FF2: Filling in the Suburbs

[krigl]

Today sees us driving from North Macedonia into Bulgaria... and back out again.


These railway axles are destined for Blagoevgrad in Bulgaria. On the way we pass the Rock Eater Quarry SE of Stip.


I like quarries and we won't be visiting so I decided to stop and send the drone over to take a look.


Hmm, not bad, quite small though. Probably wasn't room for something bigger at this spot.


Approaching the town of Strumica near the border.


The quarry is still visible in the background. The shape reminds me a little of the model of Renzo Piano's 'Good Volcano' shopping centre found near Naples in Italy. Could it be that, reskinned?




And here we are, heading out of state to Bulgaria for the last time.




Oh dear. Looks like they overheated.


Bulgaria. Much of this fine region was made by PM, I guess. Not having toured the Black Sea DLC yet makes it hard to tell.


The town of Petrich.








Onto the motorway to Blagoevgrad. I plan to tour Bulgaria soonish - hopefully within 6 or 8 months, so we'll stop right here...


...and rejoin Dusan as he returns from Blagoevgrad on that motorway with a new cargo for Skopje.


Leaving the motorway, we find the AI has had an accident. I love seeing these, makes the AI seem more alive. Looks like everyone's okay, I can't see any serious damage.


Looks like there are going to be hold-ups on the motorway, though. I pity the drivers on the off-ramp. Maybe they can squeeze through?


Driving back to Petrich as the sun sinks towards the horizon.




At the border.


Back in North Macedonia, with Strumica ahead.


I was looking though my last thread (FF1) in my lunch hour and it struck me that someone might find it strange that the guy who tours the Eastern part of Europe there is called Milan, and now the name is Dusan. Probably no one noticed, but just in case, please allow me to clear that up. I'm Milan's brother. He left for Alaska to compete in the Iditarod dog sled race - I don't know where the idea came from, but he did pretty well, then found a wife and actually settled down there. Now he spends much of his time training, being pulled around by huskies and screaming 'Mush! Mush!'. He wanted me to take over his 'duties' here, and sends his regards.


And we'll end it here, in foggy Strumica. Dusan.

[krigl]

Today's set is in two parts. The first is from Strumica to Skopje as night falls, and the second is from Skopje southwards through great scenery towards the border with Greece.


Leaving Strumica.


The setting sun's rays feebly shine through the fog.


The last light is fading as we approach Stip.


Passing the turnoff to Stip.


On the road to Skopje.




Harshly-lit tollbooths by night.


Skopje welcomes us.


Delivery - at last!


After so little sleep it was probably illegal, we're off again pulling an empty milk tanker: destination PM Greece!


We won't be spending much time in Greece as I plan to tour it later, but still looking forward to checking it out. And the scenery on the way down the eastern half of North Macedonia is often stunning.


The sun put on a great show at dawn.




Decided to paint the cab and owned trailer in something approaching the Greek national colours.


Veles East turnoff.


The road diverges on the way south, with the southward lanes heading SW for a while, and the northward lanes heading NE... and then they meet again. The southward road features a great view, as we'll see in a moment.


Oh... a tunnel. Not seen one of those for a while.


Wow! Nice! This is perhaps Veles, I guess.








Driving in North Macedonia in ETS2, as it is small, is heavily defined by roads and checkpoints leading in and out of the country to other lands. But the little state itself rewards exploration with a wealth of fantastic mountain scenery, and plenty of country driving, often with hills. A lovely part of the map.








That's it for today. We'll cross into Greece next time. Thanks for looking in!
Dusan

[krigl]

Making a swift foray into Greece today.




Large hotel and rest stop near the border.




Better find my passport again.






Hellas is the word.






Another cool border checkpoint behind us, and it's time to see a little of ProMods' Greece.




Certainly a bit of a different feel. I look forward to exploring it properly in the next thread.




We've reached the jobsite already?


Got to pick up that lovely fresh milk.




All loaded up - time to return to North Macedonia.


Back at the border.






Driving north. Stip is the destination.


Oh dear. Were you trying to overtake me in that Porsche? What a shame.




Awww, you're still behind me. U mad bro?


U look mad.


Still heading northwards. Next time we'll take our leave of the north and start exploring the southern part of the country. Trips to Greece and Albania await. Dusan

[krigl]

Today we'll be seeing some great scenery as we travel through the eastern part of North Macedonia, first northwards to Stip, and then southwards to Prilep.










Oh my... not good.






Back in Stip.




Milk delivered.


Different tank this time - a silo. Taking plastic granules to Bitola in the south of the country.


Farewell to Stip.










The south and west of N. Macedonia sees more 'engagement' with the terrain - windy and hilly roads, beautiful views.






My mobile is fizzing and sparking right now, it's got so much 'signal'.




A house with a view. Prilep lies ahead.






There it is, Prilep. Welcome to the south. Dusan

[krigl]

Today: Driving from Prilep to Bitola with plastic granules, and then taking a lowboy down to PM Greece.


Passing Prilep.


From there it's a short but nice journey to Bitola.




What? Not again. Guess I'll sneak past, as always.


Ha! And this time you won't stop me, boys. Wait a minute. That's not a real accident, is it. I saw that upside-down car and those two Elvis impersonators not long ago, in Serbia or somewhere. Evidently they picked it up, moved it down here and just placed it there to stop the traffic for a laugh. I've seen through their little game, hrrr hrrr. Go and join a hair metal band, guys, V guitars and spandex all the way. Stop clogging up our roads, hrrrm hrrrm.


Approaching Bitola.






Our destination.




Plastic delivered - let's go and buy a garage.


