February 25th.—Zaribrod, 28 miles (the present Servo-Bulgarian frontier), passing through Pirot, “formerly a walled castle built in the ancient style of very large blocks of stone.”
February 26th.—Bellizza, 25 miles, in the fertile plain of Sofia.
February 27th.—Sofia,[445] 15 miles. Here there are many Ragusan merchants and Jews, but the inhabitants are mostly Turks.
March 1st, 1534.—Vacarevo, 28 miles, reached after riding all day across a treeless plain.
March 2nd.—Vieterno, 28 miles.
March 3rd.—Celopinci, 32 miles, after passing Bazarcich (Tatar Bazarjik).
March 4th.—Cognuzza, after passing Philippopolis. “We still see the remains of the walls, which are in part entire and fine. There is a very long wooden bridge across the Maritza, which flows close by, consisting of over thirty arches. Under these many branches of the river pass.”
March 6th.—Chiudegegnibustraman (?).
March 7th.—Adrianople, 22 miles. “We crossed the bridge of Mostaffa Bassa (Mustafa Pasha) over the Maritza. It is very fine and wide, and has twenty arches, all of marble, with a gilded slab in the middle, on which are inscribed in blue Turkish letters the date, the names of the architect and the builder, and the cost.”
March 8th.—Sugutli, 20 miles.