Bulgaria tour – and we’re off… or are we?

Our first day with the Trabants started with an induction of the finer points of driving a 2-stroke old East German car. This involved how to change the gears, turn on the petrol, use the choke, turn on the lights, not over heat the engine and coast downhill in neutral with the engine off.

Then we were off to find the vehicles. Parking in the centre of Sofia is very limited, so our cars were at a retail park on the outskirts. We have four fellow travellers from the UK, Neil our tour guide, and Toncho our hard-working mechanic and, as we were to find out, always in demand.

At the retail park we were introduced to our vehicles fondly known as Sweet Pea (green), Champagne Charlie (well, champagne colour of course), Blue Bayou (who was to be the spare), and Fudge, who we immediately renamed Fudge who would not Budge – because it didn’t, and ended up on the back of Toncho’s truck for the remainder of the trip.

All those willing had a hands-on attempt at firing up the little beauties and driving them around the retail car park before being unleashed onto the open road, a 2-hour stretch of dual carriageway heading north towards Balgarski Izvor for a meaty lunch.

However, less than an hour on the road, Sweet Pea, our green Trabant. Came to a grinding halt (literally). The newly replaced brakes had seized and we crept onto the side of the road. But help is always at hand on this trip thanks to the wonders of our newly-formed WhatsApp group. A few clicks of the button and Neil was heading back down the road for us, and Toncho in his truck was not far away. Indeed, while we waited for these two saviours of the open road, a Bulgarian guy and his wife offered to tow us, which we were to find is typical of Bulgarian hospitality.

Toncho worked his wonders and our brakes, and us, had cooled down enough to head on our way. Ah for the open road, this time turning off to the countryside with mountain views in the distance.

Hmmm, just when you think it is safe… Sweet Pea was having none of it. A rather sooty smell was occurring, and we found our brakes grinding to a halt again. We went through the same procedure: WhatsApp, Neil, Toncho, mechanical help, and back on the road.

We drove on several miles more to reach the small village of Balgarski Izvor and the rather large roadside restaurant where passing motorists and tradespeople ate, choosing from a grand selection of hot meats, bean soups, breads and salads all laid out in the open, almost market style, for customers to choose. We selected chicken fillets and tasty flatbread, and ate away while Toncho changed, what we found to be, a further issue of a flapping exhaust pipe. But we were to learn these incidents were just minor solvable issues in the hands of Toncho and Neil. All part of the experience.

Our destination was the Plaza Hotel in Troyan, which was once an hotel for the elite of the Communist Party. Troyan is named after the Roman Emperor Trajan. It was recognised as a town in 1868 and was initially an important craft centre for the region. Today it is famous for its pottery, and plum brandy (rakia). The population is around 18,500 in its centre. It is also the home of the historical site of the Troyan Monastery. We had travelled around 100 miles and had arrived pretty much unscathed.

Copyright: Words and photos Sue Barnard 2022