Getting up this morning in my cheap pension in Edirne started a day full of hurdles. I was keen to get going, looking forward to a nice ride into Bulgaria.
Steppimg out of my pension though I got wet. Rain!!! And a dark grey sky as far as the eye could see!
However, I packed up my little Suzuki. To be ready to go as soon as the rain stops. Hopefully soon. When problem number two started.
Police cars, lots of them closing all the roads around the pension. Including the one signposted to go to 'Bulgaristan'. Just today there was a bicycle race in town. A bicycle race? The Police guy estimated the roads to be reopened in maybe three hours. Maybe.
And there was rain. Non stop. What now?

It was no heavy rain. Just that bit too uncomfortable to start riding into it. My riding gear should be up for it. But still. Starting to ride in the rain sucks. And so I waited. And waited. I love waiting. While I waited I could watch the bicycle race. Together with a young friendly Turkish Police officer who was keen to practice his English. Around 40-50 bikers doing their laps through the town. Coming past us every 15min. 15min of empty streets. Then a 10sec highlight as the bikes and support cars race past us. Whooooooosh. Then quite again. I kept looking at my little Suzuki. Packed and keen to go, keen to find a detour around the closed streets. And so was I. Looking at the sky though quickly eliminated my keen-nes and I felt comfortable waiting under the shelter of a shop awning. Whoooooosh. Every 15min.
Seeing the race go past us for the 7th time the sky brightened and the rain stopped. Seeing it for the eighth time I was sitting on my bike and took off. Into a grey day. But for now no rain.

If you can't use the signposted roads you have to find your own alternative route. Easiest way to do this is to ask people. But people won't let you go unless you drink one tea with them. So it became a long 25km journey to 'Bulgaristan'. And I was pretty hyped up getting there. From tea and sugar. But friendly people all along. Really cool.
The border crossing itself was easy as. No luggage check. No paperwork whatsoever for the bike. No Carnet, no TIP, no chassis number check. All I had to do was to buy insurance. Covering all of the EU. Last time to buy insurance for me! And before I knew I was in Bulgaria.
Immediate positive observations: fuel here is a lot cheaper than in Turkey. And petrol stations sell road maps! Great start! I bought one straight away. And another one covering Romania as well. Just in case. And right there at the border made a plan of how to get through Bulgaria the most interesting way. I still knew nothing about Bulgaria.
Well, the sky was still grey. There was a slight drizzle every now and then. I already wore four layers of clothes. Considering this my conclusion was that beaches must always have sunshine. So my route should take me straight to the Black Sea, another sea I had to show my little Suzuki. Not the shortest way to Germany. But a scenic one. Probably.
Riding through Bulgaria was strange. The terrain is mostly flat. There is a very intense green. The smell of the recent rain was still hanging in the air. Sometimes in the shape of dense fog. There were houses. Small villages. Most in a grade of decay. And no people. Sometimes, rarely, there was an old person curiously looking after me. Very rarely there was a car. But mostly I had Bulgaria to myself. As if it was evacuated some years ago.
There were some major towns along the way. And there were people. Mostly elderly ones. Standing there watching. There were shops. Closed. Factories. Ruined. Houses. Partly collapsed. The 250km between the border and the Black Sea port of Burgas gave a very sober impression. Bulgaria seemed to be in a poorer state than many African countries we went through.
All that changed though when arriving in Burgas. No more decay. High rise buildings. Traffic lights. A big clean city which experienced it's peak during the communist era. And somehow was able to cling on without developing much further since. It feels like a time travel experiment. Soviet made trucks and cars fill the road. Also ancient electric buses using overhead cables. Like trams without rails. There are these monuments, lots of them truly monumental and huge. Picturing figures from the old communist ages. Mostly in a 'Moving Forward' pose. They stand on major town squares. In parks. In front of public buildings.
And there is the Black Sea. Beautiful and wide. But cold. Not just the water. On arrival in Burgas I was wearing six layers of clothes. And was still cold. And damp from the constant drizzle along the way. In short, when I stepped off the bike I felt quite miserable. So I booked into the first hotel I could find and spend a long time under a very hot shower. Which brought me back to life.
Even a clean city like Burgas looks grey in the drizzle. I spent an hour or so exploring it's sights, had some food and retreated back into the warm dry shelter of my hotel room. Soon after the drizzle turned into rain which hasn't stopped since. My hopes of sunshine on the beaches didn't turn out so well.
I almost forgot how depressing a grey rainy day can be after all the sunshine in Africa. The forecast predicts continuation of these conditions for a week. No fun.

What I also feel is that, since leaving Africa, my interest in sightseeing and spending time in countries diminished to a degree. Turkey and Bulgaria are just not the same as Africa. Not the same Adventure. The same challenge. The same fun with people. It may sound stupid but it feels for me like spending too much time in touring here will water down the awesomeness of the journey somewhat. That and the weather will see me riding longer distances now. Going a straighter way towards Germany. Soon I should arrive. Driving up the small hill to my mum's and dad's place. Where I will have time to process the journey. I guess I will need that.

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no risk - no fun