Bulgaria > Smoke in the car

We walk out of the hotel in search of a small restaurant for breakfast. In the neighborhood where we ate last night, we cannot find anything. It turns out there is a good restaurant in the street next to the hotel. After breakfast, we pack the car again. Today’s travel distance is not very far. We expect to drive to the Bulgarian capital, Sofia, in about four hours. The clock will move forward one hour at the border. At ten o’clock, we leave Skopje. We pass the city center and the castle. On the north side of the city, we continue the journey via the highway. It does not take long before we encounter toll booths again. The amounts are small, and it is a nice way to get rid of loose coins. Just before the border with Serbia, we leave the highway and drive east toward Bulgaria. About thirty kilometers from the border, a heavily loaded van merges onto the road. The van struggles to gain speed, and thick clouds come from its exhaust. The van stinks, we conclude. Suddenly, we see smoke coming from our own ventilation. The smell is not from the van in front, but from our own car. We quickly pull over. Nothing is burning. The smoke stops as soon as the engine is turned off. Under the hood and beneath the car, we see nothing that is smoldering. Carefully, we try to drive on. After a short distance, it starts again. We take the exit to a small village. A boy, who speaks a little English, comes to help. There is no garage in this village. The next garage is twenty kilometers further. He calls, but the garage owner is busy with other customers. Together, we figure out that it must be the ventilation. When we turn off the ventilation, no smoke appears. Could something have leaked in the ventilation, or has dirt entered? Carefully, we drive on. Everything seems fine. Without further problems, we approach the border with Bulgaria. The passport control and car document check go smoothly. To drive on Bulgarian roads, a vignette is required.

Bulgaria - A herd of cows passes curiously during a break

We buy a vignette at the border. If every country in Europe starts using separate vignettes, it will become increasingly difficult to see clearly through the windshield. We stick the new vignette beneath the Austrian and Slovenian ones. We drive into Bulgaria. At a small lake, we leave the main road. We unfold the chairs. For lunch, we have sandwiches with cheese and cucumber. Just as we sit, a farmer leads his herd of cows to the lake. The curious animals pass us closely. The farmer continuously greets us in Bulgarian. There is no way to understand exactly what he means, but it sounds enthusiastic. We continue driving toward Sofia. Around 4:30 p.m., partly due to the time difference and the car problems, we enter Sofia. Our hotel is on the north side of the center. We can park the car, for a fee, at the hotel’s annex further down the street. We walk into the city. First, we come to the impressive Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. From there, we walk to the City Garden. Since we have visited Sofia before, the city is a joyful recognition. In the park, we order a drink. Through the palace, the church, and the mosque, we wander through the center of Sofia. Finally, we settle on an outdoor terrace for dinner. Nice to be back in Sofia.

Bulgaria - The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia