BLGARIA

Little diesel train from Lapovo, Serbia, to Sofia, capital of Bulgaria. Gorgeous countryscape after Nis, and counterband from the city of Dimitrovgrad to Sofia : cigarettes are much cheaper in Serbia. The custom knows exactly what happens, but what to do when an army of grandmothersd with their bags full of cigarettes invade the train and hide their stuff a bit everywhere in the train.. ? I was in the same compartment as 4 czech people, going to walk 2 weeks in Stara Planina. We share our food and experience : they have good wine and sausages from Budapest. Some curious guy, probably a leader of this counterband, really makes me curious. He is full of kitsch jewelry, crosses, necklaces, bracers, and talks with the attitude and intonation of a frustrated gay, behaving like an angry unrespectful proxo... Curious. I was drawing him, well trying to...

From Sofia, no trains to Makedonia this evening. I really want to avoid main cities, so i decide to take the trains to the south, let's go to Blaevgograd, sleep in the train, and then at 3 o'clock, in a container of the train Station to avoid the storm. The morning, I can check a Map, and decide to go by bus to Bansko, not far from here, but at the feet of the Mountains of Pirin. Walking all the day, eating Mirabels, rawsberries, two strawberries, and some blueberries. I'd like to go home to cook some crumble !
On the way walking, my spirit reorganises thoughts, and I start to know more on what I will work when I'll be back. Walking is very fertile for the mind, but you have to write everything before you forget !
After 6 hours walking, I arrive in the Mountain house of Demianitsa , meet a couple of polish, a couple of generous french. I decide to sleep outside, but it wasn't a good idea when you are at an altitude of 2000 meters, and want to walk 8 hours the day after. Unless all my clothes on me, 4 pairs of socks, I'm freezing all the night.

The day after, I walk across the mountain, get lost after having been to the highest point (3000 m.), mmet a group of bulgarians and change my way to go with them because it will be faster. After 8 hours of walking, I arrive in the mountain house of Kamenitsa, and start to spend some times with people. Ah, those bulgarians ! My first impression was this woman working in the train to Sofia : she had such a huge smile ! In my room, I rest a bit bit until my two old roommates start to eat. In russian, I wish them to enjoy their food, and they propose me directly some of their strong raki, and to eat with them. Bread, sausages, tomato, paprika, feta. Good to say you're polish...

In the main diner room, the old man with a "Life is too short to be small" on his T-shirt offers me a glass of wine, this girl some sausages, all the people like to share their food.
Au debut, je pensais qu'ici ils n'avaient vraiment pas les plus belles filles du monde, ca commence a devnir faux...
"Life is short" vient d'augmenter la musique, du folklore bulgare a cappella. Tout le monde leve son verre, chantonne. Je pense a Iosseliani, son gout pour les chansons des moines vignerons..

Wıth my frıend Valentına ın the Rıpın