60:38 The Journey in, from and between Cities and the Wilderness/Mountains.

The cities of Prague and Budapest, at least architecturally speaking, are magnificent. Many superlatives may be expressed of them, but we tend to allow photographs to summarize our views in respect of this aspect of our journey. We landed in Prague as our entry point into Europe and thereafter, we commenced with a taxi ride from the airport to our apartment, which was most comfortable (not the taxi), as well as ideally positioned. 

 The first four pictures below provide some insights to Prague, Czechia.

 Our trip thus far has been without a dull moment. Then again, we never have dull moments, but we do have some tricky situations besides the excitement and good old adventure. It’s a good thing that Jenni is still so young and vibrant or else who knows what might happen. I hope to be able to keep up with her which of course is what is supposed to keep me young. I don’t know whether that concept is working or even viable, but it sounds enticing (and tiring). Returning to life’s journey, well if one is living, I suppose one is never off the journey. What varies is how much excitement one wants while upon this journey that each and everyone of us undertakes to reach what may appear to be an unsatisfactory termination. Let me get back on the road before I get further knotted and lose direction. Anyone seen our bus? It's a yellow one, we think. 

  

 Not all yellow buses are for school children. Picking up a bus in Prague and heading to a car rental in Bratislava. That's one way of doing it. Jen had a good plan which we executed well by being in walking distance of the bus station. We departed from the hotel and headed to the terminal, all without a hitch. The day was young.
We paused writing of our travels and travails on-and-over the roads and highways after we left Prague and had arrived in Bratislava, Slovakia, preferring to focus on the trails—smart thinking when considering the narrow edges, numerous sharp rocks and of course, mostly mesmerizing sights. After nearly 4 weeks in that country, we reluctantly had to depart once again because we were expected to arrive in Budapest and as everyone knows, one should not keep the Magyars waiting. Mañana might be acceptable in Spain but... What may sound unusual to many is that we had tried to change our plans a couple of times as we did not wish to be bound to a city for a further seven days. We needed to get back into the wilderness. Had we been able to extend the car rental, we would have remained in the Tatras Mountains (Slovakia) and skipped over Hungary. 

  A great reason to have extended our stay in the Tatras Mountains...the Tatras, of course.
Arriving at Batizovske Pleso after a solid, steep climb close to 3,000 feet elevation gain.
Across the way from the High Tatras, the town of Bystra viewed from the ski slopes of the 'Low' Tatras.
A view from Solisco Peak down into the village.
  The hiking and general living in Slovakia was superb. Long story short, there is not an easy way to get from Bratislava to Sofia, Bulgaria, particularly in the height of the season. It also becomes more complicated when trying to make late-stage changes to an itinerary. Don’t get us wrong. We had a good time in Budapest, just as we enjoyed it on our last visit. However, on that occasion, we did some hiking in different regions within the country as we had a rental car. This time we were locked into city life—not an ideal option for us. Our rationale for the weeklong stay was that it is indeed a beautiful city and we would walk it extensively as well as need and enjoy a rest at that stage. Clearly, we were not yet tired; that feeling still awaited us. 

  Back in Slovakia, we dropped off the car rental at the airport which is always an experience in and of itself. Depending upon the country and language, a person can be sure to have a mini-adventure. Did I mention something about ‘never a dull moment’? When we had collected the car nearly a month earlier, we took a taxi from the bus station to the airport. Now we had to reverse the procedure and return to the station to board a bus for the 2.5-hour ride to Budapest, after returning the car. How about an Uber we thought? We connected to the internet, summoned an Uber which arrived a minute later and off we went. The journey from the bus station the month before cost US$52. Because it’s ‘downhill’ all the way from the airport, the charge was only US$9. That’s no error…$52 versus $9, plus tips. Talk about deflation. At that stage, I was feeling pretty smug. Perhaps to express it better, Jenni was pretty and I was smug. 

