Central Black Sea Coast and eastern Palnina Mountains – mid-May 2004

Varna to Nessebar:
The Black Sea Coast in Bulgaria is absolutely gorgeous. One-third of the country is wooded, and the areas along the coast are almost completely covered in forests: thick, dense, and very green. There are many trails; they reminded me of the woods near our cabin in the Delaware Valley.

The stretch of road from Varna to Nessebar was very mountainous. The road followed the deep blue sea, and the scenery was wild, beautiful, savage. It was wonderful biking in such a place. There was little traffic, except for the occasional truck that would pass carrying timber. The few villages that we passed were tiny, and the hillsides were covered in vineyards and wild flowers – yellow, white, red, lavender, pink, and purple. We picnicked in the fields of flowers during the daytime and camped in the forests at nighttime.

Just before arriving in Nessebar, the steep road ascended without break for 14 km. straight. We could see the small peninsula jetting into the Sea from up on high. Then we went down, down, down to Nessebar – 10 km. straight down to the sea! We passed Sunny Beach, which is one of the largest seaside resorts in Europe, with 113 hotels and 250 restaurants. New Nessebar is located on the mainland next to Sunny Beach; the old town is situated on the peninsula.

Nessebar:
The first thing you see as you enter Nessebar – after the hordes of tourists in shorts and bathing suits, trying to make the most out of a cold and windy holiday by the Sea – is the old windmill located on the thin strip connecting the peninsula to the mainland. Then more tourists.

The town isn’t very large – you can easily visit it in one afternoon. The area is classified by the UNESCO for its medieval churches, of which there are about a dozen remaining from the original 42. A couple of the churches have been turned into art galleries. The stone and wood houses in the town are an excellent example of Bulgarian Renaissance architecture of the late 19th century. There are over 100 houses of this type in Nessebar, although an extraordinary number are hidden either by tourist knick-knacks or by signs for restaurants or stores.

The town is probably very charming in the winter. It is still charming in May, with its winding cobble-stoned streets, Renaissance houses, and church ruins, but you have to look beyond the swarms of English and German tourists and the overabundance of objects which are destined to be sold to tourists. Even though the peninsula is already crowded (it is the most touristy spot in Bulgaria), more construction is underway, notably on the beach.

We tried the local fast-food at an outdoor cafeteria – moussaka with yogurt, breaded peppers stuffed with cheese, and baklava. We met Michael at an Internet café – a 40-year old German who is finishing up a 3 1/2-year bike tour. His route was similar to ours, except that instead of visiting America, he toured the east coast of Africa, Jordan, and Syria.

For more on the UNESCO site of Nessebar, please visit the UNESCO section of Bulgaria.

Through the mountains towards Turkey:
South of Nessebar was much the same as the Northern Sea Coast: mountains, vineyards, forests, delicate red and lavender flowers, daisies. We picnicked on the rocks by the sea north of Burgas, and then took the road inward through the mountains just south of that town. Unfortunately, there is no border crossing along the coastal road between Bulgaria and Turkey; it is a long detour to the first customs patrol.

The scenery, as before, was gorgeous. Very, very green. Heavily forested. Many vineyards. There were more flowers and trees than people. We passed one man – a toothless, old man with a herd of black pigs crossing the road. We saw a lot of storks, too. That was cool. And a lot of mosquitoes – that was not so cool. I had the impression that my face was transformed into a windshield.

We were awoken by cowbells early one morning, and rose to find our tent surrounded by dozens of cows and horses. The horses ran off quickly, but the cows hung around a while. After the uphill climb of the previous day, we had fabulous downhill runs that day. I was going 50% faster than the posted speed limit. I was grinning so broadly, I started to worry that the insects might get stuck in my teeth!

We reached Malko Tarnovo on a Saturday evening, when a wedding celebration was taking place. It was the last town in Bulgaria before the border, and extremely mountainous. We hadn’t been this high in the mountains since last September, when we were first starting out on our journey. Not wanting to cross the border at nightfall, we headed off on a side road, which looked isolated enough, to find a spot to pitch our tent. It seemed impossible in this region. The mountainsides were so steep. The trees off the side of the road seemed to have no end and to descend forever, deeper and deeper into the earth. Pushing our bikes up this side path was so steep; it seemed almost like Aggstein in Austria, all over again.

And then, the police pulled up in their jeep. No luck! No camping, they said. Then the chief seemed to have a change of heart, and said “Okay, no problem.” Probably they felt sorry for us, sweating to push our bikes up the steep road. We followed them to the church grounds, where we put up our tent. We ate dinner on the picnic table, under a clear sky with a sliver of a moon and a bright planet to light the night.

We hung around some the next day – talked to the locals and looked in at the tiny Orthodox church with its rough wooden beams and pictures of Jesus and the saints. Then we continued on to Turkey under the scorching heat.