This is our first encounter with the cyrillic alphabet!  There are occaisional signs in western script but it appears fairly random as to when this is used and for which towns!  We started off following a Turkish truck so we were pretty confident we were heading in the correct direction.  The Rough Guide lists the more major towns on route in Cyrillics so it was a case of trying match the pictures – SNAP!  We did spend much longer looking for turnings and ascertaining where we were than usual.  It has to be said that we did take an unintentional detour at one stage. 

We stopped for coffee at Veliko Turnovo, a town set on a the rocky hillside around the spurs of an ‘almost’ gorge.  We took a walk around the old fortifications which are being rebuilt as a part of the ‘Beautiful Bulgaria Project’ with EU Funding.  Feeling refreshed we braved the roads again (I might need to obtain a more supportative bra!).  We soon emerged from the hills onto a large plain and continued heading towards Greece.  It was quite a culture shock coming back into an affluent country!  We travelled as far as Alexandrioupoli on the coast.