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On our way to Sofia, we stopped for a few days in Polvdiv… a lively town full of history and culture. We had the chance to check out some Roman ruins and get a little bit of work done before pushing on to the country’s capital.

Bulgaria was our first entry point into the EU and we were surprised to find it packed with random excitement. We met a guy working at the border,who invited us back to his house to celebrate St. Nikolas day with his family. The night turned into a event filled with food, entertainment and some brief lessons in Bulgarian history. It was refreshing to know that even though we had entered Europe, the random encounters we have had throughout the expedition were far from over.

We made it through Asia! Istanbul is where east meets west, where the continents of Europe and Asia collide… or breakaway depending on your point of view I guess. We spent a handful of days in Istanbul checking out the sights and trying to get some work done on the trucks but sadly it was also where we said goodbye to Karie who had been with us for over a month and to Greg whom we had met in Georgia. Fortunately, Steve and I would not be alone for long as our friend Mark was flying into Istanbul to join up with us for the rest of the expedition.

You never know who you are going to meet. We meet strange and interesting people almost every day. Fatsa, Turkey was no exception. We were filling up our tanks with $10 a gallon gasoline when a guy approached us asking about the cars and what they were doing so far from home. “Nino” ended up being a restaurant owner and a tour operator and he invited us back to his place for dinner. After filling up on a delicious Turkish meal, he took us out on the town and then let us crash on his boat for the night. It was a great day and Nino hooked us up. It was also the spot where Karie decided to test out the water for a late night swim… as it turns out, the water was cold and full of fish guts.

Turkey is a Muslim country, but interestingly enough, just outside of Trabzon, you can find the remarkable Sumela Monastery. The structure, built literally into the side of a cliff was home to monks for several hundred years. It was later abandoned and left to the mercy of the public who as you can probably guess managed to vandalize this historical place. The Monastery is now once again gaining in popularity but the recently instituted entrance fee is going to repair and restore the monastery from years of abuse. It was definitely worth the trip on our way out of town.