When a usually short drive of 100 km and about an hour and a half turns into a two-day trip, one must remember that the journey is not about the destination. Can the road to Blagoevgrad in southwest Bulgaria be more than 300 km? Yes it can, and most enjoyably so.

As three of my friends and I set out in two cars to visit our Alma Mater in Blagoevgrad for a reunion this May, we saw on our way curious rock formations, steaming mineral water pools, a holy location and the remains of an ancient fortress.

The first stretch of our journey was seemingly straightforward. Exit Sofia through the Vladaya pass to the southwest following the signs that point towards Kulata, the Bulgaria-Greece border checkpoint, and drive for about an hour to Dupnitsa, stop at the OMV petrol station for a snack and then go on for another half hour to Blagoevgrad. We could have just stopped there. But "the Road goes ever on and on... and I must follow, if I can," J.R.R.Tolkien had said in beautiful verse in his epic, The Lord of the Rings, and we obliged.

The E79 had been expanded and renovated over the past couple of years and as of late it has been a pleasure to drive along that road. The turn to Rila Monastery just eight km short of Blagoevgrad was our first spontaneous detour. We decided to see the rock pyramids near the village of Stob.

Finding the village was a bit confusing as when we turned left from the main road on the way to the town of Rila, we passed through Kotcherinovo and then we turned immediately right when we could have followed the same road for another kilometre or so and taken the next right turn which would lead us straight to Stob. However, the wrong turn was not too wrong and we did not get lost, just passed through another village.

Within the village of Stob there were blue signs pointing towards the rock pyramids but some asking around was more useful. If rocks don't do it for you, don't go there as the reddish hills might fail to impress you. We had to leave the cars near the church at the end of the village and continue on foot for about 10 to 15 minutes so for us, this was more of an opportunity to stretch our legs than a bit of unforgettable sightseeing.

After this short break we were back on the road as we had a reservation at a hotel near Sandanski for the night before our reunion and we had to get there before sundown.
Just before Blagoevgrad we took the left branch of the road which had a Kulata sign rather than continuing along the right one which would take us through the centre of the town. We drove past Simitli and through the Kresna gorge. There we took another short break for chicken soup at a roadside shack whose sole attraction was a terrace overlooking the wild waters of the Strouma river (just a couple of kilometres before stopping we had seen rafters preparing to go down the swift currents).

Another 25 km and we were in Sandanski, famous for its numerous healing mineral water springs. Our hotel was in the Popina Laka area outside the town and as it was called 10th kilometre, we followed a right turn of the road instead of continuing to the Sandanski centre and drove for about 10km to get to a secluded pristine spot on the bank of the Sandanska Bistritsa river, past the village of Lilyanovo.

Our hosts at the small hotel offered us fresh trout for dinner, straight from the breeding-pond next to the restaurant. We did have delicious fish but we refrained from catching it ourselves. Needless to say, sleep was very refreshing in the peaceful mountain.

I wondered for how long, though, as the lower section of the road from Sandanski to the Popina Laka area bustled with construction workers, trucks and cars and several hotels-to-be rose at the roadside.

The next morning our trip took another unexpected turn as instead of going back north from Sandanski to Blagoevgrad, we drove southwest to Petrich. We left the E79 just after Damyanitsa and nine km later we arrived at Rupite, an area famous as the residence of the prophet Vanga.

A pretty white church rises now where she used to live, though the saints artist Svetlin Russev had pained on its walls were rather controversial and harshly criticised for straying from the canon. I personally was more impressed with the delightful natural surroundings among which were a bamboo grove just beside the church, 70oC steaming mineral water pools with signs warning visitors that the water was too hot for bathing, lush green slopes, several couples of storks nesting nearby and an abundance of children's laughter and smiling faces.

I reluctantly left this charming place to get back on the road which next led us west of Petrich to Samuilova Krepost. We followed signs for Zlatarevo, the border checkpoint at the Macedonian border. Samuilova Krepost turned out to be more of a park than a fortress but the guide at the entrance was very kind to explain to us where King Samuil's fort had once risen.

Today, a monument commemorates the tragic events of 1014 when Byzantine emperor Basil II defeated Samuil's forces and captured around 14 000 soldiers who were blinded and one was left one-eyed to lead every one hundred blinded home. At that sight, Samuil had a heart attack and died two days later. After that savage act Basil II was known as Bulgar-slayer.

Of the fortress, we saw only the remains of the watchtower which were overshadowed by four concrete pillars. We climbed a flight of stairs to a platform between the pillars, 5 m above ground, which marked how tall the tower had been. From the platform, we could see mount Tumba in Belasitsa mountain where the borders of Greece, Bulgaria and Macedonia come together, and in the distance we could make out the closest Macedonian village.

On the way back to Blagoevgrad, I couldn't help but think that this trip was not about the reunion at all.