried when we left the house and whizzed happily downhill for the first 15 minutes.
I knew with certainty that the ride back was not going to be as fun as the ride going.
However, as we weren’t in a rush, we managed fine with many breaks and a couple of spots where we simply got off and walked our bikes up the steeper inclines.
We have no shame and nothing to prove to anybody these days.
On our first day out we simply decided to peddle to the nearest store so we could buy some supplies for dinner that night. We are living in a narrow valley and there is only one road going back and forth, so we knew that we wouldn’t have problems with navigating, at least.
We whizzed down the hill and caught glimpses of houses and neighborhoods off the side of the main road that flashed by our peripheral vision.
We were shocked when the store attendant spoke English to us. She looked to be well over fifty and our experience so far in Bulgaria is that the younger generation speaks English, but the older generation rarely does. She happily helped us through the selections of cheese and different meats that were available.
With my bike basket full of food and a few drinks for the evening, we headed back home.
Our first stop was at the sight of a freshwater spring where residents stop to fill up their water jugs. We are told that it is ‘magic water’ by our host one day when he drove us past there. One thing is for sure, it is delicious!
While at the water stop we met a couple of young Bulgarian guys who were heading off on their lunch break. I commented on how cool their truck was and one of them told us that it is Russian. We chatted with them for a bit and as they drove away I commented that I should have taken a picture of the truck. As chance would have it, we would see this truck again soon.
We filled our bottles and continued on our way.
We slowly meandered our way through the adorable country road. This is not a busy road, so we didn’t have to worry much about vehicles and were able to look around and take in the scenery.
I love the magical feeling of riding a bike with the wind blowing past my face. There is an ineffable feeling of freedom that comes along with it.
We passed a few small cemeteries that were nestled along the side of the road and on the banks of the small river that runs down the valley. We were certainly never far from the trickling sound of water.
Bulgarians grow a lot of food and I’m not lying when I say that every household has a grapevine. But the grapes aren’t necessarily for eating, they are for making wine. We have sampled the locally made wine already and it is delicious!
Click below to learn more about wine production in Bulgaria!
We also noticed many, MANY tomato plants, numerous fruit trees, corn, squash, and other goodies growing. The apple trees, in particular, are overly abundant and many are left to ripen and drop to the ground as the residents likely can’t keep up with their production.
We spotted a few trees close to the road that were shedding their fruit and couldn’t help but stop to check them out. Not to mention we were happy to take a breather.
We eventually made it back to our house in somewhat fine fashion and promised ourselves that we would go out again and explore some of the cute communities that seemed to be scattered off the main road on another day.
On Sunday our host had told us that he would be taking us hiking, but the weather had changed a bit and he was worried that it would rain on us. With the weather still good in our neck of the woods, we decided that we would head back out on the bikes to explore more of the small side roads.
As we made our way off of the main roads, we found small communities tightly nestled into areas beside the river that flowed past. We fell in love with the idyllic houses and the bavarian-style buildings.
Small quaint roads twisted and turned as we slowly pedaled along. We met many unfriendly cats and an abundance of barking and aggressive dogs, but we also found a couple of adorable puppies that we couldn’t help but stop and pet through somebodies gate.
The leaves are starting to turn here and the crisp fall air also indicates that the season is changing. It’s been a few years since we have experienced fall and it has reminded me of how much I love this time of year.
We also noted the anticipation of winter arriving with the numerous piles of wood that are stacked and ready to go any day now. I would venture to say that most of these homes don’t have central heating. The one we are staying in has 3 different wood stoves in various parts of the house.
We came across many flowers that are still in bloom and some plants we haven’t seen before. It never ceases to amaze me the variety of plants and greenery that exist on our planet.
We also caught this stunning butterfly taking in the last warm days of summer on this bright flower.
What a beauty!
Remember the guys in the Russian vehicle I mentioned earlier? Well, we came across the driver on our second day riding the bikes again. He was just leaving his job of painting a church as we rode up. He stopped his truck to chat with us again and this time I didn’t miss the opportunity to take his picture with his truck. The steeple in the background is what he is painting.
I told him that I was a house painter back in Canada and I could well understand what he was doing. I was surprised, though, because he didn’t have one drop of paint on his clothes! At least I always looked like a painter! HA!
At the end of our journey through the neighborhoods we found ourselves back at the little store that we had gone to on the previous day. Knowing that we had an uphill ride to do, we decided that we needed to refuel with a drink. Beer and ciders are incredibly cheap here in Bulgaria. This large cider cost just $1.20 in the store and Chris had a beer of the same size for about 90 cents.
Like we did on the previous day, we slowly made our way back home, stopping frequently to catch our breath.
Despite our weary legs and sore butts, we arrived home happy and invigorated.
It was a beautiful weekend and cycling around the countryside was a wonderful way to while away our time of being disconnected. We are in love with Bulgaria and its quaintness. Plus the vast amounts of forests, rivers, and plants definitely pleases our nature-loving souls.
We look forward to much more exploration around this area and beyond!
Thanks for joining me on a tour of our new neighborhood!
Happy Travels!
xo Jill
Hi there, we are 2 Canadians, Jill and Chris from Artistic Voyages. We have been nomadic since 2017 living in numerous different countries, and experiencing the life and diversity of our planet on the ground and firsthand. We paint FREE murals in exchange for accommodation. Consider tipping us on Ko-fi!
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