Bulgarian taxi

After breakfast we again took our time and then booked a taxi through the reception desk to a spot in the mountains with a great view. There's many ways to get there, by foot, by bus (with a change) or even a prebooked tour and hike. We picked the easiest. It won't take us to the highest point but something just as good. There is a cable car that goes higher but in summer that's only open at weekends. I was nervous about getting a taxi as read of terrible rip-off stories but the hotel seemed confident. When the taxi arrived he let us in with a shake of the head (out here a yes is a shake not a nod - it caught me out a couple of times). As soon as we got in we were overwhelmed by the smell of smoke. He kept a cigarette going for about 5 minutes before throwing it away. He didn't seem particularly likable and so I wasn't enjoying the ride. That was until he tried to talk about the place we were going but he spoke Bulgarian with not a word of English and it all made him much more approachable. By the end I felt better. Katarina was a mess with motion sickness. I agreed with the driver to call for the return journey.