Day 219 – EU – Bulgaria [Dragoman to Yarlovtsi]

28/09/20

46km

  From Dragoman (Bulgaria) to Yarlovtsi (Bulgaria)

Europe

A solo tranquil run broken by a police control, proximity of the Serbian border and no network coverage

As I left Dragoman at the crack of dawn I was immediately on my own, on a very undulating road devoid of traffic. The only rural road in the area leading to the Serbian border. I was thoroughly enjoying the calm and serenity of my surroundings, only distracted by the twitters of the many little birds flying around.

The road I ran on was very close to the Serbian border but I did not imagine getting arrested in the middle of nowhere. On top of a hill, a policeman came out of a parked car and ordered me to stop. Communication was minimal as he did not speak any language other than Bulgarian, which I do not speak. He disappeared inside the car with my ID card and spent the following 25mn making phone and radio calls. Frustrating and anxious wait for me!

I made a pit stop in Tran in an attempt to get some lunch but failed miserably. I was glad that my host tonight, Kyril, offered to cook me a meal as I arrived. I am the only customer and there is no wifi or 4G coverage inside or nearby. First time I am not able to post my Blog and download my run GPS data on the day!

Tomorrow is the day I cross into Serbia. Let’s hope all papers are in order.

Check my daily run GPS data on or

Here is the map of today’s run: