Bulgarian Bike Tour

Ruse to Tutrakan

October 24, 2019 by admin

I wanted to make it to Silistra today but a big thunderstorm, um, dampened…my plans.

Light flooding on the 21 in Bulgaria, if that isn’t too much of oxymoron

Bulgaria’s 21 Freeway, which is what you take out of Bulgaria for the entire way over the next couple stages, is not suited for cyclists. In good conscience, I cannot suggest riding your bike on this portion of the trip. Today brought rain, wind, and semi-trucks the entire way. I stopped for lunch at a roadside restaurant during a particularly punishing downpour.

This gave me time to think about the wipeout I’d just experience. As I rode along the edge of the freeway, my front wheel caught the seem between the tarmac and the gravel and took me down. I was lucky that no cars or semi-trucks were nearby or I would have been roadkill.

At this point in the trip, I’m looking forward to the end. Not because I’m sick of riding or exploring, but because the constant shots of adrenaline on these heavily trafficked roads with discourteous drivers are exhausting.

Eventually, I exited the 21 and made a short climb to a room in Tutrakan. The town sits atop a steep hill overlooking the Danube. The modern planners of the city managed to ensure that almost none of the river is visible from the perch with one exception: the Kotbata Restaurant.

Old Soviet housing projects abound in Tutrakan.

Seeing the poverty and general quality of life in some of these Eastern European towns has made me thankful that my great grandparents left for the US when they did. I don’t mean that in any way as an insult. I just know that most of the opportunities that I’ve lucked into would not have been possible without their emigration. In fact, I wouldn’t even have been born. But I digress.

I found the river views I’d been looking for at Kotbata. There I ordered some stuffed mushrooms and a Bulgarian soup. The soup had yogurt, dill, cucumber, some oil, and was served cold. Delicious. Well under a dollar. Tangy, fresh, crunchy, and dilly. What’s not to like?

Every EV6 cyclist willing to risk their life on the 21 should eat at this restaurant for the views alone.

Turnu Magurele to Ruse, Bulgaria

October 23, 2019 by admin

Today’s route was much better than it had been the past few days. I rode for the first 30 kilometers with a French couple I met last night.

Francis, Nicole, and a burning heap of trash

After nearly calling it quits in Giurgiu, I rallied and decided to cross back into Bulgaria to explore Ruse for the rest of the day.

This was the right call. The bridge that crosses into Ruse did not have a shoulder and the pedestrian walkway was off-limits so it was a bit hairy. One lane was under construction on half of the bridge with predictable head-on traffic as a result.

Ruse is flush with Belle Époque architecture and pedestrian plazas that make it a lovely place to just sit around and people watch. I ordered a big Bulgarian savory pancake filled with beans, cheese, corn, and hot sauce, then sat and shared a meal with the mosquitos.

There was one hiccup on today’s ride, one of my rear panniers ripped going over train tracks. The screw holding the clip system in place on the bag stripped out. I jury-rigged it with a bungee cord to secure it in place. That’ll have to do until I get home.

Today’s Miscellany

Vdin to Bechet

October 22, 2019 by admin

I crossed into Romania today for a flatter ride. Calafat is opposite Vdin in Romania. To get there I crossed the New Europe Bridge, which has a bike-friendly path along its left side to get to Calafat. After a shitty but included breakfast at the Bononia Hotel and a stop for some groceries, I was off.

The currency exchange man on the New European Bridge took my 105eur in Bulgarian currency and returned the equivalent of 93eur in Romanian Lei. The attendant ensured me — with a big smile — that all is well because, you see, it is the bank’s fault and not his. The currency first had to be converted from Bulgarian currency into Serbian money, then back to Romanian Lei and in the process, there was some….leakage. After this 21st Century highway robbery, the Green Machine and I pushed on to passport control where the computer system was down.

After about 20 minutes things were up and running and I was off and riding onto the high way onramp! Climbing onto a highway is something I do not recommend, but I’m not sure if it could have been avoided. Along the left side of border control there might have been a route that skipped this adventure, but I can’t be certain.

