How We Turned a Bad Decision into an Adventure

or a day trip to Mezdra

Never heard of it? Neither had we. How did we get to a town neither of us had heard of? If you’re wondering how we did, let me tell you it was easy. We wanted to go to Ohrid (Lake Ohrid) in North Macedonia. I couldn’t find any trains but Erilyn somehow miraculously found a train. I was ecstatic. I’m not a fan of bus travel.

We caught a tram from outside our hotel direct to Sofia Central Station. We were so proud we caught the right tram. Thank you, Erilyn. I collected my suitcase from overnight storage. The best 4 lev I’ve ever spent.

The next problem was finding which platform our train was departing from. I tried the Google Translate camera on the departures board but no luck. It was telling us 73. I knew there was no platform 73.

Usually, there’s an English translation (even in rural China) but not today. We tried asking railway staff but no one could understand us.

Finally, Erilyn spied a couple of “gendarmes” (yes, they are called gendarmes here in Bulgaria) and they translated the board as platform 7 West. That’s what the 3 meant! West!

Amazingly, I managed to find the correct platform. Of course, it was the last one and the escalator wasn’t working. While Erilyn was spending the last of our Bulgarian cash on drinks, chocolates, chips and other goodies, an older man helped with our suitcases up the stairs.

We showed our ticket. Yes, we were on the right train - to Ohrid! Yay! We didn’t realise our mistake (well, actually, Erilyn’s but we’re in this together) until we checked our maps which looked like we were going in the completely opposite direction to North Macedonia. That’s when we discovered there was an Ohrid in Bulgaria too, and that’s where we were headed.

We gathered all our gear and jumped off the train when it stopped at Mezdra. Jumped may be a bit of a misnomer here. Read as very slowly climbed down the steps of the train and stretched one foot down to touch the ground. Then a helpful stranger passed my suitcase down to me. What would I have done travelling solo without helpful strangers? Erilyn now helps me when she can. She has helped me ditch a few kilos of things I haven’t needed and can survive without so my suitcase is lighter.

We sat inside the station and worked through our dilemma. First, see when the next train back to Sofia departs Mezdra. We were lucky, just over an hour wait. Then change our accommodation booking at Lake Ohrid. Then try to rebook the Lion Hotel. Booking.com was telling me no rooms were available so I called the receptionist and booked a room. I know hotels only give a certain number of rooms to third-party sellers.

We still had the problem of getting to Lake Ohrid tomorrow. So after following lots of false leads, we think we have figured it out. I’ve booked (and paid for) a seat in a 12-seater bus from Skopje to Ohrid and we have to book seats on the 7 am bus tomorrow morning from Sofia. It wouldn’t allow online booking at this late stage. We plan on doing that tomorrow morning as we we arrived back in Sofia too late to book it tonight.

I wanted to leave my suitcase at the station again but don’t have 4 lev cash. Remember? Erilyn spent it all on snacks thinking we were on our way to North Macedonia. A local girl who spoke excellent English explained our predicament to the train conductor who gave me a 5 lev note. Kindness abounds. My next plan was to beg.

Luckily we both love train travel even if the Bulgarian trains leave a lot to be desired. The seats are very comfortable.

How to turn a negative into a positive

I wouldn’t mind betting that no other Globetrotter has seen this really beautiful part of Bulgaria. As you probably know, I really enjoy discovering places off the beaten track, but this trip was special because we had no intention of venturing up through these mountains and valleys. My photos taken from the train window don’t do the terrain justice at all.

Towering mountains covered in mist, sheer rock cliffs dropping to the valley below, evergreen forests high on the mountainsides and many coloured autumnal trees in the process of shedding their summer foliage.

Deciduous trees are designed by nature to lose their leaves so they can withstand the harsh snowy winters. Coniferous trees however have thin needles that offer less surface area for snow and ice to rest on, preventing them from having to withstand the weight of a significant snow cover.

I learned this from my Norwegian friend whom I met earlier on my trip.

Right at the very bottom of these beautiful mountains was a stream.

The trainline followed the stream which became foaming white rapids before spreading out in a peaceful lagoon, then narrowing again into water rushing over rocks which looked faster than the speed of the train.

It was cold up in the mountains but sadly, no snow.

Along the hillsides and down to the river, cute alpine villages were dotted along the train line. These villagers were the people who took the train, not a couple of Australians with far too much luggage and food. We knew we were way off any tourist track.

What a lovely day trip we had. Back in Sofia, we started walking to the tram stop and then I suggested walking back to out hotel and if we saw a restaurant on the way, we’d stop to eat. Food is always a good motivator for me to walk.

So we are back in the same room as last night. We “wasted” a day, but I’m sure you’ll agree there’s no such thing as a wasted day when you’re travelling. Our day may not have gone as we planned but we enjoyed the adventure anyway — and experienced the beauty of nature off the beaten track.

We visited here on Jillian Amatt - Artistic Voyages’ recommendation. We loved it!

Missed seeing this fascinating place…sorry, Krasi Shapkarova