  The young Uberman dropped us off at our destination and zoomed away to give someone else a 'Lyft'. We looked around and the landmarks did not appear familiar. But what do we know. We had to get to the basement of a shopping mall from where buses operate. I then embarked on my frequent task using a long perfected opening line which even bores me. It goes something like this: 

  “Do you speak English?” When in Spanish speaking countries, I adapt rather smartly, if I may say (write) myself. Instead, I rephrase it: “Do you have the English?” 

  Of course, a really wise Spaniard might reply: “Hola! We don’t even have Gibraltar any longer.”

  (Forgive me. I was in a bit of loop but fortunately Jenni is around to pop my windbag). I asked a few people for directions; it turned out that we still had a little less than a mile to walk. I asked more than one person in order to verify that we had the correct destination, not relying on information from a single source. By then, the clock was ticking a little faster and we had some doubts whether a bus would wait our late arrival. Fortunately, after a long walk pulling two sets of luggage, a backpack each and a few hand items, too, we arrived at the correct destination. The uncertainty and apprehension along the way can play havoc with the mind. Lugging the baggage through a city is the easier part but not much fun either. 

  We arrived in Budapest and resumed the search for local transport. (To have the use of a car in the city is not a smart move, in our opinion). Ah! We noticed a Starbucks. Coffee anyone? Actually, I avoid their coffee but sought internet access instead. Unfortunately, I remembered and rediscovered that Lyft and Uber are banned from Hungary and Bulgaria. Back to the good old Yellow Cabs which were not readily available until we spotted one in the distance. After arriving at our building and following a misunderstanding with the landlord, which was easily resolved, we finally entered the apartment later than expected, mostly intact. 

  We would say that some of our toughest climbs are a breeze compared with a few of the obstacles we face in city life. It makes me smile when some people ask about the dangers in the wilderness. Sure, there are situations that present risks. However, I notice the murder, rape, theft, muggings, car smashes, freeway accidents, etc. appear to be somewhat less in the jungles and on mountains. Then again, I freely admit I have a strong bias. 

  4 images from Budapest

The trip from Budapest to Sofia is a long one, some nine hours. However, all our trips have been rather pleasant. The main holdups occur when passing through passport control posts which we thought had ceased. In some European countries there is no border check whereas between Hungary/Serbia and Bulgaria, they nearly filled our passport pages with their official black stamps, not to mention delays. It would be quite nice should they decide to change the stamps to an attactive graphic, preferably in color. 

  As an aside, it’s happened a few times in the Slav countries. A person takes a look at my passport and begins a conversation in the local language. I then have to explain that while my grandparents may have lived in the neighborhood, I’m from ‘down in Africa’. When we arrived at an apartment in Bulgaria some years ago, the manager got quite testy with me about my lack of ability to speak the language matching my surname. Finally, in the mountains of Peru one year, we had to cross a river. For that purpose, there was a roped section supporting a chair which the fellow would pull to get us across. When he demanded to know why, living in California, I could not speak Spanish, I thought he would refuse services. I mentioned I could speak another language, Afrikaans, and that appeared to assuage his anger. On second thoughts, maybe it is quite rough in the wilderness—I take back my earlier comment about civilization. 

Having passports filled with stamps from various countries without borders, we felt like philatelists with incomplete collections. Arriving in Sofia is always a good feeling for us and this time was no different. Because of the lateness of the hour, we had decided to spend the night in an hotel, a wonderful establishment actually, pick up our car the day following and spend the next two months hiking in Bulgaria and a little of Greece…(promise you I won’t slip-up and make a corny joke.) Once again, we had to grab a taxi to head to the airport to collect our rental although upon arriving, a shuttle drove us a further few miles away to the car hire depot. We then learned of a possible hiccup should we want to drive into Greece. Thereafter, we headed for Sapareva Banya, the gateway to 7-Rila Lakes. 

  The next part of the wilderness adventure had begun following the civilized chaos of spending time in two major, classical and beautiful cities, Prague and Budapest, including a journey that commenced at the former airport and ended (temporarily) in Sofia with the purpose of hiking in Bulgaria for an additional ten weeks. 

