Day 66. 14km (53622kms)
As planned I was up at sparrow’s fart exploring Koprivshtitsa before all the other tourists emerged to ruin my photos 😜

First impressions of the village was of being back in the Cotswolds! Cute cottages on cobbled streets, adorably tiny bridges crossing the stream running down the centre of it all... And of course, as time drew on (covid-level) hoards of tourists.

I happily passed several hours wandering the lanes, peering over walls and through stately wooden doors admiring the brightly decorated Bulgarian revival period architecture in the fancier parts, and the more rustic stone and wood houses on the outskirts. I absolutely loved the place and wouldn’t have seen it if not for a chain of recommendations from cyclists and hosts.

The forecasted rain arrived at lunchtime so I got comfortable in one of the tourist restaurants ordering something that wasn’t translated on their tri-lingual menu beyond “koprivshtitsa speciality”. At first mouthfull I panicked realising I may have ordered something offal-based, but was relieved to discover it was chicken, egg, carrot and tomato, with a solitary date in the centre.

Once the rain began to let up I ducked into a ‘supermarket’ on my way out of town. Having delayed my arrival in Plovdiv by a day I was now out of food, but this shop was no little than a counter. The proprietor was incredibly helpful though, despite my asking for things by their Macedonian names.

Even in the rain I felt incredibly joyful as I pedalled uphill out of town; what a marvellous day! I had planned to descend the 600 or so metres to the next village to find a sheltered camp, but a big lookout on the brink of the steep descent saved me the job of searching. With views of whispy white clouds creeping up the valley, and greyer scattered rain clouds on the horizon I cooked my dinner in the fireplace unperturbed by the approaching rain.

#koprivshtitsa #bulgaria #travelvlog

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