This was a dumb one to take, but I survived

I wasted half an hour in Calafat trying to exchange my last $12 worth of Serbian dinar, which I’d found in my handlebar after crossing the border. This was an object lesson in the time value of money, in a sense.

The rest of today’s ride was pretty brutal. It was mostly flat but with a discernable headwind, weather in the 30s, diesel traffic, and did I mention headwinds? I also noticed that my front cassette is warped and wobbling, which is pulling on my chain a bit. I’ll have to ignore that until I’m back home.

Otherwise, Romania has been a great place to ride. Town after town is identical with the same store that sells the same processed foods, with what looks like the same church and the same aging park without any kids playing. Of course there are differences and I’m sure what I’ve written would be offensive to any resident of these towns, but to the cyclist passing through at 15 to 20km per hour, these towns are all the same.

The hotel I found in Bechet charged 20eur for a room, but given the alternatives and the AC, I’d have paid a lot more. Plus, the dinner was a delicious mamaliga with sour cream and cheese, pickles, and beer. I recommend staying at this hotel for the food alone. Truly one of my favorite meals so far.

I’ve taken to singing aloud to myself on the parts of my rides where it would be dangerous to wear headphones. My current song, set to the melody of “If You’re Going to San Francisco”, goes like this, “If you’re going on the EuroVelo, be sure to wear sunscreen while you’re there” and so on with different suggestions and that “you’ll be sure to meet lovely people there.”

The hotter it gets, the more excited I am to done cycling. I am especially looking forward to meeting my relative Liviu and his family in Brasov, Romania. They’ve graciously agreed to host me at there place for a week or so once I reach the Black Sea.

Negotin to Vdin, Bulgaria

October 21, 2019 by admin

Today began with a true Serbian sendoff.

After getting some pastries, I crossed the square to enjoy my breakfast and order some coffee.

Why did I need coffee? Because despite getting to bed at 9:30 pm, I managed maybe 30 minutes of sleep thanks to a mosquito swarm.

I thought I wouldn’t have to contend with vampires until Romania.

Anyone who claims to be a pacifist hasn’t had to choose between sleep and mosquito genocide. I chose the latter and groggily but with a clear conscience awoke to find my own blood splattered on the hostel walls. A crimson spackle to which my victims (i.e. tormentors) were stuck. I left happy knowing that their larvae would die from bloodthirst. Good riddance.

With a well-deserved coffee in hand, I mentally prepared to leave Serbia. A friendly and drunk gentleman named Drageas took an interest and joined my table. Once Drageas learned that I’m American he renamed me Johnson and sarcastically suggested I affix the American flag to my bike. Anger at the NATO (read American) bombing of Serbia is palpable.

A smiling man came over to us and exchanged a few words with Drageas before heading off with some of Drageas’ cash. A few minutes later he brought Drageas a pack of cigarettes and kept the change. It was clear that Drageas and the other Serbian men didn’t respect this man or other Romas generally. There was a clear sense that was he was more a novelty and the butt of their tired jokes than he was their equal, to them.

After some convincing, I gave in and Drageas hurried inside to order me a beer too. After half a beer for me and two for Drageas, I paid the bill, bid adieu to my new friends, then rode toward Bragovo, a Bulgarian border town.

Once I’d crossed the border into Bulgaria and after some big climbs out of Negotin, I had one of these insane smiles on my face. I was happy to be alive and to be riding on this day in this place. That was until I got lost in Jesen. Whatever you do, don’t take the main route through there. Take the shortcut on the quiet road instead.

Today’s destination, Vdin, like seemingly every other Eastern European town I’ve visited is taring its town square up ostensibly to restore it. Despite the complete lack of sidewalks, the town is pretty with a water walk that lead’s to Vdin’s ancient fortress and walls. Vdin is home to Bulgaria’s second-largest synagogue too. It’s abandoned but well worth a visit. Apparently you can easily push past a hole cut in its fence to explore inside. I opted not to.

After a couple beers and some pullups near the water, I mosied back to the Bononia Hotel where I found a cheap and quintessentially Soviet room.