Stara Zagora
Bulgaria
What I consider the greatest planning catastrophe of this entire trip began with trusting a large language model to organise my train journey from Plovdiv to Bucharest. Despite cross-checking some sources, it provided me with outdated information from 2020, including a route that no longer exists.
Arriving in Stara Zagora, I confidently expected to catch the so-called “night train to Bucharest.” Imagine my shock when the ticket office clerk calmly informed me that no such train existed. The only option was a single morning regional train to Gorna Oryahovitsa.
With hotel prices starting at 60 euros per night and over 100 if I wanted to stay close to the station for the morning train, I chose to camp outside and hope for the best.
The night did not turn out any better. After setting up my hammock in a nearby park, I was abruptly soaked by a sprinkler system I had failed to notice. Drenched to the bone, I had to relocate. By 4 a.m., the temperature had dropped sharply, and the wind drove me to seek shelter in the station lobby. An hour later, a police officer nudged me awake with his boot, pointing me towards a row of small, uncomfortable benches I had avoided due to my height.
By the time I finally boarded the 9 a.m. train, I felt nothing but relief. This segment of the trip had gone spectacularly downhill.
The Balkan Crawl
Stop 25 of 34
- Arrived from Plovdiv · by train · about 90 km
- Left for Gorna Oryahovitsa · by train · about 80 km