Distance: 75km
Elevation: 1.388m
The peacocks in the campground had been very noisy in the night. So was the nearby highway. I did not find much sleep during that night.
While I was packing up, I talked to another guy from the camper safari. He was 79 and came from Brandenburg. He asked me “Are you not afraid?” My reply was “What should I be afraid about? I’m afraid of trucks and sometimes wild animals. But other than that?” He said “People. Are you not afraid of people along the way?” I replied “People are the one thing that I’m not afraid about.”
He shook his head in disbelief and said “You are brave!”. We talked a little bit about their safari and we wished us well.
I cycled to the Bulgarian border. The border crossing was on a highway. That meant, I needed to enter the highway which felt a little unusual. I had to do this before in Spain and in Canada, but I never liked it.
Nobody seemed concerned though, and I crossed the border without problems. I asked the border patrol officer how I could get off this highway again on the Bulgarian side and he just told me to follow the signs. However, there were no signs.
Anyways, I was in Bulgaria now, country number six on this tour. 
I made a rest at the gas station right after the border crossing. I wanted to ask the locals what I should do. They all shrugged their shoulders and said, I should continue on the highway. The next town was 16 km away.
Also, the official EuroVelo 13 continued on the highway. I did not like that at all. So I asked drivers of large cars if they could give Rosinante and me a quick ride up to Dragoman, the next town. They all declined.
So, I put on my safety vest and my helmet light and started cycling. Luckily, there was already an exit after a few hundred meters.
I found a parallel “street” that would also go to Dragoman. In contrast to the highway though, it was going across a mountain with an incline of up to 15% . I had to push Rosinante uphill for about 500m in elevation. That took me around two hours.
After I had climbed the mountain, I got attacked by a group of shepherd dogs who were watching over some sheep. There were about eight of them, and they were creating a barking barrier between me and the herd.
I remained calm and continued slowly on my path. I noticed, that they attacked my bags. I felt the impact as I was cycling. However, they did not go for my legs. I know that they were just doing their jobs.
Trying to go fast made it only more problematic, I found. Then they saw me as prey. But when I went slowly, the situation remained largely under control and did not escalate.
After the descent, I went to Dragoman to make a short rest and have a call with Carolin. I was still a little bit upset about the dog encounter. 
Heavy rain clouds were in the sky, and I felt pretty exhausted from the climb.
Also, there was very little infrastructure in this part of Bulgaria. The landscape was full of mountains which was beautiful but reduced my reach dramatically.
I had no idea where I would sleep that night.
But I continued my route anyways. I came through totally impoverished and abandoned little villages. Many houses in the villages had collapsed. It was a sad and scary sight.
Needless to say that there were no shops. 
I climbed up a pass on a road that was under construction. It reminded me very much of Canada. It was wild and beautiful and there was no living soul around for hours.
After two hours or so, I arrived at the top. I was pretty tired. I found a fountain and prepared myself for a night of wild camping by filling my water bladders. My evening supplies were a little thin, but I would live.
I came across a saying that is attributed to the Islamic Prophet Mohammed. It goes “Trust in Allah, but tie your camel.”
I found this very fitting for the situation. 
Wildlife here consists of brown bear, wolf, lynx, shakal, and snakes. All in all, a perfect place for some wild camping after all.
Eventually, around 6pm, I met a larger road that eventually led into a larger village.
Turkish music was playing and young people were on the streets. What a pretty sight.
In Bulgaria, I found that the Turkish influence is already very strong. Further east, Bulgaria has a direct border to Turkey.
I found a local shop owner who spoke some English. I asked her for some advice where I could stay the night.
After some thinking, she came up with a place nearby, that offered food and also had some sort of hut.
I cycled there and asked if I could stay for the night. The owner did not speak any English, but he understood and he showed me the hut which looked like a simple youth hostel in the very old days. A friendly waitress that spoke some English was also supporting.
I was in heaven! I took a shower, dressed up, and went into the restaurant. I had a large Greek salad and Köfte, which were meatballs with potatoes and white cheese. And I had a cold beer.
I checked in with Francesco, to hear how his experience with Bulgaria had been. He also had encountered abandoned villages and dogs. Tomorrow he would cross over into Romania. 
What an intense day this had been. Totally exhausting, a little scary and with a little miracle towards the end.
Another day to be thankful for.