Well so far I’ve ended up as planned at the end of each ‘move’ day but I fear that is about to end as I’ll explain.
Early start today with my little bit of paper in Cryllic script that I’d booked myself when I arrived in Veliko Tarnovo…oh shit really you just have to hope!!. Anyway to the taxi, got to the bus station. Bus was late so I was totally convinced I’d fucked it but how would you know.
The amazing thing is that generally speaking it seems to work…more or less. A little mini-bus eventually arrived and off we set, 4 hrs later here I am. Bus driver beckons over a taxi driver and asks if I need a taxi…OK say I, into taxi I get. By this time in Bulgaria I know exactly what taxi’s cost and for the main part everyone has treated me very fairly. For the first time this bastard really tried it on. The trip was worth at the very top end 5Lv and when we got to this (I must say posh) hotel he said 15 Lv. I handled myself beautifully if I do say so myself. I just said no…I got my bags out of the taxi (a killer), gave him 5 Lv and told him to call the police. He left tail between his fucking dishonest legs (although I can imagine that he’s thinking rich bitch).
This hotel ( heavily discounted as it’s now Oct and this is a beach resort), is really probably too posh for me..I feel so scruffy and have to keep reminding myself to act as if I belong! The main problem with it is that you may get a discounted price but everything you touch once inside the walls costs you 4X what you’d pay just down the road, but I’ve decided to just wallow in it for 2 days.
My first mission once I got here (at 11am…and for the first time they gave me a room which was fabulous), was to work out how to get to Bucharest.
Went to bus station, went to train station, went to tourist information …gathering information as I went. Found this woman in another hotel that the tourist bureau put me onto who really seemed to know what she was talking about, and the information loosely correlates with what I’d learnt along the way.
So…I thought the little scrap of paper was worrying…that now seems like an agreement set in concrete. Now I have nothing, just instructions. Go to this bus station, get on the bus at station4 and go to Ruse (pay the driver on the bus). When you get to Ruse at 12md, find the bus for Bucharest and buy a ticket, it leaves at 12.30….O…K !!! Oh shit. Anyway off I’ll go.
The main problem is that if it all stuffs up I’ll have to pay for the hotel I’ve booked because the one thing I won’t do is arrive in a major city without accommodation!!
So…forget that for now. I’ve also worked out how to get to Sozopol tomorrow and Nessebar the next day…again its on a wing and a prayer but not as much riding on it.
So rest of afternoon…the mission is to get to know Burgas so walked the town as is my way so back to Burgas. Had a bit of lunch which was a bit worrying as the chicken smelled a bit off as I ate it…hopefully the famous caste iron stomach will handle it!
I felt I should honour the town by going to at least one of their museums so went to the archeology museum and it was fabulous, some really interesting Thracean stuff which I enjoyed. Then I walked down to the beach and guess what the Black Sea isn’t actually Black. By this time the sun had gone and the wind was very blustery so didn’t walk out on the pier or down on the beach. Beach resorts have never been my thing, I’m here to explore the ancient old towns and the history.
Then back to the hotel that I’m paying beyond my means for so might as well take advantage as they bleed my finances!!!
By the way the bus trip today to get here was splendid…through the mountains and very rustic countryside with horse drawn carts, ancient and crumbly farmhouses and very rundown vineyards. Ang, if you want to buy a cheap vineyard this is the country, with quite a happening wine industry and very cheap. Course language could be a but tricky but I’m sure you’d conquer that no worries.
Another problem with this hotel is that the free WiFi is only in the public areas (which of course means you sit here for hours and order a drink!!) but it also means Skyping is difficult cos when I go to my room, no WiFi.