Serbia
Belgrade, Serbia to Sophia, Bulgaria
08 / Apr / 2010
Waking up in Belgrade was good. When we checked into the hotel the guy at reception told us that breakfast was included in the price so we made sure that we got what we paid for: a big breakfast so we could skip lunch! Fresh omelets, coffee, orange juice and some bread in our stomachs before we would start driving to Sofia, Bulgaria. Today we have about 400km to cover so we should be able to do that in about 5-6 hours including some breaks. The road conditions are getting poorer and poorer with some serious pot holes like in Africa. After the town called Nic you enter a beautiful canyon with the river and train track on your right. The weather changes from sunny to cloudy and light rain, narrow 2 lane roads and short tunnels in which it is difficult to see how the road goes. Drive slowly and keep going, we think.
Entering Bulgaria was easy with the same questions as usual. "Passport and green card!" and "Where are you going?" Just after the border crossing we buy the road tax sticker that is valid for a week and head for Sophia (approx. 60km). We already entered the address of the guest house in TomTom so we just follow the directions and enjoy the ride.
Arriving at the city is beautiful and full of contrast. You leave the country side behind, full of half build houses where some are even missing parts of the roof or windows, and arrive at high buildings seen in European cities with snow covered mountains in the background. Luckily the guest house still has rooms available so we park the car, get our stuff and head into town for some quick sightseeing. Tomorrow we get up early and drive to Turkey where we plan to sleep at a camping on the beach.
Entering Bulgaria was easy with the same questions as usual. "Passport and green card!" and "Where are you going?" Just after the border crossing we buy the road tax sticker that is valid for a week and head for Sophia (approx. 60km). We already entered the address of the guest house in TomTom so we just follow the directions and enjoy the ride.
Arriving at the city is beautiful and full of contrast. You leave the country side behind, full of half build houses where some are even missing parts of the roof or windows, and arrive at high buildings seen in European cities with snow covered mountains in the background. Luckily the guest house still has rooms available so we park the car, get our stuff and head into town for some quick sightseeing. Tomorrow we get up early and drive to Turkey where we plan to sleep at a camping on the beach.
Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia
07 / Apr / 2010
The night in Ljubljana was cold and that was what kept us sleeping as long as the sun was not really up. It was cold! The train luckily did not keep us awake all night. A very quick shower and of course a coffee is becoming the ritual of the morning. Initially we wanted to do some sightseeing in Ljubljana but since we slept longer to warm up we decided to hit the road again on to a small hotel just after Zagreb, Croatia. The road to Zagreb is beautiful. You pass through many little villages/towns that all have a simple church with a high tower and a cross on top. The villages on the mountain sides look like to ones you buy when building your train sets at home. The country is beautifully green, with lots of forests with tall trees. It looks like the country is above 200m, agriculture although we did not see many cattle. Excellent road conditions.
At the border with Croatia customs wanted to see the inside of the car and when we told them that we were going to South Africa we could close the doors and keep on driving. Early afternoon we reached Zagreb and we spend about 30 minutes in the park close to central train station. Since we were so early in Zagreb we decided to keep driving in the direction of Belgrade, Serbia and to find a hotel there. After driving around Belgrade for 1 1/2 hours, Tom Tom and the Garmin GPS not knowing where we were, we followed a truck out of town and found a hotel on the edge of Belgrade. We had saved the money for the hotel just outside of Zagreb and could live with the higher price of this hotel - we shortened our stay in Europe by driving more kilometers this day. We were now already in Serbia.
At the border with Croatia customs wanted to see the inside of the car and when we told them that we were going to South Africa we could close the doors and keep on driving. Early afternoon we reached Zagreb and we spend about 30 minutes in the park close to central train station. Since we were so early in Zagreb we decided to keep driving in the direction of Belgrade, Serbia and to find a hotel there. After driving around Belgrade for 1 1/2 hours, Tom Tom and the Garmin GPS not knowing where we were, we followed a truck out of town and found a hotel on the edge of Belgrade. We had saved the money for the hotel just outside of Zagreb and could live with the higher price of this hotel - we shortened our stay in Europe by driving more kilometers this day. We were now already in Serbia.