Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Black Sea: Constanta to Varna

Constanta, Romania, Mosque


Turco-Tatar Festival, Constanta, Romania


Vama Veche, Romania, out of season


Evening fishing, Balchik, Bulgaria


Coast Road to Varna, Bulgaria


Cathedral, Varna, Bulgarıa

These last few photos are of the end of my bike ride to the Black Sea. It was just under 200 kilometres from Constanta to Varna. The highlight of the trip down was the town of Balchik in Bulgaria, where I rested up after a brutal day of fighting a very strong and consistent headwind. The dozens of wind turbines along the way was an indication that the wind was not unusual and I dreaded much more of it . . . In Balchik I found a quiet and cheap hotel away from the main hotel drag; from my room I could see, smell and hear the sea. I also scored a 90 minute massage in the hotel. It was evident that the time was coming to give up the bicycle. My last day was a short one to Varna, but my tire went flat again and my right pedal was clicking loudly. I was glad to arrive at the Yo Ho Hostel in Varna after some searching for it; I spent another rest day in Varna and put myself and my bike on the bus to Istanbul the next day.

posted in Fethiye, Turkey: 6429 km to Varna

2 comments:

Martha said...

Hi Catherine,

did you actually have to travel along that broken Coastal road? It looks like it could damage your bike.

Happy riding,

Love Martha

Catherine said...

Yes, I did cycle on that road! It was great as the cars had to be rerouted and I had it all to myself. I stopped and had a peaceful lunch in the middle of the road, overlooking the Black Sea and enjoying the sunshine.