Day 18: The Sultans Trail from Belgrade to Sofia
#flashback: September 22, 2025
Startup problems and an unwanted shower
After two nights of fantastic sleep in my green room in Dimitrovgrad, I set off again in good spirits. At least… that’s what I think. My body just doesn’t want to cooperate and the hills feel like Mont Blanc. It’s amazing how the body works sometimes. Fortunately, it passes after a few hours and I’m walking great again; the more miles I cover, the better it feels. I’m a real diesel—I always need time to get going—but in the end, I still cover over 31 km.
Jogging across the highway
Pretty soon I reach the Serbian/Bulgarian border. There is no special border crossing for pedestrians, so you have to walk along the highway past the booths where the cars stop. Before crossing the border into Bulgaria, I grab a quick coffee, which I promptly spill all over myself. Besides the heat, I’m annoyed because I had just washed everything and I plan to camp for the next few days. As best as I can, I rinse the coffee out of my pants at the restrooms.
Hikers versus cyclists: the battle against the slope
After the border, the road goes up and up and yes, even steeper up, and for the first time in 18 days, I run into someone! Two cyclists on their way to Sofia. We chat for a bit and they continue with their bikes in hand while I push my cart. The path is too steep to cycle. I pass them with rapid strides. That’s when you see who the experienced hiker is. It takes hours before they overtake me again.
Bulgarian order and brown autumn fields
The landscape is green and varied, and I’m enjoying the views. It’s another hot day, but the breeze is somewhat cool and there’s regular shade, so it’s manageable. When I arrive in the village of Dragoman, I’m slightly surprised. It looks tidy here, with straight sidewalks and far fewer dilapidated houses and trash on the streets.
After this, the landscape changes from green to brown. I walk through rolling fields where sunflowers, wheat, and corn stood not long ago and where the grass was still green. Still, it’s beautiful; it perfectly signals the end of summer and the preparation for autumn and winter.
Hammering pegs into the hard ground
It’s not easy, but eventually, I find a flat spot to camp. The pegs are hard to get into the ground, but with a stone, I manage bit by bit; my tent is solid as a rock.
