World Tour 2005 - Eastern Europe
Bulgaria 
05-07 Cheap ticket 110 Euro.. But Airport taxes 50 Euro + taxi to the airport 45 Euro. Almost as much as the ticket to cross the continent! People may ask me "Hey you cycled from the airport to Paris, why not the opposite.?" There are no nice boxes waiting for me at the airport to pack a bike and all the accessories. No way I could carry those boxes on my head. I'm in Bulgaria. No problems at the airport. But they wanted to see what was in that big box. Assembled the bike (lot of curious people) and cycled to central Varna. You're not supposed to cycle on that highway. In fact I did that a few times in Eastern Europe without any problems. There are signs to make modern like in Western Europe but they can't enforce it. They would have to stop all the peasants cycling or on their carts pulled by donkeys, etc. It was dark when I arrived in Varna. Hotels are more expensive than I expected. But it was already dark. So took the second one.
05-08 Varna's archaeological museum is Bulgaria's best (I believe it). Over 100,000 pieces covering 6000 years of history. The beach is nice. But nobody's swimming yet. Still cold.
05-09 Stayed 2 nights in Varna. Today took the train to Plovdiv. The roman theater is well preserved. More than the one in Orange (France). So many tourists everywhere.
05-10 I'm in Sofia. No serious standout attractions apart from the cathedral. Won't cycle much in Bulgaria. Airport to city. Train station to city or within the city and the suburb. Except for the North near the border it's too mountainous for my taste.
05-11 Train to Gorna Oryahovista. From there cycled about 25 km to Veliko Tarnovo. What's there? The mammoth fortress and the medieval city, capital of the second Bulgarian Kingdom (1185-1393). A site shared over the centuries by the Tracians, Romans and Byzantines. The fortress was mainly built between the 5th and 12 centuries
05-12 Train to Ruse. That's before crossing the border to Romania.
So what's my impression of Bulgaria and its people : A few nice places to see but the people are not interested in where you're from, where you're going, etc. Even if you're staying at their home for the night. At least it wasn't so expensive. Cost : about half the price than in Canada . Oh, I forgot to talk about the food. There are 2 kinds of Bulgarian food. Traditional and pizza.
Romania
05-13 A great day. Woke up at 6:00AM. Was on the road at 7:00. Cycle the 15 km to the border. I got there before the custom opened (8:00) . It's probably the first time they had someone crossing the border on a bicycle. I guess that bridge is only for cars and trucks. People on foot use the ferry or the train. At 8:30 I was in Romania after crossing the long bridge over the Danube river. Cycled all the way up to Bucharest on the highway (same comment as in Bulgaria). Nice weather. Hey there is a Youth Hostel here. My luck. Because Romania is a bit expensive. About the same price as in Canada. Visited the city. Great. You should see the Palace of Parliament. The big mama of monstrous building as they say. I don't find it that bad. To top all that a classical concert in the evening at the Ateneul Roman by the George Enescu Philharmonic Orchestra. ^_^ Beethoven's 7th symphony. ^_^ Less than $8 Canadian (600 yen).
05-14 Laundry day. Went to the Opera Romana and saw "Rigoleta" . 2h40 min. A bit long. But it was great. About 40 actors/singers. Beautiful decor and costumes. A bit less than $7 Cn (500 yen). And tomorrow there is the premiere of a ballet. But it's sold out. Great country for arts.
05-15 Transylvania here I come. Train to Sighisoara. Nice citadel but not as impressive as I was expecting after reading the guidebook. Back to Brasov by bus. I'm going to stay here for the night. The guidebook says "One of the most visited city in Romania". Hum ... Took a few pictures. Tomorrow is the day. I'm going to meet Dracula ....
05-16 Bran's castle is open only daytime and Dracula comes out only at night. How can you meet him? The castle is worth a few pictures. Went to see Rasnov's castle as well. Not much. I'm a bit disappointed by Romania. Train back to Bucharest.
05-17 The border in the South between Romania and Ukraine is not open. Must go North first to Kiev or go through Moldova. Got easily my tourist visa for Moldova. Leaving by train to Chisinau (Moldova).
Romanian cuisine : not much and expensive but the wine is good. The price of food at the grocery is about the same as in Canada. If you're a fan of concert, opera and ballet and on a low budget Bucharest is the place.