New garage, new lowboy. We're going to take it down to Greece, see if they've go anything that needs hauling at the Ptolemaida nuclear plant.




It's a short way to the border from Bitola.


Very busy here.


And we're in ProMods' Greece again. Just a short visit once again.




Soon we reach Ptolemaida.






Great. I wonder if they've got anything for us.


They have! As I came into the reception centre some guy was just saying 'We really must do something about that excavator, it's getting in the way. If only someone was available to take it to Prilep in North Macedonia' and I said 'hey, I can do that'.


People think stuff like this is just luck, being in the right place at the right time and all that, but you really have to know the ins and outs of the industry to land a job like that.


I always say 'I make my own luck' and 'the funny thing is, the more I practice, the ''luckier'' I get', and then give a knowing wink, or perhaps a casual shrug. And then I go back to counting my euros like Scrooge McDuck.
That's it for today. Dusan

[krigl]

Kicking off the trip today in Ptolemeida, PM's Greece...




Leaving the nuclear plant behind.




Driving north to the North Macedonian border.


That'll be it.




Passing through Bitola on the way to our destination, Prilep.






Between towns.


Arrival in Prilep with our lightly glowing digger.




Parking up in the fog.


Swapped for a new cab for the next trip into Albania, and then got some kip.


Picturesque Prilep wakes up.








Market stallholders are getting set up.


And it's time for us to head off, bedecked in an attempt at an Albanian paint job.


Back in Bitola to pick up something for Elbasan.


Something agricultural, it seems. 500,000 cream cheese triangles, maybe.


Fortified with calcium.


Farewell to Bitola and Prilep, then. It was nice chilling there.


Driving westwards, destination Albania.
Cheers! Dusan

[FlyerBRA]

Very nice shots! iam actually on the east too Bulgaria...maybe we meet on the road

[krigl]

Hey there FlyerBRA, yeah, I remember passing a truck that looked like yours, but I couldn't see who was driving through the side window because the cab was riding so darn looooowww...


Today's trip takes us through south North Macedonia, past Ohrid, to Albania, and almost to Elbasan.


Here we are passing Ohrid, a word which for some reason my brain always reassembles into Horrid.


It's not horrid at all, of course, it's fine. Has a good waterfront view over Lake Horrid. I mean, Ohrid. Just passing by today, though.


We'll be back before we leave this country for good.




Here's Lake H.. Lake Ohrid. Pretty impressive body of water.




Struga is a small place close to the border. Not sure if you can enter or not, I suspect not or I'd have pics.




Albania, here we come.






OK then!


Albania, especially Elbasan and it's surroundings, is a real gem, as we shall soon see.










Wow... lovingly crafted indeed.








It's well worth reading about Albania and it's hyper-paranoid leader Enver Hoxha. He did the usual oppressive stuff, imprisonment, interrogations, labour camps, torture, executions, etc. that one expects from a dictator, but was unusually reclusive, especially in comparison to relatively open (for tourists) Yugoslavia. Particularly interesting - Wiki says that up to 1991 there were only 5000 -7000 cars in the whole country, while there were 170,000 military bunkers. He did some good stuff with electrification, literacy and women's rights, at least, so he wasn't all bad.






Elbasan lies ahead. We'll tour it next time. Dusan

[krigl]

Today - a visit to Elbasan in Albania, PM's Western Balkans. A very cool part of a very nice map region.


4 columns, standing close together, supporting nothing at all. Again. I wonder why.




Looking back before entering Elbasan.


Those giant white plants from the Baltic DLC make an appearance in this region along with content from every ETS2 DLC since at least France. The person/people who made this place really pulled out all the stops.
















Probably should have used a refrigerated trailer to haul those cheese triangles. Oh well. Nearly there.




Delivered. Wait... what IS that. I want it! But I want to tour the city... quick check... 27 hours to pick it up? It's a deal.


Let's have a look round then, and then get some sleep.






The city has a lot of character. Beauty mixed with poverty, which is how I imagine this very off-the-beaten-track corner of Europe.












Sorry about spinning around in your yard. I didn't realise someone actually lived here.


Okay, a very enjoyable place to explore it was. But now to get some kip. That's it for today.
Dusan

[krigl]

Today we leave Elbasan in Albania and drive back to Ohrid.


Time to go and get that underground train carriage. Hope it really is still there!


It was!


ETS2 definitely has werewolves in it somewhere, hungrily eying the trucks and cars as they drive by. It's the perfect place for them. A full moon every night.


Add to that the zombie-like pedestrians, which often creep me out, and the sometimes erratic behaviour of the AI, which makes it seem not only alive, but even deliberately dangerous, and Eurotrucks is the perfect Halloween game.


And other things can sometimes be found lurking in the night...


Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee......


See what I m-m-m-mean?


The international express train to Ohrid now standing at the petrol station is ready to depart. Please stand clear of the doors.








This time it was I who had an accident - in the fog. I suddenly realised that I needed to go wide around this corner, and didn't notice this truck speeding by on the left. No major damage, luckily.


We managed to extricate ourselves eventually. Liked this trailer, which I've never seen before. What Ohrid weather though. Horrid. Horrid weather.


About to leave PM Albania. First time I've been there, and it will also be the last. Kinda sad.






Alright, heading for Ohrid now.




Back past the lake.


Bit of a hold up.


Here we are.


Delivering the train at Wilnet's. Have fun with it, guys and gals.


All set up for our last trip in North Macedonia, wearing approximately the right colours, on the Ohrid lakefront.


Looks pretty inviting. Time for a dip?


Nah, let's go. Next time - driving north up the western side of the country, destination Skopje.


That's it for today. Thanks for looking in! Dusan