Bulgaria 19 May: Plovdiv - Sofia
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We started to run from the main square of Plovdiv, where people from the city kindly provided us some lunch bags for the day.
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On our way, we met a lot of different people. Pierre was very interested to discover that French people are not the only ones to cook snails.
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The change of climate after Turkey is obvious, and brings serious advantages…
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Those who experienced the high temperatures of Turkey are especially enjoying the refreshing rain.
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Mother nature offers us new spectacles.
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We had our first meeting today in the municipality of Pazardzhik; young boys and girls from a famous Karate club showed us the way through the city. People are involved in many good projects here, and it always makes us feel that we are not alone...
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The mayor of the city, Mr. Ivan Evstatiev received us along with organizers of other ultra-distance marathons; we had an nice time sharing our experiences of the run. They, for example, organize runs in high altitudes. Here we took a group photo with the city crest made of flowers.
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The Karate club also gave a short demonstration and club members then joined us for another run.
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As the city showed so much enthusiasm welcoming us, we really felt that the representatives understood how sport can bring people together and how sport can help to overcome social difficulties.
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On the run, some people join us for days and some for weeks or even months, but no matter how long they stay it is always a gain for the run; Tsveta Gagova came for only one day, but she did it wholeheartedly and her participation was appreciated… thank you.
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Police stopped even the public transportation as we ran through the city.
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Best vehicle in the countryside!
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We are getting better every day at reading the Cyrillic alphabet.
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The city of Belovo is famous in the all country because of its exclusive production of… toilet paper; we couldn’t resist enjoying this unique opportunity to buy a present for our beloved Rostya, as he is suffering with some stomach troubles as soon as he starts running.
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But we also might need it to clean the car. SMILE....
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Sofia, the capital and our destination for today, made a very nice impression on us; we really felt that this was the heart of the country.
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Greetings on the road...
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The dance company Makedonche performed the traditional Shopski dance for us and sang us the World Harmony Run Song .
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Pellagiya Cherneva, responsible for sport in Sofia’s city hall and also a famous athlete, received the torch and read us a few words from the mayor. Many thanks.
Distance: 146km
Team Members:
Ondrej Vesely and Rosta Vagner (Czech Republic), Pierre Lantuas Monfouga (France), Valentin Bebik and Nataliya Lehonkova (Ukraine), Janos Derekas (Hungary), Jewgenij Kuschnow (Austria).
Harmonemail:
You can send a message to the runners or read the messages.
Gallery: See more images!
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