5th of January, 2022.
I am walking in the small road, hoping that at least someone will drive me to the intersection. Soon enough a car passes by but then it stops. When I explain to them my plan, they tell me to be going to a village nearby, on the way to Sofia, so they can take me there. Yay!
She speaks a bit of English so I explain to her a bit of my travels. They both look very wealthy but are very kind too. She asks me if I want to eat something. Please! When we arrive in the village, they buy me Banitsa! Lovely! It is not a long drive, but this spot is definitely better than where I was.
A young man tells me to be going to Sofia. I try to explain to him that I need to be outside of the city and he says OK. The drive to Sofia it takes longer than I though and I believe the reason is this road we are on it. You have to drive very slowly. The guy go a bit around Sofia but he drops me in a bus stop from where, he says, a bus go straight to a town before the border with Serbia. Thank you? I mean, I know it is this direction now but I cannot take the bus.
After walking a bit more, I see a sign pointing the direction of Belgrade. So I decide to make a sign with Belgrade written on it. I still have some Bulgarian coins, so I get into a Lidl to finish them. I manage to buy two small packs of cookies. Yummy! I also get some cardboard for my sign.
Walk, walk, walk. Maybe two hours. When I get to a more narrow road, after a busy crossroads, I am tired of walking so I decide I will hitchhike from here. After some minutes, this lovely looking lady, tells me in a great English, that she is not going to Belgrade but she can drive me to a better place, out of town, because here is still the centre. What? Laugh. After all this walking I am still near the centre? Unbelievable! I just have to wait for Dora to finish her shopping and we go.
Dora is in the film industry! How lucky! It is no nice to talk to her and again I feel sorry that the most interesting people who pick me up are usually just driving me for a little bit. But we still have fun and enjoy our small time together with some nice chat. She drops me really out of town in a great spot.
Ivan tells me to be going to feed his dogs, in his farm just before the border. He is a kind man and we talk about my travels and his family. Roads are under construction so everywhere it looks a bit messy. But luckily for me, that it will make the cars to slow down, so they can see me! Before leaving, Ivan gives me some bread and a wonderful smoked cheese! I try to refuse but he says he have other stuff and can always by more.
It is quite late afternoon now. The sun is going down. I don’t know how far I will manage to go but I am not too optimistic. It is when Giorgio and Geri stop their car and when I ask if they are going to Belgrade, they say “Yeah, yeah, come on!” Amazing! I can barely believe it!
Giorgio and Geri are from Bulgaria but are now leaving in Italy. They are going back home from the holidays. We speak in Italian. Well, at least I try. But not too much. I only tell them about my travels and why I am trying to go to Belgrade. When we get in there, they drop me in a gas station which has wi-fi and Geri gives me one sandwich, a coke and one Snickers chocolate. Yay! Now I have dinner!
I get directions to Budapest and to where to camp. Luckily is not a long walk. There are so many people in the streets! Why? Laugh. It seems so in the middle of the city to be actually out. Do you know what I mean? But I guess that nowadays, with all these malls here in there, everywhere it looks a little bit like the centre. So I seat in a bench and enjoy my sandwich with my coke. Funny fact is: it is a burger sandwich, with three small homemade and grilled burgers. I have that same feeling I have had before when it comes to food when I don’t have any: eat it and don’t care about what it is on it. But after I finish the first burger, I simply cannot eat the others. So I pack them (hoping to find a dog on my way) and slice some of my delicious smoked cheese into the bread. For desert my Snickers!
The place for camping is tricky and quite in the neighborhood. But I do it anyway. A guy is passing with his dog when I am wondering where to put up my tent and the dogs keeps barking repeatedly. Laugh. They finally leave and I finally sleep.
It rains a little bit during the night.