Monday, April 16
Today we rented bikes and rode along the beach. No, that is not a joke – it really happened. The city of Burgas is the first city in Bulgaria to have a bike rental program. Scattered throughout the city you can find racks of bicycles that can be rented for a nominal fee. It is a very popular program and these bikes are extensively used. To participate you have to sign up and receive an id card. Unfortunately we didn’t have time to get cards so we rented bikes from the shop next to our apartment.
The bike paths are in excellent condition and extend north and south for many miles. We started at the north end of the marine park and road for about two miles before Deborah decided that it was time to sit on a nearby bench and enjoy the view of the sea.
(Proof that Deborah Can Ride a Bike)
I continued on towards the next town. About 100 yards later the smooth paved path turned into a rustic dirt road and started a long slow climb up the cliff face. The climb extended for several miles until reaching a steep descent at the perimeter of the next town. The views from the top of the cliffs were spectacular. All around I could see vast fields of wildflowers backing up to the sea. The return trip was mostly downhill and made for a very enjoyable ride. I returned to find Deborah feeling rested and refreshed. We road back through the park and returned the bikes before heading out to lunch. In total Deborah rode about five miles. I rode about 14 miles.
(Fields of Flowers on Top of the Cliff)
We had intended to eat French Fry sandwiches for lunch (yes, they have them all over Bulgaria) but we opted for a menu choice that amounted to a French Fry sandwich on a plate. Because we were in a health conscience mood we decided to forgo the bread. After all that hard work we felt entitled to a reward so we headed over to Nedelya for cake and coffee. We probably should have ridden further.
(We Ate About a Third Before Taking This)
Distance walked: 6.2 miles
Tuesday, April 17
Today we were occupied with preparations for our trip to Varna. We consulted the train schedule and found that the trip would be 4.5 hours. The bus only takes two hours. Guess which one we decided to take?
After coffee we headed over to the bus station to buy tickets. The information booth was closed so we headed over to window 3 where the sign read, “Bapha”, which is Varna written in Bulgarian. They listed bus times as 7:00 am, 8:00 am and 10:00 am. We would have preferred a 9:00 am bus but since that wasn’t an option we asked for the 8:00 am bus. We were told to go to window 12. The Woman at window 12 had bus times listed as 8:00 am, 9:00 am and 10:00 am. We were happy to see a 9:00 am option and when we asked for that we were told to head over to window 3! We just caved and got tickets for the 8:00 am bus. We checked the tickets carefully. Between our lack of Bulgarian and their lack of English we weren’t sure where we might end up. As far as we can tell we do, in fact, have tickets to Varna at 8:00 am tomorrow morning. Fingers crossed.
We decided to take one last walk through marine park. At several points along the bike path we had encountered some strange buildings that had been painted with clown faces. When we investigated them we realized that these were pill boxes used to protect the coast during World War II. Rather than tear them down they had been decorated to look festive. We entered one of them and saw that it was constructed of thick, heavily reinforced concrete with small slits for windows that were designed to allow soldiers to fire on approaching enemies. An unexpected find on a public beach and a reminder of a different time.
(World War II Era Pill Box)
Back in our apartment we continued spying on our neighbors across the courtyard. We’ve been doing this since we arrived. They’re a pair of seagulls that have nested on a nearby rooftop. Mama seagull has been sitting on a nest and papa has been bringing her food. We learned that the gestation period for seagulls is three weeks so we had high hopes of seeing the babies before we left but it doesn’t look like that’s going to happen. At least we won’t have to buy a baby gift. We’re sure they’ll have a good life in Burgas – people love to feed the animals around here.
(Our Neighbors “The Seagulls”)
Next stop Varna. This time we’ll be staying a little north of the city in a hotel/resort complex. This will serve as a small vacation before the rigors of Budapest in May.
Distance walked: 4.9 miles