1 of 7 Rila Lakes, Bulgaria.
In Devin, Bulgaria, we welcome, after waiting patiently, the arrival of 'autumn leaves'. It's music to our ears.
Heading through the forests toward Grebenetz Peak, Devin, and mezmerized.
Mount Vihren, another favorite.
Polezhan Peak, Bezbog.
Orpheus Rocks, Smolyan.
And now for some watercolors. 

  Some height above Bansko.
Each hike in Bulgaria was unique, stimulating and caused pain...the latter feeling because the stay would end.
Obviously, reference to the specific blogs will provide more in-depth exposure to this fascinating land. 

Cheers, 

Jenni and Jeffrey

Following another 5 weeks of living in a wilderness of paradise, chaos of darkness overtook what they tell us is civilization when a representative group embarked upon evil plots of murder, rape and the brutalization of Israelis, young and old.

60.36 Bulgaria: Pamporovo: A hike from before Perlik Hut heading across a couple of mountains after passing an army base at Golyam Perelik.

The ground cover in this region softens the effect of the climbing.
It's only the start of a colorful beginning.
  

We finally understood the derivation of the phrase “Take a hike’. Actually, it’s more than a phrase as it contains a verb, making it a sentence. Hopefully, you’re not reading this for want of a grammar lesson as we’re probably wrong as well as quite boring. Why don’t I get back on the trail and take a hike. There you go: Already you can see an advantage to a reader of us ‘taking a … 

  Should one think about it, it all makes much sense. In Bulgaria particularly, and in many of the countries we’ve visited, we’ve come across outstanding wilderness areas. We’ve seen tree-filled forests in many parts of the world but would guess that this country is a leader in quantity and quality of trees and forests. So much so that there are many times we cannot separate the wood for the trees or the trees from the forests. What’s impressive is that the forests cover the land but are well-managed as gaps exist between trees allowing for fire prevention. 

  In addition, particular with the onset of winter, tree-felling has been active as the need for warmth is essential. While we cannot offer accurate information, it does appear that the land is not being abused but rather a balance exists between conservation, fire management and human survival. Frankly, as much as I love being in this country (a favorite), I have no desire to be present during winter...(continues below). 

The Piren range in the distance with Vihren and Kutelo on the right. Note the smooth curve connecting the two highest peaks. We spent nearly 3 weeks in Bansko, the town below these peaks.
Jenni stands on the peak of Mount Vihren, over 9,500 feet.
The distinctive curve between Vihren and Kutelo mentioned above, witnessed close by on another ski slope/mountain, Banderitza.
Let's go further toward the next mountain in a most beautiful, serene and unique environment. This trail underfoot, experienced infrequently in the country, combined with an atmosphere of tranquility far above ground level provided a feeling of extraordinary karma. (Too much Nepal remaining inside us).
Winter is on the way but still a few weeks distant.
Yet another view of the distinctive Snezhanka Tower, this time a first, we're towering above it.
Jenni about to perform her rocky impression.
She has to climb because I'm carrying the brunch which we're about to eat at that spot.
More than brunch, we absorb the simple but unique views.
Separating the wood for the trees and trying to identify the village...Stoykite?
  We have had a surprisingly large number of conversations on this trip with locals. It has added much to our experience including knowledge and entertainment. We’ve noticed quite a few people have spoken about the freedom they enjoy, the lack of restrictions in getting out into the wilderness and other aspects. Of course, growing up during the era in which we did, the countries behind the ‘Iron Curtain’ were often in our minds and subject to many discussions including the ‘cold war’ and possibility of a third world war. The irony is that I have thought and mentioned in our discussions that the former Soviet satellite states are growing in freedom while the Western nations are less free than in earlier years. Of course, it’s an opinion but look about and perhaps you’ll agree. 

  We find the land is extremely beautiful, often emitting a feeling of peace and tranquility. In some hikes, in addition, one is often overcome with a feeling of being alone in the world but with such inner joy that one almost doesn’t wish to complete the outing because the incredible feeling will end. The logic of the world is that a higher understanding balances one’s feelings, in this case, ending the hike and inner peace for the sake of avoiding physical collapse. 

