Early start as breakfast was at 6.30. Then we assembled at 7.30 outside the front of the hotel. We left with the same police escort as we arrived. So the first ten ks were through the city with traffic being stopped to let us through. We were travelling at 14km per hour through areas of apartment blocks which slowly gave way to countryside. Once out of the city the pace improved. The road was narrow and bumpy for the first ten ks, then it turned into a lovely four-lane highway with a wide shoulder on which to ride. We rode along until lunch stop beside a field of sunflowers at 55ks, around 10.30 am. The route was through corn and wheat and sunflower fields. It was in the low 30s.After lunch it was 10ks to the border. We changed our remaining leis and passed through into Bulgaria. Leaving Romania we went into the Green Zone across the Danube on a very long high bridge. The Danube is the border between Romania and Bulgaria. So we had a customs stop - again EU passport holders are waved through while NZ passport holders have to be checked and stamped.
Took photos at the Welcome to Bulgaria sign, then rode into the country. The road was still rough for the first few ks, past the city of Ruce. The Bulgarian language is cryllic, so not very easy to follow the road signs. From the road, Ruce was a city of ugly apartment blocks. We rode up a newly constructed, not yet in use road and went on a bit too far so after crossing an almost completed bridge we had to to over to the existing road and go back to the turnoff. That achieved, we carried on to our destination. At a petrol station we used the replacement ATM card and got out cash - it was sent to Bucharest by Luus to replace the card Jos had stolen when he had his wallet pickpocketed in Vienna.
So we have some lev currency - 1 lev = NZ$1.10. We carried on to where we had been told our campsite was, only to find that it was changed due to there being truck drivers and construction workers staying there; the owner said it would be too rough tonight!! So we all waited for around an hour until we got word of a new campsite. We then had to cycle about 15ks to the site; it is beside a murky lake with a fresh spring water tap about 500m from the tent site. We were able to use the ice-cold water to clean ourselves in. There is one toilet - a disgusting squat one- and again the episode shows the lack of real planning by the tour company. We are told that this is an expedition, but there is a difference between having an adventure and having inadequate facilities for 45 people. There is, fortunately, a lovely restaurant nearby which serves food, coffee and ice cream. We went there after dinner for some desert. Dinner was meat, beans and cabbage.
Finished off the evening with the second talent show, starring Janice, John, Philip, Lady Al and Bill, Garis, Kurt and Stewart. Like the first show, it was a very enjoyable concert in a very pleasant evening. Bed at 10 to the sound of barking dogs and locals sitting in their cars near the lake listening to music. Thought we might have left the dogs behind in Romania, but they continued to bark near and far for most of the night. Today's distance was 104ks in 5 hours 11, ave. 20.1.
Took photos at the Welcome to Bulgaria sign, then rode into the country. The road was still rough for the first few ks, past the city of Ruce. The Bulgarian language is cryllic, so not very easy to follow the road signs. From the road, Ruce was a city of ugly apartment blocks. We rode up a newly constructed, not yet in use road and went on a bit too far so after crossing an almost completed bridge we had to to over to the existing road and go back to the turnoff. That achieved, we carried on to our destination. At a petrol station we used the replacement ATM card and got out cash - it was sent to Bucharest by Luus to replace the card Jos had stolen when he had his wallet pickpocketed in Vienna.
So we have some lev currency - 1 lev = NZ$1.10. We carried on to where we had been told our campsite was, only to find that it was changed due to there being truck drivers and construction workers staying there; the owner said it would be too rough tonight!! So we all waited for around an hour until we got word of a new campsite. We then had to cycle about 15ks to the site; it is beside a murky lake with a fresh spring water tap about 500m from the tent site. We were able to use the ice-cold water to clean ourselves in. There is one toilet - a disgusting squat one- and again the episode shows the lack of real planning by the tour company. We are told that this is an expedition, but there is a difference between having an adventure and having inadequate facilities for 45 people. There is, fortunately, a lovely restaurant nearby which serves food, coffee and ice cream. We went there after dinner for some desert. Dinner was meat, beans and cabbage.
Finished off the evening with the second talent show, starring Janice, John, Philip, Lady Al and Bill, Garis, Kurt and Stewart. Like the first show, it was a very enjoyable concert in a very pleasant evening. Bed at 10 to the sound of barking dogs and locals sitting in their cars near the lake listening to music. Thought we might have left the dogs behind in Romania, but they continued to bark near and far for most of the night. Today's distance was 104ks in 5 hours 11, ave. 20.1.
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