There we were, standing at a crumbling border crossing, holding up disintegrating caution tape so Cotty could drive the Gnu underneath.
Welcome to Bulgaria!
But I'm getting ahead of myself.
A ferry, a fiasco and a few Christmas cards
Leaving Romania involved taking a barge ferry across the Danube. There was virtually no direction, but someone told us it would be hours and instructed us to wait on a ramp.
Fair enough. We got comfortable and started writing our Christmas cards.
Suddenly, someone waved us aboard. HURRY!
Then we got yelled at for proceeding too far towards the barge.
Then waved through again.
Apparently everything was fine.
We made it across the river, only to discover that the Bulgarian border was another complete gong show.
Every sign seemed to direct us into a large building and through an enormous, DEEP puddle designed for trucks. Cotty wasn't about to risk our precious Gnu in that!
Instead, we found ourselves slowly driving directly towards traffic waiting for the ferry and encountering caution tape that was covered in soggy building material, that pretty much summed up the entire border crossing.
I got out and held up one end. A fellow appeared, waved us forward, and obligingly held up the other.
Cotty drove through.
And that was pretty much it.
We drove into Bulgaria, completely perplexed.
Bulgaria and a pathetic geyser
Fortunately, Bulgaria's roads were considerably nicer than Romania's.
Sofia was busy and interesting, although our Christmas-card project took another unexpected turn.
At the post office, we were overcharged €21. Rather than refund us, the woman simply plastered extra stamps over the existing ones!
Stamp collectors receiving our Christmas cards should double check ;). LOL.
We also made a detour to see a supposedly impressive geyser.
Imagine a pathetic little fountain spouting warm water.
Yep. That was it.
Not every detour is a winner.
After a thorough Gnu reset at a lovely rest stop, we headed into Greece.
Thessaloniki welcomed us with sunshine, absolutely BONKERS traffic, impossible parking and two police stops.
Cotty consoled himself with a delicious deep-fried pocket stuffed with chicken, peppers, mushrooms and feta.
We escaped to a concrete slab for the night, where barking dogs kept Cotty awake while I slept like a baby.
Greece has A LOT of tolls, although the roads improved as we travelled. One particularly nice rest stop featured a stone WC. No seat, naturally, and boat-style toilet-paper rules.
Our European bathroom research continues.
Shrine, shrine, shrine!
Then came Meteora.
WOW.
After days of rain, the clouds cleared, the sun appeared, and we were finally WARM!
Enormous rock pillars rose around us, topped with monasteries perched impossibly high above the valley.
We visited the Holy Monastery of Varlaam, where I was handed a sarong-like skirt to cover my leggings.
We marvelled at the ingenious systems for moving supplies and rubbish up and down the cliffs, and an enormous wooden barrel where visitors were dropping €20, €50 and possibly even €100 notes.
We assumed they were donations. That's quite a collection plate!
Inside the chapel, the NO PHOTOS signs immediately reminded us of my cousin in Děčín.
It's funny how travelling so far from home can bring back memories of people you know, and the warmth or sting those memories carry.
Between the sunshine, scenery and astonishing architecture, Meteora filled us right up.
And then there were the roadside shrines. EVERYWHERE.
"Shrine!"
"Shrine!"
"SHRINE!"
It became our running commentary as we drove.
The mountain road to Ioannina was memorable, and its beautiful lake was a treat. It's our friend Danae's hometown, so naturally we took some goofy photos for her and Jack.
Then, Corfu!
The ferries were wonderfully casual compared with BC Ferries. The island was pretty, although Canal d'Amour was a little underwhelming.
We found a lovely beach just as the sun made its final appearance.
My assessment of Greek beaches? They look nice from far, but are far from nice. Haha.
Perhaps Esperance in Western Australia has spoiled us forever. That's our 10/10.
We celebrated with Greek salad and falafels, while Cotty discovered a GIGANTIC Greek-style sandwich resembling an enormous hotdog, complete with fries stuffed into the bun. He happily demolished it on the return ferry.
One last Greek adventure
Back on the mainland, we stayed in Igoumenitsa, sleeping soundly through the rain in a wonderfully flat, quiet spot.
The next morning, we went hunting for Wi-Fi. How was this easier to find in the 90s?!
My phone desperately needed backing up, and I was getting nervous.
In a small village, we found a café where the woman behind the bar was SOOOOOO lovely. Coffee, WC, Wi-Fi, and a delightful conversation. My phone was finally backed up!
She was our favourite Greek of the entire trip.
Then came the border.
Getting OUT of Greece was considerably more complicated than getting in.
First, they didn't like the Gnu's registration. Eventually, they let us proceed.
Then they discovered our passports apparently hadn't been stamped when we entered the EU via LeShuttle.
"I don't know how I can fix it," I said.
Eventually, they let us go.
Entering Albania?
Zero English words. Zero hassle.
LOL.
From holding up disintegrating caution tape to admiring monasteries perched on cliffs, we'd had quite the adventure.
And a HUGE thank-you to the lovely person who bought the Gnu some diesel! Our very first donation! Such a sweet surprise, and we're still smiling. The Gnu thanks you too! :)
Onward to Albania!
