Decision made!
Due to the influencing factors mentioned in the previous blog entry and especially in the persistent heat, which over noon drives us to rest in the shade for several hours at temperatures of over 35 degrees, and also in view of the more demanding route profiles ahead of us, the originally planned stages to Istanbul can now only be met with maximum effort and without any regeneration phase. Yet, rushing is not our travel plan.
So we decided to change the planned route, to cycle away from the Danube earlier, heading for Sofia now and from there to continue the journey to Istanbul by train. We had already reserved this option for such situations before starting the journey.
Now we can continue to enjoy the journey in a relaxed manner and will still arrive early and without stress in Istanbul to meet our friends from Rasht. False ambition would have created considerable stress for us. We wanted to avoid that at all costs.