Towards the Black Sea
Braila - Galati
22 juin 2019
Peaceful departure from Varsatura this morning. A short stage awaits me, 29km theoretical (it will be a little more with the visits).
I stroll around Braila : a beautiful church, monuments, ramblas with a statue dedicated to Ekaterina Teodoru (the Romanian Joan of Arc) and a port where the life of the city does not seem to be, but maybe it is still too early ?
After this visit the road is hard : two lanes of traffic enclosed in safety barriers... I try to drive on the side of the white (…)
Harsova - Varsatura (Braila)
21 juin 2019
This morning before leaving I am changing my itinerary : yesterday’s heavy and abundant rains may have made the roads impassable. After crossing the bridge over the Danube the first few kilometres to a small village seemed to be on a good road, but then the path is dotted on the map ! Probably the road is not cut by floods (since it should follow the levee) but it is likely to be at least muddy and exhausting.... Then I cross the bridge, the toll does not concern bicycles and I arrive at the (…)
Seimeni - Harsova... and a room not to be found !
19 juin 2019
First time it happened to me : the airbnb reservation in Harsova is ghostly : I found the address, a lady answered me that yes it was the address indicated but that no she didn’t rent anything or anyone next door ! I had not received any reply to the messages and the phone indicated is to the absent subscribers....
After some exchanges with the airbnb support they cancelled the reservation and found me a hotel that suits me very well !
Otherwise the road had been very pleasant, not a long (…)
Rasova - Seimeni
18 juin 2019
A very small trip today.... But it wasn’t until I went to Rasova that I realized that I probably had to do less and take the car ride. I don’t know why the "bike" option on graphhopper.com/maps causes this hook : 25 km by car, 65 by bike !
I easily pass under the highway, cross Cernavoda and arrive in the late morning at Seimeni’s hotel.
There a lady greets me and tells me that I arrive like this with my bike but that the hotel is full.... "I made a reservation madam," she calls, I only (…)
Silistra - Rasova
16 juin 2019
Departure around 8:30 from my room... couldn’t get out early. As a result there is waiting at the border with Romania that I cross just at the edge of the city of Silistra.
I wait but when a young German cyclist arrives, exchanges a few words with me, takes out an ID and passes on the side to access the control, I wait a little bit and then I do the same.
The road is quite pleasant, a little more busy as we approach noon.
I stop at a restaurant in Baneasa and when I leave it, the storm (…)
Tutrakan - Silistra
14 juin 2019
Departure a little early this morning.
As often I am first of all a fairly rolling road. But quickly we have to turn towards the Danube. A car slows down at my level and tries to dissuade me.... He waves me with his hand... I don’t know if it means it’s hilly or that the path is bumpy... In fact it will be both !!
At first a beautiful road but after a while it becomes difficult. From the stone path, to the ground full of ruts (dry but still) we are on the not pleasant track. We reach a (…)
Ruse - Tutrakan
13 juin 2019
This morning for the first time since the beginning I didn’t check the weather before leaving ! Confidence that good weather has settled in 😎
Departure from Ruse a little late, 9:30 am when I had been ready for a while. I had to wait half an hour for my breakfast to be served. I think I have the impression that I’m embarrassing... At one point I almost even left without taking it... I had to insist on a coffee, I had asked for big I had small... pfff... I dropped out.
In the centre of (…)
Svishtov - Ruse, via Romania
12 juin 2019
Stage between two Bulgarian cities via Romania ! We cross with the ferry and the road as a whole is about ten kilometres shorter. Well, we have to wait 10 hours for the ferry and that makes two crossings at the border controls. The trucks line up on the Ferry. It’s impressive because there are no usual safety measures for passengers : no railings and you can go anywhere you want on the boat.... Arrived in Romania I made a detour through the center of Zimminicea to draw some Romanian Lei and (…)
Krushovene - Svishtov
11 juin 2019
The day before there were thunderstorms and the sky is still heavy. I don’t leave very early... a little before 9:00.
The rain threatens Gigen so I decide not to take the Eurovélo but rather the main road to Nikolov. I have to save a few kilometers :) A little further on, well after Nikolov) I don’t see a junction and I realize it when I look at my route a few hundred meters further on. So there again I continue on the main road but in reality I gain nothing. I probably lost a better view (…)
A Bug and some Kilometres
9 juin 2019
A day of hardship that ends well. I had planned to do a small stage today to compensate for yesterday’s big stage. Last night when I was preparing my itinerary, I was looking for the GPS coordinates on the Airbnb site and the coordinates it sent me back are 40km from where I thought they would be, in Pleven instead of Krushovene. So 80 km to go instead of 40, I complain, wonder how I didn’t check, but start booking other rooms according to this new stage (although it’s very hot the weather (…)