  Perhaps the person who termed ‘take a hike’ enjoyed the same benefits we derive with much gratitude and suggested people should take to the wilderness and attain a taste of heaven. In the best interests of all our friends and acquaintances, (our enemies, too) we would suggest you ‘Take a Hike’. Where we enjoyed such privilege today, we know of no better means to inner-peace. 

Contrast of the two sides above the shallow canyon.
In the distance is Rohzen Observatory surrounded by...with the national flag fore.

In keeping with the style of showing icons viewed from different locations, the Rohzen Observatory from the boundary fence. Following a 3 mile hike up a mountain, we found the entrance closed, a guard preventing ideas of fence-climbing, although the website stated it was 'open'. Add another 3 miles return and it was still well worth the experience.
Cheers, 

Jenni and Jeffrey

And then the color descended (maybe ascended is appropriate) on the Rhodope Mountains.

60.33: Bulgaria: Yagodina: Eagle Eye Climb, pre-autumn coloring followed by a later true autumn hike.

Part-way up, we look into the gorge and valley.
After reaching the hotel, it is an incline all the way to the top.
  I made the point last week, aloud, much to Jenni's 'astonishment' that Bulgaria is my favorite place to visit for hiking and casual living, inter alia. More specifically, the Rhodope and Pirin Mountains are fantastic places. I also knew Jenni would reply, should she not be too bored, that I mention it about all the countries and regions we visit. It's my mind. It is obviously too small to retain much so the current or last place visited is therefore the favorite—the only one I remember. Naturally, I am deeply- or would be- offended but I like to give her the benefit of the doubt as she is correct...occasionally or perhaps more than occasionally. However, for the first time I stand by my position unequivocally and while I won't 'fight to the death to defend it', I will try to sneak a booking for next autumn. 

  This blog is linked to that which follows. We did the hike twice: Once before the autumn colors descended upon the forests and then three weeks later, to the day. In addition, we were able to return to the coffee vending machines for which we have developed a strange fondness. There's no accounting for behavior of those tending toward senility. In addition, I joked with Jenni that I hoped the guys we met at the machines 4 years back might join us for a 'catch-up'. It wasn't to be. However, on the second hike, we met Philip and he shrewdly had us purchase him a beer in order that we would not be drinking alone, that is, coffee. 

Philip and Jeffrey, in no particular order. Jen loves to take these photos unaware.

The road winds and wends between the mountains.

We peer over the edge using the telephoto lens.
'Hanging out' below the top but on the edge of the mountain.
Should you have come this far, we urge you to scroll down and ascertain the effect three weeks can have on the flora. 

Cheers, 

Jenni and Jeffrey

Here's a taste:

Continue scrolling for technicolor

60.35: Bulgaria: Yagodina: Part 2: Eagle Eye Climb. Color our world and fill it with mountain slopes, please.

This is the continuation blog of the previous hike, undertaken 3 weeks later, in a most spectacular environment. Should we be incorrect in our judgment of this marvel, kindly let us know. We would appreciate a response (negative only) in case we are losing objective judgment, something been known to occur. 

  It is one of the few occasions in which any photograph could have been selected for display. Instead, 90% of them are stored in the basement pending a clear out. The following day, we hiked elsewhere, not expecting to view anything close to what we had been immersed within on the day. Guess what? We were wrong.

  Perhaps during this period of misery and bleakness creeping over the planet, the autumn coloring might provide some temporary respite. It’s remarkable how beautiful the world is notwithstanding the misery cast upon it by some miserable beings masquerading as humans.

 

A little edgy but wonderful views, this and the following two photographs.
Showing the road through the gorge, too.
Cliffs and color. We often question whether the sights are real. Are we dreaming?
Similar view of the hotel of the earlier blog although later hike.
Someone was out with buckets of paint the night before.

Jen knows that there is no level track on this hike. You either are going up or down and steeply at that.
Seems to be a different type of leaf from most.
Across the way, some height, too.
Not too far from the coffee vending machine. Did we really write that?
Yikes!

Okay! Time to call it a day.
Cheers, 

Jenni and Jeffrey