007 CYCLE TOURING BULGARIA

 

By Eddie Carter

BULGARIA

507 Kilometres – 9 Days

17 August – 26 August 2007

MAP

PHOTOS

 

 006 Bulgaria

507 Kilometres – 9 Days

17 August – 26 August 2007

 

17 August – Oltenita, Romania - Silistra, Bulgaria – 85 kilometres

After a breakfast of fresh tomatoes and paprika from Peter's garden, we hurried towards the Calarasi border to cross the Danube River towards Silistra. I was worried about my Romanian Visa, as I had exceeded the two-day limit stated on it by staying 20 days. However, I said nothing and handed over my passport to the border officials. The officials took my passport and disappeared behind a screen. After a while, they returned and returned my passport without saying anything. I was relieved that everything went smoothly.

I noticed that communicating in Bulgaria would pose a bigger challenge. Bulgarian is a Southern Slavic language that uses the Cyrillic alphabet. It was the first Slavic language to be written, and a new version was standardised after Bulgaria gained independence in 1878. However, I found it particularly confusing that nodding one’s head actually means ‘no’, while shaking it side to side means ‘yes’. It was tough to get used to. I first encountered this behaviour when I was trying to find accommodation. The lady initially shook her head, which I assumed meant no rooms were available. However, she then produced a room key, causing me much confusion.

 

18 August - Silistra - Balchik - 136 kilometres

Bulgaria covers an area of 110,994 square kilometres, roughly the same size as Malawi - a country that I consider small. Eddie and I decided to head towards Balchik, a Black Sea coastal town and seaside resort. We chose this town because of its prime location along the shores of the Black Sea. Our route took us 136 kilometres through farmlands, cornfields, and vast fields of sunflowers.

We arrived in Balchik late in the evening, only to find that the town lacked camping facilities. We had no choice but to cycle another fifteen kilometres to Kavarna, which had a beautiful campsite on the lake's shores. The place was idyllic, and we wasted no time submerging our sweat-soaked bodies in the lukewarm waters of the Black Sea —a blissful end to a long day of cycling.

 

19 August - Kavarna

The next day, we spent the day at the beach and unexpectedly reunited with the Baltic Cycle Group from Bucharest. It was a fun night of drinking and trying to communicate, as almost everyone in the group spoke Polish, and neither Ed nor I spoke the language.

Initially, I mistook the Black Sea for a lake, only to realize upon studying a map that it connects to the ocean through the Bosphorus Strait. The waters of the Black Sea first flow into the Sea of Marmara, which in turn is connected to the Mediterranean through the Strait of the Dardanelles. I was surprised to learn that the Black Sea is a vast body of water, spanning 436,400 square kilometres and reaching a depth of over 2000 meters in some areas.

 

20 August - Kavarna - Kancija via Verna - 96 kilometres

The following day, we continued our journey towards the Turkish border. However, navigating proved difficult as most signboards were written in Hungarian.

Despite this, we found a basic campsite in Verna, which had a decent beach. While there, we again met the Baltic Cycles, who were also in search of an inexpensive place to camp. We had a great time together that night, partying and enjoying the company of these cyclists who were equally good at cycling as having fun. The restaurant owner later offered us Rakia, a potent fruit brandy, along with homemade wine. I guessed the alcohol was offered to help us tolerate the mosquito-infested campsite.

 

21 August – Kamcija

We spent a leisurely day chatting with fellow cyclists. Communication seemed to improve proportionally to the amount of vodka consumed, and they quickly became good friends.

 

22 August - Kamcija - Nesebar - 104 kilometres

We had established a comfortable camping routine of packing up and cycling to our next destination. During our stay at the campsite in Nesebar, we met a 70-year-old German man travelling around the world with his bike and trailer. He had started his journey a year prior to our meeting in Germany and was still going strong. Curiously, his bicycle lacked pedals, rendering cycling impossible even if he wanted to.

The campsite in Nesebar was so good, and we had so much fun, that we decided to spend two days.

 

24-25 August - Nesebar - Yuk Camping - 96 kilometres

I was grateful to the Baltic Cycle Group for sharing their camping location, as it turned out to be one of the best options in the area. On our way, we stopped at Pomorie and Sozopol, which were great places to swim and cool off from the hot weather. While my fellow cyclists moved on, I chose to stay at the beach and work on fading my awkward cycling tan.

 

26 August - Yuk Camping - Border – 75 kilometres

Bulgaria has diverse terrain, including a coastline along the Black Sea and a mountainous interior. Once we moved inland, the terrain grew steep. Since it was August, and thus mid-summer, most days were sweltering, adding to the challenge. Flies also added to the problem. They buzzed in hordes around our heads, strangely reminding us of biking in Ethiopia.

Shortly before reaching the Turkish border, Eddie and I rode into a small village to get some refreshments but decided to stay. Unfortunately, the town lacked campsites or accommodations. However, we were directed to the hospital, which doubled as a guesthouse.