When you’re afraid that something might happen, you can be sure that it will happen and maybe even sooner than you might expect! I was talking to my handcart as usual, I was asking him to resist until Istanbul, with the promise that once there I would have reviewed it, washed it and taken care of it in a proper way, however, in the middle of a beautiful Bulgarian day with lots of fantastic meetings (also thanks to the service on NovaTv) when everyone was greeting me, honking and offering me something to drink while I was walking, around midday the left wheel decided to die and few hours later the handlebar committed suicide by literally cracking in two: possibly, it was tired, poor handlebar.

But the strange thing has been the calm with which I have dealt with the situation in both cases …let’s be clear, I haven’t changed lots of wheels similar to bike’s ones in my life..I’m not an expert, so you can imagine my approah with the handlebar! Instead, I was calm, thoughtful, and I took simple and fast decisions in order to keep on travelling and complete my daily stage…the tube got changed and especially for the handlebar the solution found was bad looking, but certainly practical and effective, composed of electrical tape and bungee cords…now I’m writing from Istanbul and both the wheel and the handlebar are still operating…resisting any situation, including hilly metropolis! Then I will share the photos .. maybe if you have any suggestions and ideas you can write them as you always do!!

This is a demonstration of how my journey is testing me in a short time every single day! Afraid of something??!! Sbaaam!! I’ll make it happen immediately, without wasting any time, without many words or thoughts, so you take it off and go to the next…because my fears are still a lot and of course some of them are really deep and complicated to overcome. I keep grinding kilometers, bumping into my destiny every second.

I spent my last Bulgarian night near the border in a seedy motel (I made a video) where I paid relatively little, but in retrospect it was not worth the expenditure made, not even for the shower: the water wascold and almost yellow..so I’ve decided not to go to hotels again generally speaking…except in special cases and/or in hostels and campsites.

The Bulgarian-Turkish border has been the largest and the most felt in terms of feelings..it excited me, I felt my stomach taken in a cheerful clamp, with legs that seemed lighter than usual, but making every step feel heavy and important…Turkey means a lot to me as a destination and the jump at the cultural level can be seen from the start, unlike for other borderlines..because there is immediately a beautiful mosque on the road waiting for you, as if it would say “Look, you’re in Turkey, my dear”. I would add: “I arrived here only with my poor legs and a walking house, and both things are bruised!” I know that it’s pretty much only 2,000 km, but for me it is a big step…now I officially consider myself as a walker that can really dream the project he has in his mind…now I’m a weaned walker, I’m leaving the European breast that has given me a lot, but that I don’t need any longer…the training is over…the engine is turned off and the sails are unfurled.

Next time I’ll tell you about the amazing hospitality received in Turkey and how my decision of not sleeping in a bed anymore has immediately made everything a lot richer!

Next one will be all red with the half moon accompanied by her favourite star.

Always smile!

Thanks to Simone Gamba for translation! 🙂